Your BFF (Beauty Find Friday): Smile Pretty with Whiter Teeth

Photo by Stuart Miles / Freedigitalphotos.net

Consider yourself warned: On your wedding day, you’re going to smile more than you ever have. From first look to last dance and all the selfies in between, your smile muscles will be tested Tough Mudder-style.

So how pearly are your whites? If a lifelong habit of drinking coffee and red wine has left your teeth looking less than photo-ready, no worries. Here are a few quick fixes that can help you get whiter teeth before your wedding day. Get ready to smile pretty.

1. Use OTC whitening strips. If you don’t want to sit around with them stuck to your teeth, slap them on while you’re in the shower. One of our faves is Rembrandt Intense Stain Dissolving Strips that disappear in 10 minutes. Voila! Whiter teeth and not a strip in sight.
2. Shed some light on the situation. Boston-based Luster’s high-tech Pro Light Whitening System uses the same light-activated whitening technology as an in-office treatment, minus the pesky tooth sensitivity ouch factor. A go-to DIY, this at-home system does the trick in as little as 30 minutes. Word to the wise: Keep the treatment solution only on your teeth, or else your gums will be as white as your dress.
3. Swish water in your mouth for 30 seconds directly after eating foods like berries, soy sauce, tomato sauce and curry to help prevent stains.
4. Munching on crunchy snacks like apples or celery is a lot like brushing. Raw fruits and veggies are loaded with fiber, a natural abrasive that can help clean teeth, and saliva will help remove bacteria that cause stains.
5. Pull a lipstick trick. Shades with blue undertones—rose, red, burgundy, and plum—will make your teeth appear brighter instantly. Be careful when choosing a hue with orange undertones. Those can make your teeth appear dull and yellow.
6. Hit the cheese plate. Just when you thought the wine-and-cheese pair couldn’t be any better together, the calcium found in cheese creates a film over teeth and protects from stains.
7. Sip through a straw. Coffee, red wine, and dark soda are the main causes of yellowing, so sip your latte or Diet Coke through a straw.

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