Three Effective Options of Teeth Whitening for Wedding Pictures

There are lots of ways to get your teeth whitened for wedding pictures, but all three of the most effective share one common attribute: a dentist. There's not that much that you can do at home that has the same effectiveness as professional teeth whitening. For wedding pictures, you want the best, so talk to a dentist as soon as you've set a date for the nuptials.

Traditional Teeth Bleaching
A traditional whitening procedure can take a few visits, and they have to be somewhat separated — but it's very thorough, whitening every part of your teeth. You have to make certain that you get the process started with enough time to get the last session complete a few days before the wedding, but other than that, this is probably one of the least bothersome ways of getting your teeth whitened. For weddings, it's probably the best overall option.

Veneers
If your teeth are really bad — if you're a coffee-swilling, cigarette-smoking, blueberry-and-vegemite eating type of gal — you can opt to get veneers. These thin porcelain facings that bond to your natural teeth give you a beautiful perfect smile. You have the veneers for life, so as long as you take care of them your smile will be beautiful for any occasion.

Laser Teeth Whitening
For wedding parties — the bridesmaids, father of the bride, and so on — it might not be as important to get the extraordinarily thorough whitening of a full-on traditional bleaching. For these folks, a lightning-fast, single-visit Laser teeth whitening can be the answer. Generally done in an hour or less, in a single visit, this kind of 'less important' scenario is exactly what laser teeth whitening is for. Wedding parties that don't want to spend a lot of time getting their teeth whitened can take this option for a quick and effective whitening session.

One final note, make sure to schedule the teeth whitening for your wedding pictures well in advance so you can make sure there is available time in your dentist's schedule. Also, when it comes to scheduling, make sure to have your whitening session about 30 days in advance of the groom's dinner. This will insure your teeth will not lose any of its shine by your wedding day, and allow ample time to correct any problems should they occur.

Teeth Whitening for Weddings: Home vs. Professional

There are literally hundreds of products and services out there designed to get your teeth white for important and well-photographed times in your life. Figuring out which one is the best depends a lot on what you expect from your teeth whitening. For weddings, you want the best possible results, because you never know when someone is going to snap an extreme close-up of your face, and you don't want any flaws in your smile.

The Problems with Home Teeth Whitening
For wedding parties—and especially the bride and groom—it's an absolute necessity that you be as photogenic as possible at the wedding and at the reception. While you could certainly trust your smile to some form of gel-based or strip-based home teeth whitening system, it's not a good idea.

Strips leave significant gaps along the inward-curving surfaces of your teeth that don't get white, and it shows up clear as day in professional close-ups. The whitening substance just doesn't get where the strip doesn't go, and that includes every single surface between any two teeth.

Gels contain humectants like propylene glycol and many also have harsh bleaching agents so that they work quickly. The problem here is that these ingredients can severely irritate the gums, leaving them red and raw—which will show up in the pictures you have taken.

Gums, Toothpastes, and Home Remedies like "mix charcoal dust with peanut butter and brush your teeth with it" all have the same basic problem — they don't do crap. They might whiten your teeth a shade or two if you use them regularly for a few months, but they won't ever work as proper teeth whitening for weddings. You need WHITE teeth, not merely "not yellow" teeth.

The Answer is Professional Teeth Whitening
For weddings, there is simply no substitute for professional teeth whitening. Talk to your dentist and schedule your appointment for at least 30 days before the rehearsal dinner. That will give you as few chances as possible to stain your teeth in the interim, but also enough time to make sure, if there's a problem, that you have time to fix it before the critical moment. There's no good reason to use any other methods of teeth whitening for wedding pictures.

Teeth Whitening for Weddings: Pre-Nuptial Smile Care

So, you're going to get married, and you know that you want to get your teeth whitened. For wedding parties, it's usually suggested that every one of the bridesmaids and groomsmen get their teeth whitened so that they look their best for wedding pictures. But it's not a good idea to get it done the day before the ceremony, because even the most professional dentist can't give you a 100% guarantee that nothing will go wrong.

Why Smile Care?
It's important that you understand exactly what you are whitening your teeth. Wedding pictures and videos are memories that you're going to be looking back on fondly in years — possibly decades — and the better you look in those pictures, the more you'll enjoy the memories. No one wants to look back and get distracted because their teeth are yellow or stained in their wedding pictures. That's why it's critical that you not only get your teeth professionally whitened, but you engage in a few days of intensive smile care to make sure that those pearly whites stay both pearly and white.

Things to Avoid

• Drinking coffee, black or red 'rooibos' tea (green, white, and herbal are fine), and other dark drinks, including any form of cola.
  
• Red wine, cranberry juice, and other dark red drinks are also no-nos.
  
• Smoking anything, but particularly cigarettes.
  
• Popsicles and other frozen desserts that have bright artificial colors.
  
• Balsamic vinegar, unless you eat it with lettuce or spinach. Green leafy veggies form a protective barrier over your teeth, so eating salads with balsamic dressing is still safe.
  
• Similarly, dark Asian sauces from tamari to hoisin are best avoided.
  
• Tomato sauce, especially in the form of spaghetti sauces with artificial colors.
  
• Any highly acidic foods like citrus foods won't necessarily stain your teeth themselves, but they can cause minor enamel damage that will make your teeth more prone to staining.
  

Things to Do

• Brush and floss regularly, even if you're not usually in the habit — it's a good idea in general, but especially when you're trying to keep your teeth clean for your big day.
  
• Eat the aforementioned green leafy vegetables, and if possible, a small salad with each meal.
  
• Finally, green and white teas are great for your dental health, strengthening your enamel.
  

Make a Shining Impression on the New Family with Teeth Whitening for Weddings

One of the most nerve-wracking parts of a wedding is seeing your spouse's extended family for the first time. If everything goes well, you still have to remember that, for many of these people, you're making a first impression that they'll never forget.

That's not the only reason that you need to look and feel your best at your wedding — but it's a pretty big one. There are a lot of steps you ought to take in order to look your best for your wedding. You may want to get a manicure and a haircut, and it's probably best to get a facial as well. But perhaps one of the most important things you can do to prepare for your nuptials is make an appointment with your dentist to get your teeth whitened. For weddings, there's nothing quite as impacting as teeth that compliment your dress — it's a first impression that the in-laws will remember for years.

You might want to talk to your dentist a month or so before the ceremony is planned so that you can find the best time for your teeth whitening appointment. Depending on which techniques the dentist is going to use to whiten your teeth, you may need more than one appointment. You definitely want to leave an extra few days between the last appointment and the ceremony just in case the process doesn't go quite perfectly.

Attention to detail is the measure of success for any wedding, and getting your look perfect so that your new family sees you at your absolute best is a critical detail to attend to. There are very few wedding planners that will think to care for your pearly whites as part of the preparation, so take control of your own teeth whitening.