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10 Tips for Whiter Teeth

Dental care and oral health is essential to your well being. Regular brushing is important to ensure the maintenance of healthy, white teeth. As a rule of thumb, you should brush your teeth after every meal and change your toothbrush every two months. This will prevent the formation of plaque, which causes stains on the teeth. It is also ideal to use toothpaste products that carry the seal of approval from the American Dental Association. There are a number of other lifestyle choices you can make to ensure that your teeth stay as white as possible.

  1. Eat Fruits and Vegetables

    • Eating raw vegetables and fruits don't just help keep your body healthy, they also help clean the teeth. Chewing fibrous foods such as apples, pears, grapes, carrots, spinach, broccoli, lettuce and celery is a good way to reduce stains on the teeth. These foods work like a skin scrub for the teeth by exfoliating them before stain molecules attach themselves deeply to the enamel. Since they contain bleaching elements, strawberries or a lemon or orange peel can also be used to whiten the teeth by massaging its inner portion over the surface of the teeth for about two to five minutes. After that time period is up, you should rinse thoroughly with water.

    Use Baking Soda Once a Week When Brushing Teeth

    • Baking soda is a classic way to help whiten you teeth. In fact, many toothpastes contain baking soda. As a natural teeth whitening ingredient, it is a cheap and safe way to whiten teeth without exposing them to harsh chemicals that can come from some commercial teeth whitening products. Making a baking soda whitener is as simple as mixing water and baking soda with a little salt to create a paste. Simply spread the mixture over your toothbrush prior to brushing.

    Always Carry Dental Floss

    • To prevent plaque buildup and discoloring or staining of the teeth, carry dental floss at all times, especially if you're going to eat out. It is best to floss at least once a day since food strips are typically left in between the teeth. Flossing before bedtime is also ideal as bacteria can work on the enamel during sleep if it's not removed.

    Visit the Dentist Regularly

    • Visit the dentist at least twice or three times a year to maintain healthy, white teeth and to ensure that any oral problem is attended to promptly.

    Use Teeth Whitening Products

    • Using effective teeth whitening products such as whitening strips and paint-on gels help to whiten teeth. Whitening strips are used primarily for whitening the front teeth. Paint-on gels can cover all teeth for whitening purposes. A dental tray, typically containing carbamide peroxide solution and flouride together with a gel kit, can visibly lighten teeth in about two weeks. Other than those readily available in stores, a custom-made tray can also be manufactured by the dentist.

    Use Straw When Drinking Stain-producing Beverages

    • As many drinks like red wine, cranberry juice, cola, coffee, tea and any chromogenic or pigmented liquid tend to seep into the enamel, it is essential to brush the teeth immediately after drinking any stain-producing beverage. It also helps drinking such liquids through a straw.

    Avoid or Quit Smoking

    • As smoking causes brown or yellow spots on the teeth because of nicotine penetrating the enamel, avoiding or quitting the smoking habit is valuable when it comes to avoiding teeth discoloration. Smokers generally find it more difficult to keep their teeth white than non-smokers.

    Watch the Medications You Take

    • Some prescription drugs and pills including tetracycline antibiotics can result in a dull color of the teeth. When medications indicate such side effects, it is best to consult the dentist on how to enhance the whiteness of the teeth.

    Choose the Right Lipstick Shade

    • For women, choosing the right lipstick or lip gloss color can actually make the teeth look significantly whiter. While this is only a visual way of enhancing the whiteness of the teeth, it works to a person's advantage. Those with grayish teeth should avoid red lipsticks with blue tones. Instead, they can pick those with cooler tones with a brown base such as nude pinks with almost brownish hues. Those with yellowish or off-white tones to their teeth should avoid deep, dark and bright shades and super-shiny glosses. Instead, they can choose nude shades or pinks with bluish undertones.

    Get Porcelain Veneers or Consider Bonding

    • For those who can afford it, there are cosmetic options such as porcelain veneers or bonding (a resin put over the teeth) that provide whiter teeth. While these options are rather expensive (as of November 2010, about $300 for bonding and up to $1,500 for porcelain veneers per tooth), they are both methods that last.

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