No matter what dental whitening product you choose to use, teeth whitening results are dependent on various factors. By seeing a professional for teeth bleaching or by using a good home product—you can expect your teeth to increase up to ten shades whiter.

However, teeth whitening is never permanent—not even for professionally made veneers. You are going to have to change things up with your lifestyle in order to maintain this look.

What You Eat and Drink

Limiting your intake on beverages such as, coffee, tea, red wine, or anything that has a stain causing effect will help to reduce discoloration. Drinking these drinks through a straw can reduce the amount of exposure.

As soon as you are finished eating, it is important to brush your teeth. Brushing your teeth will help to remove any stain causing particles that are still left behind.

Here is a little trick you can do at home. Get some strawberries from the store (pureed does this best) and rub it all over your teeth. Strawberries have an enzyme that acts like a teeth whitener. After this, you need to brush and rinse thoroughly to avoid leaving sugar particles behind.

Eating crunchy vegetables and fruits such as, apples, carrots, celery, and broccoli act as a natural plaque remover.

Other Homemade Maintenance Remedies

There are two homemade maintenance remedies that taste horrible, but work very effectively for obtaining great teeth whitening results. Everyone has probably heard of baking soda and it’s whitening or cleansing effects on your teeth. It helps to dip your toothbrush in baking soda right before you start brushing your teeth.

The other method is combining lemon juice with a teaspoon of salt. Mixing these two will create a paste that you can brush on your teeth. The salt acts like a scrub pad and the lemon juice will help to whiten your teeth. Another great homemade whitener is hydrogen peroxide, but be careful not to swallow any of it when brushing your teeth.

As you can see, maintenance is the key if you want to continue having pearly whites regardless of what method you choose. Choosing a different lifestyle can be challenging for most—but well worth it if your goal is to continue having white teeth.