In pursuit of a perfectly white smile, some people make bad decisions when it comes to teeth whitening. The availability of teeth whitening kits in pharmacies and supermarkets has many people trying to whiten their teeth themselves. Although it is possible, there is a potential for disaster. Here are some commonly made teeth whitening errors and how you can avoid them:

Brushing with Whitening Toothpastes Daily

A whitening toothpaste is good for removing some surface stains. However, the toothpaste is abrasive and can lead to considerable damage to your teeth. The paste could wear down the enamel on the surface of the teeth. If that happens, you could experience problems ranging from cavities to tooth loss.

If you do plan to use a whitening toothpaste, limit the usage. Using it once a week is enough to help with getting rid of surface stains.

Eating and Drinking the Wrong Foods

Your teeth can become dehydrated during the whitening process. When this happens, they are more vulnerable to staining. If you eat or drink foods and beverages with dark coloring, your teeth could absorb those colors and leave you with stains worse than you had before whitening.

To avoid this, you need to be careful with what you eat and drink the first couple of days following whitening. Your teeth will have an opportunity to get the hydration needed and will be less likely to absorb the darker colors then.

Whitening Too Often

Without realizing it, you could go too far in your quest for whiter teeth. If you whiten your teeth too much, you could be causing damage that will be difficult to underdo. For instance, you could develop white splotches on your teeth. White splotches usually cannot be removed and you could end up getting veneers to cover the entire tooth.

Instead of whitening your teeth repeatedly, try to stick to the recommendations made on the kit's packaging. You can even ask your dentist about how often you should be whitening.

Using a Kit

Even though you can buy a teeth whitening kit at almost any pharmacy, you probably should not. Due to the potential for damage to your teeth and gums, having it done in a dentist's office makes sense.

The dentist can safely whiten your teeth and provide you with aftercare steps to make sure your teeth stay white as long as possible. Even if you want to do it yourself, you should see the dentist. He or she can give you custom trays that will help to get an even result. 

Contact a dental office like Cape Dental Care for more information and assistance.