10 Easy Tips For Maintaining A Pearly White Smile
[Updated March 2024]
We all want sparkly white teeth! Your smile is often times the first thing someone notices when they look at you so it makes sense to want to keep your teeth in tip top shape. Getting your teeth whitened professionally at your Dentist or Orthodontist’s office is the quickest way to get a confidence boost, but it can be a bit pricey. While I do recommend you go the professional route, here are some easy alternatives:
easy tips to keep and maintain those pearly whites:
Choose the right shade of lipstick! Certain lip colors can make your teeth appear whiter. Colors like red and bright pink can really make your smile pop.
Instead of coffee, tea, red wine, cranberry juice and other chromogenic beverages that stain your teeth, try drinking more water or other clear drinks as alternatives.
If you are like me and must have tea (or coffee) try drinking from a straw. This will reduce the surface area that the beverage covers and thus reduce staining. You can also try coffee that doesn’t stain your teeth as much like the Golden Ratio coffee brand.
Teeth appear whiter amongst tanned skin tones. If you are of a lighter complexion you will notice that your teeth appear darker or more yellow in the winter months and brighter in the warmer months when you get a tan. A quick hack is to get a tan! In the winter months try tanning products or a tanning bed.
Whiten While You eat! Certain foods such as soy sauce, berries and curry stain your enamel, fibrous foods like apples, celery, carrots, spinach, broccoli and lettuce actually work to remove stains by exfoliating teeth.
Wear contrasting colored outfits. If you don’t have really white teeth then up against a white blouse they will tend to look discolored. Choose an off-white or cream-colored shade instead. To make them really pop wear colors like black or red.
Brush daily (at least 2x) with a whitening toothpaste, and floss! There are tons of options on the market. Some of my favorite whitening toothpastes are Crest 3D White, Crest 3D White Brilliance and Sensodyne true White (for the with sensitive teeth).
Invest in an electric toothbrush. This is the very effective at removing extrinsic stains, which are embedded on the exterior of the tooth surface. There are many options available, you can start by checking the my resources page.
Whitening Strips, gels and tablets are great and do work when used consistently. Whitening strips contain a concentration of carbamine peroxide (the agent that whitens teeth) roughly six times stronger than toothpastes (6-10%). This amount of solution is enough to start penetrating your dental pores and lifting deeper stains. Some of these strips and gels (and there are many) include Crest White Strips, Smile Brilliant and Bright White to name a few.
Last but not least, see your dentist regularly.
All the above are great and easy ways to maintain a beautifully white smile but I do recommend getting your teeth professionally whitened first. It is the most efficient and safest way to whiten your teeth. With in-office treatment, the dentist uses a solution that usually contains ~35% carbide peroxide to get you instantly white teeth. Custom whitening trays can also be done by your dentist or Orthodontist. These whitening systems usually contain a 10-15% solution of carbamide peroxide. You get the trays to take home and use as directed.
