Professional teeth whitening can give you the smile of your dreams but a single session can exceed $1,000. Clinics like Vip Dental Care offer both in-office whitening and guidance on maintaining results with natural methods. It’s not a final sentence, though. You aren’t condemned to strut around with yellowish teeth: natural teeth-whitening remedies can help reach a radiant grin. Let’s focus on what to munch and sip to whiten your teeth and keep them looking their best! As a tiny bonus, you’ll find a brief list of tooth-staining foods and drinks to stay away from at the end of this post.

5 Natural Whitening Foods

American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry claims that what you put in your mouth directly impacts your tooth shade. These foods can naturally brighten your teeth and protect your gums from bacteria.

1. Strawberries

Strawberries are a well-known source of malic acid, a natural sour and acidic agent with teeth-whitening properties. Forearmed with this knowledge, you might be tempted to mash the delicious red berry into the paste and hold it in your mouth for a longer time. However, such practice is ineffective, and experts in dentistry don’t recommend it. Occasionally eating strawberries can make your teeth brighter and eliminate discolorations but necessitates rinsing your mouth with water afterward.

2. Pineapples

Pineapples are another tooth-friendly treat that can contribute to a whiter smile. They contain bromelain, a stain-breaking enzyme that can even alleviate post-surgery pain after tooth extraction. Enjoying fresh pineapples requires moderation so as not to erode tooth enamel; only this way can it substantially benefit your smile.

3. Cheese

Dairy products like cheese are rich in lactic acid, which acts as a natural tooth scrub and gently whitens your smile. Calcium, phosphorus, and protein also reinforce the enamel. Additionally, proper vitamins for teeth health can support overall oral strength and resilience. What kind of cheese is best for natural whitening? Low-fat, aged, soft-ripened, and blue cheeses splendidly cope with the task, helping buffer acids in the oral cavity and remineralize your teeth.

4. Apples

Crunchy apples boast a high malic acid concentration, same as the strawberries mentioned above. It promotes saliva flow that cleans teeth and helps remove surface tooth stains. Biting into an apple acts like a natural abrasive scrub and strengthens your gums, alongside providing a whitening effect. Experts strongly advise waiting at least half an hour before brushing your teeth after chomping an apple to avoid scrubbing away the weakened enamel.

5. Oranges

Oranges are commonly used for at-home teeth whitening due to vitamin C and d-limonene, an oil present in citrus peels. Though rubbing the inner peel part across your tooth surface can help minimize plaque and cause a temporary whitening effect, it’s not an actionable alternative to professional teeth whitening, which is way more effective. For this reason, professional dentists encourage people to drink a glass of water immediately after enjoying their orange juice.

Tooth-Staining Foes to Avoid

Certain foods and lifestyle habits can result in yellowish or discolored teeth, gradually making your smile unattractive. If you can’t completely put aside these guilty pleasures, at least try to limit their consumption and match them with thorough oral hygiene. Let’s see which foods and drinks can sabotage your bright smile over time.

• Coffee and Tea. A morning cup of espresso can prove costly in the long run: tannins in coffee can provoke discoloration and staining. Tea can also cause a yellowish or gray tinge on your teeth, depending on the sort. Adding a bit of milk to your drink can diminish the staining properties of tea or coffee.
• Dark-Colored Dressings. Meals sprinkled with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar may taste delicious, but it’s better to opt for lighter dressings such as rice vinegar or olive oil. Darker dressings can color your teeth in a purplish shade if you consume them regularly. 
• Red Wine. A glass of red wine might seem an innocent affair, but it contains cunning tannins that may stick to the tooth surface and cause dark stains on your enamel. A little tip: if you can’t refuse to drink red wine at dinnertime, compensate for the staining effect by munching hard cheese in the meantime.
• Blueberries, Blackberries, and Pomegranates. This is a real gut punch from nature, given that these fruits are packed with antioxidants that are beneficial for our brain function and cancer prevention. Alas, these merits are accompanied by tooth stains. Don’t forget to rinse your mouth with pure water after enjoying these raw dark-colored fruits or their juice.

Illuminate Your Smile Naturally

No one wants to conceal their smile in social interactions: your teeth are a valuable asset that can improve other people’s perceptions and help you reach your goals. Stains on your teeth aren’t a good companion in the venture, so you can eat the aforementioned foods to make them brighter naturally. Avoid teeth-staining foods and drinks to be on the safe side. If your case requires professional attention, in-office teeth whitening options will cope better than at-home whitening kits.