Many people wonder how to whiten teeth. They realize that stains have built up over time and feel that it makes them look older. Sometimes, they avoid smiling in photos.

There are steps that all of us should take to avoid having yellow stains when we get older. Cigarette smoking is one of the things to avoid. Drinking coffee is another.

Practically everyone likes their morning cup of Joe, but not many people brush afterwards. These daily activities are not noticeable immediately. It takes years before a glance in the mirror reveals what coffee drinking or lack of brushing has done to those pearly whites.

Regular professional cleaning can help prevent stains. In addition to traditional cleaning, there are now many products available for whitening.

Some products are applied by your dentist in the office. Others are take-home kits, purchased from your dentist.

Regular cleaning involves scraping away tartar and plaque not removed by brushing alone. Before using a whitening product, your dentist will perform a regular cleaning.

The cleaning is followed by a bleaching treatment, which is activated by UV light. In 30-60 minutes, you will see whiter teeth. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should go home and drink a cup of coffee. Bleaching can cause some mouth irritation. You don’t want to have to resort to it too often.

If you decide that a take-home kit is a better choice, you will be given a mouth guard and a bleaching gel. The gel is not as strong as what you dentist uses. So, it takes longer to work.

You may have seen self-adhesive whitening strips in your local drugstore. You might have wondered if using them was really how to whiten teeth. The results will not be as noticeable as dentist’s treatments or the professional take home kits. But, they can make a difference for light stains.

What about the paint-on versions? Some people prefer them. Others feel that application is difficult and results are minimal.

To prevent stains from coming back and to get a little whitening, you can use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. You can mix your own or buy fluoride-containing toothpastes that contain them.

The use of home solutions, other than baking soda and peroxide toothpastes, is not how to whiten teeth in some cases. For example, those with sensitive gums or teeth will find that the take-home solutions are too irritating.

Even the procedure used in the dentist’s office may be too uncomfortable. Your dentist will help you decide what’s best if you are sensitive to cold.

The whiteners should not be used on crowns or fillings. They can have the opposite effect, causing them to look darker.

There are some stains that cannot be removed with any of these methods. For example, those that were caused by tetracycline drugs, occurred during childhood or go too deep cannot be whitened. Veneers are a good choice for those kinds of problems.

Talk to your dentist about how to whiten teeth. They are always coming up with new ideas.