20 tips to keep your teeth pearly white

Coffee is one of the biggest culprits of teeth staining. To keep your teeth white, avoid coffee altogether or opt for iced coffee or a cold brew through a straw. If you must, find another source of caffeine in the morning to keep the fuel source from dimming the brightness of your teeth. 

Soda, especially dark soda, is another damaging beverage when it comes to the whiteness of your teeth (among other things). If you can’t go a day without a Diet Coke, have it through a straw instead so the soda doesn’t touch your teeth, or at least doesn’t touch them as much. 

Almost everyone who’s had a glass of red wine can relate to finishing with wine mouth. The drink discolors your lips and teeth, and unfortunately for your teeth, that discoloration can become permanent. No, your teeth aren’t going to turn red, but they won’t stay as white. Drink white wine instead to curb that discoloration. 

Flossing regularly is good for your overall dental health, including keeping your teeth white. If you get all the food and plaque out of your teeth each day, there will be less inside your mouth that could potentially cause decay and discoloration. 

Smoking is terrible for your health, but it’s most apparent in the appearance of your teeth. The tar from cigarettes stains your teeth, so the best way to avoid tar stains is to abstain from smoking. 

Whitening toothpaste won’t be the answer to all your teeth-whitening problems, but it is a good addition to a dental health regime. While it will not remove old or deep stains, it will keep your teeth polished. 

If you don’t want to buy a whitening toothpaste, you can make one at home instead. To get that whitening effect, add baking soda or hydrogen peroxide to your toothpaste. 

Mouthwash is known for keeping breath smelling fresh, but it’s a great tool for keeping your teeth white. Mouthwash will kill the bad bacteria in your mouth that are partially responsible for discoloring your teeth. 

Don’t cut sugar out of your life entirely in the name of dental health, but try to limit it to keep your teeth in good shape. Too much sugar can cause your teeth to decay, which causes the appearance of your teeth to decline. 

There are loads and loads of at-home whitening systems available for purchase, all promising a brand-new smile. While they won’t deliver the desired results, at-home whitening systems can be effective for surface whitening or maintenance. 

It should go without saying, but keeping your teeth healthy will keep them white. Part of keeping your teeth healthy is brushing regularly. Make sure to take a toothbrush to those teeth twice a day. 

Another part of keeping teeth healthy is visiting the dentist regularly. It’s a chore for most of us, but it will ensure your teeth are in as good shape as possible, which will keep them looking pearly white. 

If you have deep stains on your teeth, a professional whitening treatment may be able to help. You’ll have to see a dentist, and it could be expensive, but you’ll get more effective results than from an at-home kit. 

Oil pulling is a practice where you swish oil around your mouth to remove bad bacteria. Many people have reported good results in teeth whitening, but be sure to consult a dentist before solely relying on this practice. 

For many reasons, fruits and vegetables are good for your body, but some have been known to whiten teeth. Some have found mixing strawberries with baking soda to be an effective at-home whitener; others swear that pineapple whitens teeth. 

Calcium keeps your teeth strong, and strong teeth are less likely to decay. Drink that milk and eat that yogurt. 

Many have found charcoal toothpaste to be another effective way to keep their teeth white. While using charcoal toothpaste might not seem effective in the moment, as it turns your mouth black, if you stick with it, you’ll likely see results over time. 

This tip sounds crazy, and it will feel crazy when you’re doing it, but many people claim that rubbing a fruit peel — one from an orange, banana, or lemon — on your teeth whitens them. Would you rather be silly or have yellow teeth?

Water alone isn’t going to whiten your teeth, but having it after beverages like coffee or wine that are known to stain teeth will help clear out those bad bacteria and staining particles so they don’t sit on your teeth for so long. 

Certain foods, like tomato sauce or anything high in acid, can wreak havoc on your enamel and stain your teeth. Like drinking water, brushing helps get those foods completely from your teeth so they don't sit and do damage.