With picture day coming up, students want pearly white teeth in the yearbook.

Traditional ways people whiten teeth are by going to the dentist for treatments or white strips that can be purchased and used at home. Bleaching teeth, professionally or even at home, can cause damage and sensitivity.

These methods also take time and money. Some easy, cheap, and quick ways to do this are with baking soda and strawberries. To do this, mix together two crushed strawberries and a tablespoon of baking soda.

Then put the mixture onto a soft bristled toothbrush and leave on teeth for five minutes. Once the times up, brush away the mixture with regular toothpaste.

The strawberries in this mixture have an enzyme in them called malic acid, which removes surface stains on the teeth.  Malic acid is used as a common ingredient in whitening toothpastes.

The baking soda in this mixture is also great for teeth because it’s an acid neutralizer, which gently removes surface stains.

Another option that includes baking soda would be simply to sprinkle a little bit on regular toothpaste and brush normally.

Apples can also be used as a natural solution for whitening. Eating an apple  along with daily brushes whitens teeth while also giving the body minerals and vitamins your body needs each day.

Raw celery and carrots are other foods that help maintain healthy, white teeth.

A good way to prevent teeth stains is to not drink a lot of coffee or dark sodas. Instead, drink eight glasses of water recommended each day because it also naturally cleans  the teeth.

However, if a person is going to drink a lot of dark or sugary beverages, drinking with a straw can protect the teeth since the liquid won’t touch your teeth as much.

Citrus fruits, such as pineapples and oranges cause the mouth to produce more saliva, which helps whiten teeth and clean the mouth from bacteria.

Also, lemon juice and salt combined is a great alternative to whitening teeth.  Mix them together and apply on to teeth with fingers and leave on for two minutes and rinse well afterwards.

A common at home remedy is rinsing the mouth every other day with half hydrogen peroxide and a half water mixture.  Be sure not to swallow this mixture and to rinse mouth well with regular water after.

Hydrogen peroxide is a great way to whiten teeth and kill germs at the same time.

These quick methods can be used at home a few times a week for noticeable results.