The maintenance of white teeth is analogous to the upkeep of a car. A constant level of provision and preservation is essential to the battery life of a wattage smile. I have discovered through research, dentists, naturalists, and through my own experiments a safe and effective way to whiten and sustain the gleam of human teeth. This is classified information that the whitening companies and even some dentists don’t want you to know! I have condensed these secrets into the “The Top Ten Tricks to Twinkling Teeth.”

1. Use The Most Powerful Toothpaste in the World

Toothpaste is like car wax. It protects, shines, buffs, and removes surface stains. The toothpaste that is the most effective at whitening teeth is ironically the most inexpensive. The best whitening toothpaste in the entire world is a hidden brand that is manufactured by Colgate (and works better than the entire Colgate line). The name of this toothpaste is ULTRABRITE (Advanced Whitening)

There is even veritable research to back up my claim: Consumer Reports tested 41 toothpastes, toothpastes that all boast about whitening your teeth. And they found that most brands do not live up to the hype or expensive price tags. But only one was really superior at stain removal. And this one wasn’t too abrasive, which essentially means that the toothpaste would not harm teeth or gums. And that is—Ultra brite.

Ultrabrite doesn’t even contain peroxide, and yet is able to whiten teeth beautifully. The winning toothpaste is also good at fighting cavities and tartar. And best of all, you can purchase this remarkable toothpaste for $1.00 at Dollar Tree or $0.97 at Wal-Mart.

Bonus: The Runner-Ups are Advance White with baking soda by Arm & Hammer and Complete Care Extra Whitening by Arm & Hammer.

2. Hold your toothbrush pencil-style not racket style. This is by the far the most important technique in your whitening regime. It is absolutely essential for you to hold your toothbrush like a pencil and not like the handle of a tennis racket.

Just as you would hold a pen or pencil, place the handle of your toothbrush in-between your forefinger and thumb. This allows complete manipulation over your toothbrush.

Why is this important? The answer lies in vibrations.

By holding your toothbrush this way and brushing in elevating circles, you multiply the vibrations from your tooth’s core. This enables a penetrating force that activates inner vibrations from the root. Miraculously, you can permeate beyond the surface, target, and uplift stains. You will notice the difference when using this method within days. You are cleaning your teeth from within.

Bonus: This method is also much less harsh on your teeth and gums.

3. Put a Motor On It. A Toothbrush is like a windshield wiper. Its sole purpose is to maintain the clarity of the glass with swift, deft motions.

You can definitely apply tooth trick #2 with a manual toothbrush and get magnificent results. However, if you apply tooth trick #2 with a motorized toothbrush you will maximize the power and number of vibrations. Again, these vibrations whiten teeth from their interior core. It’s the equivalent of putting your toothbrush on steroids.

Just as you would with a manual toothbrush, remember to hold your motorized toothbrush, pencil style, and brush in gentle elevating circles.

What type of motorized brush is best?

To be honest, as long as the bristles vibrate in rapid succession, any motorized brush will work. I have four different motorized brushes that I use interchangeably and they all work the same. I have a Dr. Fresh one, a Crest Spin one, a Sonicare one, and even one with my initials engraved that has changeable colored heads.

The cost?

You don’t have to splurge on a motorized toothbrush. You can purchase the fabulous Dr. Fresh brush @ Dollar Tree for $1 or the Crest SpinBrush for $6 or less at any drugstore. Wal-Mart has an entire econoline of motorized brushes.

4. Floss is the Boss. Floss is the extendable car vacuum that every carpet nook and cranny fears. It gets into all those hard to reach spaces and plucks them clean.

Floss is the CEO of all Tooth Operations. It has to give its approval before any toothpaste or toothbrush can be applied, or mouthwash administered.

Floss fosters white maintenance. It dislodges everything from the crevices in-between your teeth. And prepares your teeth for optimal brushing.

Believe it or not, most people do not floss! This is an overlooked mistake because plaque-build up dims teeth (and destroys gums).

I understand that traditional floss is a messy, archaic tool, but there is a marvelous modern option that is easier and more effective to use.

Use Plackers. Plackers Hi-Performance Flossers is the conglomeration of a toothpick and floss. These disposable tools are an excellent, efficient way to floss. You can floss all of your teeth with only ONE Flosser!

And you can take them with you anywhere and use them anytime (Like when you need to de-muck your mouth after your lunch break) Best of all you can buy 50 Flossers for $1 @ Dollar Tree.

5. The Chinese Medicine.

If a magic potion should ever exist, it is Mouthwash. After the flossing, toothpaste applying, brushing, and rinsing, there is mouthwashing. Mouthwash is the final step in your whitening tooth regime. The liquid destroys millions of germs in your mouth, obliterates plaque, and further effaces tooth stains. Mouthwash definitely whitens teeth! After you rinse the remainder of paste sediments from your mouth, swish about 2-4oz of mouthwash from cheek to cheek for 30 seconds. Eject the mouthwash into the sink. Rinse with water.

Bonus Tip: Whitening mouthwash is a new addition to the oral hygiene market. The use of regular mouthwash will definitely do the trick. However, the integration of a whitening wash into your regime will only boost your teeth’s brilliance!

What type of Mouthwash should I use?

Mouthwash is like aspirin, the raw ingredients are in both the premium and generic brands. Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether you spend a dollar on your mouthwash or $6.99 for Listerine because both contain the key ingredients. You can even find the whitening washes at the dollar store!

6. Do not rinse until you are done brushing.

Most people brush their teeth with the water running, rinsing in-between brushing. Do not do this. Instead, apply the toothpaste to your brush, graze it along your teeth and begin brushing it in circles (pencil-style), allowing it to foam all over your teeth. This direct application will drastically improve the whiteness of your teeth because the baking soda and other ingredients embedded in the paste fully interact with the tooth’s surface and are not degraded and diluted by water. After a few minutes of brushing, remove the foamy residue from your mouth with water.

7. Drink Lemon Water As Often As Possible.

For centuries, the lemon fruit has been used as a brightening agent. The highly acidic nature of the fruit is responsible for its many bleaching properties. When squeezed, a powerful citrus juice spews from its core. We call this lemon juice. The lemon fruit is way too powerful on its own. So powerful that if you rubbed the fruit across your teeth, you would rip the enamel right off. Do not apply lemon juice, the lemon itself, or even the lemon rind against your teeth. This is dangerous. You cannot fully restore your enamel.

However, there is always a way. When you submerge the lemon or lemon juice into water, it morphs into a healthy tooth gloss. Drink lemon water as often as possible. Order it with your meals in restaurants or prepare it yourself at home. The end results are remarkable.

Bonus: I have a personal chef prepare lemon waters to go for me in plastic water bottles. He squeezes the lemon juice from an actual lemon directly into the water bottle. Or if we are short on time, he will pour one teaspoon of concentrated lemon juice into the bottle. As a singer, I prefer my waters warm (cold water closes the throat), but you can refrigerate these convenient bottles and have ice cold lemon water in a few hours. Additionally, lemon water stimulates your metabolism! You can drink and shrink!

8. Avoid Dark Colas, Coffees, and Teas.

These dark drinks literally stain teeth. For all you heavy coffee drinkers out there, take heed, as you are partaking in the consumption of darkness.:) These drinks are definitely on the black list! I know it may be impossible to eradicate these drinks from your cups but if you moderate your intake of them you will see a noticeable difference on your teeth.

Bonus: A naturalist friend of mine told me that if you rubbed the inside of a banana peel against your teeth you would succeed in removing these stains and whitening your teeth!

9. Change Your Toothbrush

With such constant use, the bristles of your toothbrush deaden. Your dull brush must be supplanted with a new one every 3 months (or less depending on its mangled state). If the brush is not replaced, the efficiency of your whitening regime loses its touch.

10. Brush twice for nice. Or three for translucency.

You must brush your teeth twice a day. The repetition and frequency maximizes stain and plaque removal which in turn whitens teeth. When possible, brush your teeth an extra time. You will compound the results!

11. Baking Soda is The Stain Decoder.

At least once a week, I sprinkle pure baking soda atop the toothpaste on my brush before it touches my teeth. The stuff works so well that I’ve dubbed it “star dust”

Your teeth whitening regime:

1. Floss Teeth before brushing. (Plackers make this dreaded process pleasant!)

2. Apply Ultrabrite toothpaste to your toothbrush.

3. Position your thumb and forefinger so that you are holding the handle of your toothbrush like a pencil. If applicable, turn motorized brush on.

4. Brush in gentle elevating circles for a few minutes. Do not rinse with water until you finish brushing.

5. Rinse your mouth with water

6. Pour 2-4oz of regular or whitening mouthwash into a cup(or you can use the cap of the bottle). Swish mouthwash from cheek-to cheek for 30 seconds. Eject mouthwash into the sink.

7. Rinse your mouth with water again.

8. SMILE for the Camera, and you are DONE!

You will have stronger and whiter teeth in no time. And you’ll have it without spending $900. The cliché “the best things in life are free” definitely applies here. Have a marvelous day!