Everyone wished they were Wendy back in the day. Every year on picture day she was the girl who always had the greatest smile and the photographer loved it. She was so photogenic that her portrait was always displayed by the studio window.

Now that I’m an adult, I made it my mission to have the perfect smile – and having whiter teeth is major part of it. I don’t have the patience or the money to pay for expensive orthodontic procedures so I just made sure I maintained certain habits to keep my smile bright:

Avoid Dark Colored Food and Drinks If You Can

Its not that I don’t drink coffee at all, but I avoid them when I can. My dentist said that anything that can stain a white T-shirt can do damage on my teeth too. This also goes for dark colored food. But if I can’t help it, I just brush after every meal.

Stay a Non-Smoker

I’m glad I never took up smoking because it’s the serial stainer that no teeth whitening treatment can fix. Even if you get your chompers professionally whitened, smoke stains will come back to haunt you if you don’t drop the habit.

Take Antibiotics Only When Needed

Did you know that teeth stains can also happen to children? Kids who take antibiotics get grey teeth when they take tetracycline while their baby teeth are growing out.

Make Time for Regular Dental Cleaning

Whenever possible, I ask for regular cleaning from my dentist. Even if I don’t pay for professional teeth whitening, having my mouth cleaned from all that food build-up provides a good working base for at-home-teeth-brightening kits I regularly use.

Choose Healthy (Crunchy) Fruits and Veggies

It’s amazing how healthy food like apples and celery can help make your teeth whiter. They clean your teeth with all the chewing and polish them too by circulating saliva all around.

Having the perfect smile doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Take care of your teeth, keep them from stains and have them regularly cleaned by a professional. After all, a smile is a good investment if you want to make a good first impression everytime.