Something to smile about: Whitening your teeth is easier than ever — just don’t go too far

Most people want a bright smile that can serve them well both personally and professionally, but teeth whitening procedures can also come with negatives. (ISTOCK/GETTY)

How your teeth look says a lot about you.

That’s why many people opt for teeth-whitening procedures at the dentist’s office or whitening strips that can be purchased for use at home.

They want a bright smile that can serve them well in a job interview, in meeting the opposite sex or just to impress the world in general.

But teeth whitening can also come with negatives.

For example, many people choose to ditch the strips after they ask themselves, “Do my teeth look too white?”

The “too white” look is a dead giveaway that your bright smile is unnatural. Just as most people want hair coloring to look natural, they also want their teeth to be a convincing shade of healthy white.

So they choose natural ways to whiten their teeth, without drastic measures such as bleaching agents that can strip the enamel that protects the sensitive core of the tooth from erosion.

Some of the options to consider if you want to rid your teeth of yellowish stains and return to a natural, brighter smile include:

Strawberries and other fruit. Some foods can help whiten teeth. Strawberries, for example, contain acids that help break down stains. Apples and other fruit can do the same.

The downside of this approach, though, is that fruit contains sugar and those acids also can erode the enamel if left on the teeth too long, so it’s still important to rinse and brush your teeth after eating them.

Baking soda. One time-honored option for a toothpaste substitute is baking soda, which helps with whitening because it acts as a mild abrasive that can remove surface stains from teeth.

Activated charcoal. It seems counterintuitive that something black like charcoal could whiten teeth, but it does.

Activated charcoal (a treated and purified form of the charcoal used on grills) can absorb the stains on teeth.

Some people have experimented with brushing with activated charcoal in a do-it-yourself way and reported their findings on the internet. If you aren’t the do-it-yourself type, you could opt for a commercial-brand toothpaste that contains activated charcoal, such as Twin Lotus Active Charcoal, Lucky Teeth Xtra Whitening and Curaprox’s Black Is White, for which I am the national spokesman.

It’s worth remembering that, while having whiter teeth is important to a lot of people, it’s even more important to achieve that goal in a way that’s safe for your dental health.