The best option for whitening teeth is either professionally or with an at-home whitening kit. But a supplemental whitening method (and a close second) is changing what you eat and drink.

Your diet can affect the color of your teeth dramatically, from cutting back on coffee and tea to eating more foods rich in certain acids.

In this post, we’ll cover the dos and don’ts of having a diet for whiter teeth.

Drinks And Foods That Whiten Teeth

There are some foods and drinks that have been known to whiten (or at least help whiten) your teeth. Thanks to their natural properties, consuming these things can help brighten your smile. These foods are a part of what’s called a “white diet.”

Apples

The act of chewing on apples helps scrub your teeth because of their abrasive properties. They’re also high in malic acid, something that’s in a lot of toothpastes. It increases saliva, which helps clean your teeth.

Pineapple

Here’s an interesting fact: pineapple is the only food where bromelain is naturally occurring. Bromelain has anti-inflammatory and cleaning properties in it, so eating this tasty fruit can help whiten up your chompers.

Broccoli

Broccoli has lots of fiber, which is something that can help reduce inflammation in the mouth. It also has a good amount of iron, which can help protect your enamel. Also, the texture of broccoli helps scrub your teeth.

Raisins

Raisins can help protect your teeth as it stimulates the secretion of saliva, which can help keep away bacteria and plaque. Furthermore, if you eat cereal with raisins in it, studies have shown that it can help clean your teeth better than raisin-less cereal.

Cheese

Because of the calcium and phosphorus, cheese can help keep your teeth strong. And because of the protein, it may help protect the enamel. Also, the lactic acid in cheese can help protect your teeth from tooth decay.

Water

Not only is drinking water good for your body, but it encourages saliva production, and that helps wash away the buildup of bacteria. Also, drinking water after each meal helps rinse away food debris.

Strawberries

In a similar way to apples, strawberries have malic acid in them as well as ellagitannins, which are antioxidants that may cut away some bacteria that can stain your teeth and inflame the mouth tissue. Plus, strawberries have vitamin C, which helps fight gum inflammation and disease.

How To Keep Your Teeth White After Bleaching?

Having a white smile is not a one-off deal. Using a teeth whitening method once is not good enough -- there’s more you’ll need to do. If you’re not proactive in this regard, you’ll slowly lose your white smile.

Foods To Eat After Teeth Whitening

As we mentioned earlier, you should maintain a “white diet” post-whitening. A white diet is simply food that has a whiter color -- the idea is to avoid foods with strong pigments, which could stain the teeth.

So here’s a list of white-colored foods to eat after whitening your teeth:

• White dairy products
• Chicken
• Rice
• Potato
• Pears
• Banana
• Pasta (no red sauces)
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Chickpeas
• Cauliflower

Foods To Avoid After Teeth Whitening

Just as there are foods you should eat after whitening your teeth, there are foods to avoid. These are all foods or drinks with dark colors or staining properties.

Here are the foods you should definitely avoid after a teeth whitening:

• Coffee and tea
• Juices
• Chewing gum
• Tomatoes or ketchup
• Dark-colored fruits
• Curry
• Anything greasy

Food Is Not Enough

Although food can definitely help with cleaning, whitening, and maintaining a bright smile, it’s not enough. If you’re in this whole “teeth whitening” thing for the long haul, you’ll need to do more. Just eating the right foods is not going to cut it.

That’s why we create our products here at AuraGlow. We make whitening kits, each with an LED accelerator light.

And fortunately, our products are affordable. You may be familiar with the cost of teeth whitening by a professional -- ridiculously high. We seel out at-home kits for well under $100, often around $50-70.

So, on top of brushing, flossing, and eating the right foods, investing in a whitening kit with an LED light is crucial to obtaining and maintaining a bright smile.