Imagine the following: You’ve been looking forward to the holidays. You’re nearly a month out from photos, parties, and more photos. Then one day you look in the mirror and realize that your teeth are… off. They just aren’t as white as you wanted or remembered. But can you get them back to their shiniest in time for family photos and candid Insta-shots? For anyone planning on a big occasion, it’s very worthwhile to know just how long different whitening methods take. Don’t get caught unaware ever again!
So how long does it take to get white teeth?
This will depend upon how stained your teeth are, but most whitening methods will take 3-4 weeks to see results.
Depending on how discolored your teeth are, whitening may not be effective at all. For instance, yellowed teeth will respond better than darker brown-colored teeth. Gray or purple-stained teeth may not respond at all.
The yellow and brown discoloration is typically due to normal wear-and-tear, or improper dental care. These whiten the fastest, typically within just 2 weeks. Most teeth are not naturally white. In addition, day-to-day life will put your teeth through quite a bit. These kinds of stains are caused by coffee and tea, or just poorer dental care. but as these are surface stains, they are removed much more quickly than others.
Blue or gray teeth will take twice as long to whiten, around 3 to 4 weeks. These colors are usually due to dental restorations. Silver-colored metals or amalgams used in dentistry may faintly show through dental tissues, resulting in the blue or grey color. Some antibiotics may affect your teeth and result in staining your teeth, especially if given while the teeth are growing.
Tobacco stained teeth will take 1 to 3 months to lighten, and teeth stained due to medication may take even longer to whiten, possibly anywhere from 1 to 6 months. Teeth are more porous than you may expect. Because of this, nicotine and tobacco can get absorbed into the tooth and discolor it more deeply than regular wear and tear. Even E-Cigarettes can cause this discoloration because the color is caused by the nicotine, not the tobacco.
If you need even a little bit of whitening in a hurry, we have a list which includes the fastest whitening toothpastes, as well as plenty of other options.
Can Yellow Teeth Be Whitened?
Yes. Yellowed teeth respond relatively well to whitening treatments. Most teeth have some amount of yellow naturally within them when healthy, and healthy teeth will take well to whitening, even with the most gentle of whitening toothpastes.
Can A Dead Tooth Be Whitened?
Yes, but they will not react as quickly as the rest of your teeth. Dead teeth will have had dead root tissue which has discolored the tooth from within. Because whitening procedures typically only affect the surface layers, a dead tooth will whiten slower. Ask your dentist about what can be done to keep an even whiteness in your teeth.
If you want to read more into this you can see just how whitening toothpaste works here.

I began my writing career writing for various content firms, but it was under the tutelage of the editors here at SavantMag.com that I grew as a writer and editor. I love the content we write here and bringing solid reviews to consumers is rewarding beyond what I can even describe.
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