Everyone wished they were Wendy back in the day. Every year on picture day she was the girl who always had the greatest smile and the photographer loved it. She was so photogenic that her portrait was always displayed by the studio window.
Now that I’m an adult, I made it my mission to have the perfect smile – and having whiter teeth is major part of it. I don’t have the patience or the money to pay for expensive orthodontic procedures so I just made sure I maintained certain habits to keep my smile bright:
Avoid Dark Colored Food and Drinks If You Can
Its not that I don’t drink coffee at all, but I avoid them when I can. My dentist said that anything that can stain a white T-shirt can do damage on my teeth too. This also goes for dark colored food. But if I can’t help it, I just brush after every meal.
Stay in the Non-Smoking Section
Not only is smoking bad for your lungs, it’s a no-no for your teeth as well. It contains tar and other toxic chemicals that cause yellowish stains that no teeth whitening treatment can fix. Smokers have to quit cold turkey to make their teeth return to their natural color.
Don’t Go Overboard with the Antibiotics
Even children can get stained teeth when they take certain medication like antibiotics. They can get gray teeth stains if they take Tetracycline while their milk teeth are growing out.
Make Time for Regular Dental Cleaning
The next best thing to having your teeth professionally whitened is to have them cleaned by your dentist. My at-home-teeth-whitening-kit works best after all the surface stains have been thoroughly removed.
Snack on Healthy Fruits and Vegetables
Snacking on apples and celery can also help you have whiter teeth. Chewing makes for good cleaning action and they also polish teeth by circulating saliva in your mouth.
Having the perfect smile doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Take care of your teeth, keep them from stains and have them regularly cleaned by a professional. After all, a smile is a good investment if you want to make a good first impression everytime.