Pretty much everyone wants to have brighter, whiter teeth. If your teeth are yellow or stained, you probably want to do what you can to get rid of that discoloration. There are several ways you can whiten your smile.

Baking Soda and Lemon Juice

Lemon juice has been used as a bleaching agent for centuries. Baking soda has a mild abrasive that has been used been used to scour surfaces and get rid of stains. Mixing the two into a paste that you can use on your teeth after brushing them with your regular toothpaste is one way to help remove stains and whiten your teeth. First, you brush your teeth, then you dip your toothbrush into this paste and gently apply it to your teeth. You can leave it on your teeth for a couple of minutes, but not for any longer. That's because the acid in the lemon juice that acts as a bleaching agent can damage the enamel on your teeth if it is on there for too long. Make sure to rinse your mouth well. You will also want to use a very soft toothbrush to put the paste on so that you don't scrub too hard on your teeth. 

Whitening Toothpaste

Whitening toothpaste is available at just about any store that sells toothpaste. These toothpastes generally contain a very mild hydrogen peroxide solution. Hydrogen peroxide is another of those substances that has been used as a bleaching agent for years. As you use the toothpaste in the recommended fashion, you will gradually see a whitening effect on your teeth. 

Professional Whitening

The best way to get white teeth is to go see your dentist. They have access to procedures and tools that you just can't use at home. One of them is laser whitening. With this process, the dentist applies a whitening solution to your teeth. This solution is usually a hydrogen peroxide mixture, but it could also include other bleaching agents. Once the solution, usually in a gel form, is on your teeth, your dentist will bring out their laser. The laser boosts the output of the whitening solution. The laser is a very low output laser. It won't hurt your teeth. It also won't hurt your skin if it gets on your skin. Your doctor will give you eye protection because it is always better to be safe than sorry. Depending on how stained or yellow your teeth are, you may have to have the treatment more than one time. Consider contacting a local dentist to learn more about this topic.

The best way to keep your newly whitened teeth is to avoid foods that may stain your teeth. Those include things like coffee, colas, blueberries, and other dark foods. If you must drink coffee or colas, use a straw because it will limit how much of the drink gets on your teeth.