For a brighter smile, you may be considering getting your teeth lightened by a professional. Start off by having your teeth cleaned professionally first, which will lighten their colour.
Having your teeth professionally cleaned removes any plaque and tartar, revealing the natural colour of your teeth - which might be enough, saving you the bother of bleaching.
If you are still unhappy with the colour of your teeth even after a professional clean, only then should you consider having them bleached, dentists say.
If you do so in that order, the result will be a more even shade as the bleaching agent can work more evenly on your tooth enamel if it is preceded by dental cleaning.
It's normal for teeth to change colour and become less white over time. The change is due to the enamel, which contains a lot of water and minerals. Those materials make the tooth permeable to all substances that can cause the tooth to discolour.
Red wine, coffee, tea and smoking are all common causes, but some diseases and medicines can also discolour our teeth. The colour of our teeth also changes as we age.
Under the enamel of our teeth lies the dentin, which tends to be yellowish or grey for some people, meaning their natural tooth colour is genetically determined and cannot be changed.
If you are unable to do without your coffee, red wine or other staining stimulants, then the best advice is to brush your teeth regularly, meaning two to three times a day to remove the plaque.