I Love Coffee, But My Teeth Are Spotless Thanks to These Whitening Products

Here’s the thing about my teeth: They shouldn’t be white. I drink at least two cups of coffee every morning, and red wine is one of my favorite treats. Both of these things are known to cause teeth yellowing. 

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My teeth probably would be yellow without help, but I’ll let you in on my favorite secret: I use teeth-whitening products regularly, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. Before I go into the best whitening products out there, I talked to some of the best dentists in the biz to learn about all things teeth-whitening.

Why do teeth start to get yellow?

Teeth can get yellow for a variety of reasons. Foods, such as red wine, that are filled with tannins can contribute to tooth yellowing, as can smoking. "Aging is associated with darker, yellow teeth,” says Matt Nejad, DDS. "As we age, the outer enamel becomes thinner, revealing more of the underlying yellow dentin color.”

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We all have dentin in our teeth. "Dentin is what lives under the enamel on our teeth and is a deep, yellow to brown color, which is what starts to show when our teeth are worn down,” says Victoria Veytsman, DDS, a cosmetic dentist and the founder of Cosmetic Dental Studios.

What should you look for when shopping for whitening products?

The two ingredients that work to whiten your teeth are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. "They act to chemically whiten tooth structure without abrasive or acidic ingredients, which wear away and remove tooth structure,” says Nejad.

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There’s one thing to look out for when you’re shopping for teeth-whitening products. "When purchasing whitening products at the store, it is important to look for the American Dental Academy seal of approval, which means products are held to a higher standard than required by law and tested to be safe and effective,” says Veytsman.

How often should you whiten your teeth?

How often you whiten your teeth depends on your own preferences and sensitivity to whitening products. You can whiten your teeth once a week, once a month, or a couple of times per year to see and maintain results.

The best whitening products on the market:

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The Best Teeth-Whitening Strips
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The Best Teeth-Whitening Pens
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The Best Teeth-Whitening Devices
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The Best Teeth-Whitening Kits
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The best products for teeth-whitening upkeep:

Associate Beauty Editor

Katie Berohn is the associate beauty editor at Who What Wear. Previously, she worked as the beauty assistant for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her master's degree at NYU's graduate program for magazine journalism. In addition, Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan; a digital editorial internship at New York magazine's The Cut; a social good fellowship at Mashable; and a freelance role at HelloGiggles. When she's not obsessing over the latest skincare launch or continuing her journey to smell every perfume on the planet, Katie can be found taking a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at New York's newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.