For many people, the effects of aging, coffee, or other factors have taken a toll on the shade of their teeth. However, it's not just aging or not enough brushing that can lead to yellowed or stained teeth - food stains the teeth as well.

As a general rule, the same foods that stain your clothes will also stain your teeth. That's not to say that eating a blueberry will cause your teeth to turn permanently blue. Rather, the colors will cause the teeth to gradually darken or yellow. Some of the most common liquids and foods that stain the teeth include:

    Dark beverages. This includes sodas like colas and root beer and the two worst things for staining teeth, coffee and tea. Red wine is also an offender.
    Berries and berry juice. Included in this group is not only berries such as strawberries and blueberries, but grape juice and cranberry juice as well.
    Sauces such as soy sauce, tomato sauce and paste, and balsamic vinegar.

In order to reduce that amount of staining from your teeth, you should limit the amount of staining beverages and foods you consume. Or, you can substitute them for water and lighter foods and drinks, like grapefruit and grapefruit juice, white grape juice, ginger ale, white wine vinegar, and olive oil.

If you can't bear to give up your favorite beverages and foods, use a straw to drink darker cold beverages (never use a straw with hot drinks like coffee and tea). Always brush and floss your teeth as soon as possible after eating or drinking things that can stain your teeth. If that's not possible, chew sugar-free whitening gum.

What to do if your teeth are already stained
If your teeth are already stained from consuming these types of foods and drinks, there are a number of options you have for whitening stained teeth, including:

Whitening strips
These types of strips are good for teeth that are not severely stained or discolored. They come in a variety of brands and strengths and amount of time you spend applying them. Typically, you put them on twice a day from anywhere between 3 days to 14, with results noticeable after several days. These products contain peroxide, which will help to whiten the teeth to some degree (more than toothpaste but less than a dentist's visit). The results typically last at least six months.

Bleaching
With this procedure, the patient visits the dentist, who has impressions of your mouth taken. These impressions are then used to make a custom-made tray designed to fit your teeth exactly. From there, a bleaching gel is put in the tray and worn for an hour or two each day. Because the bleaching gel is a high concentration, results can be seen within a few days. However, it usually takes a couple of weeks to see full results. Bleaching whitens teeth about 6 shades lighter than before the process began.

There are a number of foods and drinks that discolor teeth, but with proper care or by avoiding them altogether, your teeth don't have to be discolored by food and drink.