Everybody wants a beautiful, healthy, pure white smile. Unfortunately, getting your teeth to look pearly white can be fraught with difficulty, and maintaining their whiteness is just as hard. Many foods and beverages in our daily diets conspire to stain our teeth, and most whitening treatments only provide temporary solutions. Sadly, there is little you can do to avoid daily, stain-inducing foods and beverages, but there is plenty you can do to achieve a whiter smile!
Avoid Exposure to Staining Agents
Obviously, the best path to white teeth is avoiding anything that could potentially stain them in the first place. Beverages like coffee, tea, and wine are prime examples of drinks that can quickly cause heavy staining to teeth. These are best avoided if you wish to maintain pearly whites. Of course, avoiding these drinks outright is much easier said than done, but consuming them in moderation will go a long way to improving your smile.
Mitigate the Staining
So, you just can’t help but gorge yourself on coffee, tea, red wine, and other stain-inducing foods and beverages. Now What? Thankfully, there are strategies you can take, both before and during the consumption, to mitigate the amount of staining that occurs. For one, drinking through a straw allows the majority of the liquid to bypass the surface of the teeth, and thereby significantly reduce staining. For any minor amount that does occur, brushing your teeth immediately after consumption can often remove the majority of the stain.
Keep Outstanding Oral Hygiene Habits
White teeth are prized for a reason: they are a sign of impeccable oral health. Therefore, if you want white teeth, you’ve got to walk the walk and take prime care of your teeth and gums. Brushing twice daily, morning and night, and flossing after each meal can prevent plaque buildup that often causes yellowing of teeth. In addition, a quality antiseptic mouthwash can aid in killing the bacteria that cause plaque. You can even brush immediately after each meal for better effect. Furthermore, while a whitening toothpaste can be of great help, it is best to only use it once or twice a week. Whitening toothpaste is often overly abrasive, and your enamel will be better served by regular toothpaste the rest of the time.
If All Else Fails, Consider Whitening Treatments
Some people naturally have a more yellow hue to their teeth. If you fall into this camp, you may find that your greatest whitening efforts are still in vain. After you have solidified an impeccable oral care regime, it may finally be time to consider whitening specific treatments. Whitening touch-ups, conducted by professionals, can whiten even the most stubborn teeth. These are an excellent choice for smokers or individuals who consume excessive amounts of stain-causing drinks. However, these treatments are often temporary and require repeat touch-ups, ranging in frequency from twice a year to every two years.
