Today the rage is flashing teeth that have been bleached to a toilet-bowl white. Overdoing the whiteness of one's teeth can lead people to believe those super-white teeth are not real teeth, but cheap dentures. (Cheap dentures are often colored a "refrigerator white" and the super-bright, white color is a tip-off to observers that the teeth are actually prosthetics.)

Teeth should never be whiter than the "whites" of one's eyes. Check in the mirror and see where your teeth fall on the color scale. Maybe you don't need to whiten your teeth at all. Mature people should also use a light touch when bleaching their teeth for the same reason as mentioned earlier: if your teeth are too white for your age, or too white for any age, people will remember your smile, but think to themselves: dentures.

If you are sure that teeth whitening is necessary then let's see what you can actually do at home:

You can use an abrasive substance like baking soda, burnt toast crumbs or wood ash to rub off the surface stains. Or you can place a substance on your teeth that will lighten the tooth color through the bleaching process, like peroxide.

You can even mix baking soda and peroxide into a paste and use this to brush. You can also use fruit acid - which is why some whitening tips suggest rubbing a strawberry or lemon peel or orange peel on the teeth to achieve whiteness.

Check with your dentist before any prolonged use of peroxide or any other home whitening method. Most dentists warn that peroxide can irritate and possibly damage gum tissue or that continued use of abrasives can damage your teeth.

Still a "once a week" brushing of a peroxide, baking soda mixture, about 50/50, will brighten your teeth and remove stains without harm to your teeth or gums. Leave the paste on your teeth for a minute or two and then rinse.

Or you can dip a Q-tip into peroxide and paint your teeth being careful to avoid gum tissue. Leave it on and go about your day. A daily application, with great care to avoid dripping peroxide onto gum tissue, is another method to keep your teeth as stain-free as possible. (The "power bleaching" methods used in dental offices, entail placing a rubber sheet or "dam" over the teeth to protect the soft tissues of the gums from the peroxide used in the bleaching process.)

Unfortunately, no matter how often you whiten your teeth at home, or at the dentist office, your teeth will stain if you drink coffee or red wine, or if you smoke. Let's say you've done what you can, but short of veneers or dentures, you are destined to a life of yellowish teeth.

Here are some "magic" tips on how to make your smile appear whiter:

First, if you wear lipstick, choose glossy colors with a bluish or clear, red tint. Orange-colored lipsticks, frosted lipsticks and matte finish lipsticks make teeth look dull and gray.

A dusting of bronzer on your face, or a little natural tan, makes teeth look much whiter too.

If you choose to wear a white blouse, shirt, sweater or scarf, try to get an ivory or cream color rather than a stark, Chiclet white which will make your teeth appear yellower to the eye than they really are.

And most important of all, for the healthiest teeth, it's imperative one sees the dentist twice a year. Remember, the added bonus to a bi-yearly dental appointment, is the professional teeth cleaning that is part of a normal check up. These cleanings can make a huge a difference in how bright and white teeth will appear.

Toilet-bowl white teeth will soon go out of fashion but a fresh, clean, healthy smile will always be in style.

Learn more about this author, Tierney O'Hara.
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