Are you wondering how you can keep your teeth white and healthy as you get older? Following are three effective things that you can do to ensure a bright and healthy smile in the coming years:

Make a Few Diet Changes

One of the easiest ways to ensure that your teeth stay healthy and white as time goes on is to make a few basic changes to your diet. For example, instead of indulging in coffee and tea throughout the day (which can quickly stain your teeth), opt for water with fresh fruit in it. The fruit will make your water taste sweet so it's more enjoyable, and the water itself will benefit you in a number of ways, such as:

• The ability to maintain strong teeth and reduce the risk of developing cavities.

• The opportunity to ensure that food particles, sugar, and bacteria are consistently washed away throughout the day.

Not only will water help keep your teeth and gums healthy and white, but increasing your water intake should also make it easier to lose weight or maintain your healthy weight.

You can also introduce foods into your diet that will help whiten your teeth as time goes on. Consider stocking up on the following:

1. Strawberries: Their high concentration of malic acid acts as a whitening agent. Eat them fresh or make toothpaste out of them—just remember to brush your teeth with regular toothpaste afterward.

2. Raisins: The compounds and chemicals found in this sweet fruit help suppress the bacteria that causes gum disease and cavities.

3. Garlic: The allicin in garlic harbors antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties that will keep your teeth protected from gum disease and support a healthy, bright smile.

Including one of more of these foods in your diet on a daily basis should provide you with noticeable tooth whitening and health results in the coming weeks and months.

Utilize Some Essential Oils

Many essential oils contain special compounds like limonene, which work as whitening agents when used topically on teeth. Essential oils are also full of powerful antibacterial properties that will help keep both your teeth and gums healthy as you age. With regular essential oil use, you can keep problems like infections and gum disease at bay. And your breath is likely to stay fresh long after using an essential oil as a tooth whitening treatment.

You can add a few drops of essential oil to your toothpaste, create a mouthwash by mixing some with water, or create a rub with the help of honey. Try using the following essential oils for a week at a time until you determine which ones you like the most:

• Lemon

• Sweet Orange

• Peppermint

• Wintergreen

Bring along a small bottle of essential oil mouthwash with you when you leave the house so you can rinse after eating a meal or snack without having to worry about carrying around your toothbrush to keep your teeth clean.

Schedule Professional Whitening Treatments

While you can purchase over-the-counter products to whiten your teeth at home, it's a good idea to consider having your teeth professionally whitened by a cosmetic dentist instead. In general, professional tooth whitening treatments are safer and offer better results than over-the-counter products. Because over-the-counter tooth whitening products aren't as regulated as professional whitening services, they tend to come with side effects such as tooth irritation.

Professional whitening treatments rarely result in serious side effects, and you should be able to get the results you want in just one session. So schedule a yearly professional tooth whitening session with your dentist to maintain a happy, healthy, and white smile as time goes on.