8 Quick Ways to Whiten Your Teeth

Picture a deliciously good-looking man making eyes at you across the bar. He finally picks up on your lash-batting cues and comes over to deliver his best pickup line, only to head for the hills after seeing your post-it note-colored teeth as you smile back at him.

We can all agree there isn't a turn-off more instantaneous than yellow teeth. After all, who wants to make out with a mouth that resembles an ear of corn? So not sexy. But it's not like you can whiten your teeth while you're sitting at the bar … or can you?

I scoured the web for the country's best dentists, periodontists, and dental surgeons for the quickie dental health fixes that will transform your smile in no time. Plus, I found out the everyday habits that are causing those yellow chompers in the first place (you won't believe what some of them are).

 

Take a shot of vodka

Here's the bad breath cure you've probably never tried: Order a cocktail with vodka. "Vodka kills bacteria that causes bad breath," says Irwin Smigel, DDS, creator of SuperSmile, Just make sure to avoid the sugary mixers, which will only aggravate your bad breath.

 

Wear red lipstick (with blue undertones)

I love makeup, which is why this tip is especially awesome (not to mention easy): Choose a red lipstick with blue undertones to instantly make your teeth look whiter, says Gregg Lituchy, DDS, of Lowenberg, Lituchy & Kantor in New York City. Blue is a cool undertone that's opposite of warm-based tones, like orange and yellow. So wearing a blue-based color on your lips will counteract any yellow in your teeth, making them look whiter than they are. On the flipside, orange-based lipsticks will highlight any yellow in your teeth.

Wear bronzer

Another makeup technique that can make your teeth look brighter is wearing bronzer. "It provides a greater contrast between your skin tone and your teeth," says Lituchy, which makes teeth appear brighter. When choosing a bronzer, make sure to stick with a matte finish, and apply the bronzer in the shape of the number "3" alongside your face: temples, the hollow of your cheeks, and chin.

Use an on-the-go cleaning gel

Picture this: You're on a dinner date and having a few glasses of wine, but instead of focusing on how great the date is going, you're inwardly cringing because you know that pinot noir is ruining the whitening treatment you just did. While whipping out your toothbrush in a fancy restaurant isn't exactly the classiest move, you can use a drop of on-the-go cleaning gel like Supersmile Quickie Whitening Tooth Polish, £11.65. Smigel says the calcium peroxide in this gel banishes bad breath and cleans up any excess food particles on your enamel. Just apply a dab on your tongue and roll it around your upper teeth to freshen and clean your mouth, no rinse necessary.

Coat your teeth with Vaseline

Alright, this one sounds pretty gross -- but this mother of all healers can protect your teeth from stains. Just rub a thin layer of the jelly onto your teeth and it will keep food and drinks from staining your pearly whites, says Lituchy. Sure, it might feel a little weird, but it's worth it when you know that coffee won't be doing a number on your pearly whites.

Eat strawberries for dessert

Dentists tell us we should brush after every meal, but sometimes it's just not possible. The (delicious) alternative: Eat strawberries for dessert. The red fruit has a high percentage of folic acid, which naturally exfoliates and cleans your teeth, says Smigel. Into DIY products? Smigel says you can even mash some strawberries, mix them with baking soda, and brush your teeth with the mixture for a natural whitening alternative to toothpaste.

Order cheese with your wine

We all know the usual suspects that stain your teeth -- soda, coffee, and red wine. But did you know that white wine can actually lead to more staining than that glass of red? "White wines are more acidic than red, which disintegrates the calcium in your teeth more quickly, making teeth more porous and more susceptible to staining," says New York City-based dentist, Laura Torrado, DDS. So stick with the reds and the next time you're at a tasting, take a bite of cheese before you sip on your pinot grigio. Torrado says the calcium in the cheese will create a film over your teeth, preventing any erosion from the wine's acidity.

And those are the top tips for teeth whitening!  I'm ordering that wine and cheese asap!  I love strawberries, so that is also a no-brainer.