Whitening treatment / bleaching don't permanently whiten teeth. If you expose your teeth to foods and beverages that cause staining you may see the whiteness start to fade quite early after treatment. Those who avoid foods and beverages that stain may be able to have a longer whitening effect.

Tips to help maintain your pearly whites.

  • Avoid the consumption of coffee, tea, and red wine. If you do choose to consume these beverages, consider using a straw so that the liquid bypasses your front teeth.
  • Brush or rinse immediately after consuming these stain-causing beverages or foods.
  • Follow good oral hygiene practices. Brush your teeth at least twice daily, floss at least once daily to remove plaque, and rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash. Use a whitening toothpaste (once or twice a week only) to remove surface stains and prevent yellowing. Use a regular toothpaste the rest of the time.
  • Depending on the whitening method used, you may need a touch-up every 6 months or after a year or two. If you smoke or drink lots of stain-causing beverages, you may need a touch up more often.

6 Ways to Naturally Whiten Your Teeth

1. Brush After Drinking or Eating

The best way, but not always the easiest is to simply brush your teeth after eating or drinking something. This takes a lot of persistence and can even be kind of difficult depending on where you are at the time. Most food does not stain teeth, but if you are a coffee drinker or if you smoke, you can pretty much count on having discolored teeth from staining. If this is the case then having your teeth cleaned every three months may be in order.

2. Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide

This works great as a natural teeth whitener. Mix a small amount of hydrogen peroxide with a small amount of baking soda to make a paste. Brush your teeth as usual, making sure you brush those back teeth too. Hydrogen peroxide is an anti-bacterial agent and works great as a total mouth and gum cleaner and keeps the mouth free of germs.

Baking soda is a gritty substance like sandpaper so be careful that you have enough hydrogen peroxide mixed in with the soda because if you don’t it can very well scrub the enamel right off your teeth and enamel does not grow back. The paste should not be gritty at all, and in fact it should be a runnier paste than a stiff paste.

3. Coconut Oil Pulling

Can it be true? Coconut oil to clean your teeth? Just when you thought you heard it all when it comes to coconut oil, along it comes to the rescue as a natural teeth whitener. Simply put a spoonful of coconut oil in your mouth and swish it between your teeth for 5 to 20 minutes.  Or add a few drops to your toothbrush and simple brush it on, or add the coconut oil to a corner of a clean wash cloth and rub it on.  Also, coconut oil has antimicrobial properties so it’s great for your gums as well.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

It makes sense that apple cider vinegar would eventually work as a mouth gum cleanerand remove stubborn stains on the teeth, especially from coffee and nicotine. It has been proven that it does work as a natural teeth whitener but you have to be consistent and it takes a least a month of continuous usage to see results. Be careful, as with all acids, it can remove the enamel on your teeth as well. After brushing with ACV, you will need to brush again with regular toothpaste, preferably a non fluoride paste, or rinse your mouth out really well.

5. Lemon or Orange Peels

There have been reports that lemon and or orange peels will also do the trick of whitening your teeth. Guess you don’t know until you try.  Here again, these food products are very healthy and good for your stomach but the acid content might eventually wear away the enamel on the teeth. So if you use lemon or orange peel always rinse afterwards to be on the safe side. A good oral mouth rinse is hydrogen peroxide because it keeps breath fresh by eliminating bad breath and also is a very good bacterial agent. Use half water and half hydrogen peroxide, swish around in your mouth and leave in for at least a full minute.

6. Strawberries

It has been said that few Hollywood starts whitens their teeth with strawberries. Who would have thought? Many tried this teeth whitening trick. Simply mashed up about four or five strawberries and rub this yummy mixture all over your teeth. Some people say this really does work, it must be worth giving it a try.  Some people say this works right away. Rinse well afterwards.