Everyone knows brushing and flossing your teeth are crucial habits to keeping your smile clean and bright, but did you know there are plenty of foods that naturally clean your teeth? Food is a common cause of tooth stains, but if you're careful about what you eat, it can have the opposite effect.
To keep your teeth strong and bright, avoid stainers like coffee and tea and try to minimize sugary foods and drinks that trigger 
enamel breakdown. Here are some teeth-cleaning substitutes:
Water
Even if you're indulging in some sugary snacks or foods likely to stain your teeth, drinking lots of water will help flush your mouth of damaging acids and staining agents.
Citrus
It may seem counter-intuitive — eating acidic food to protect your teeth? — but citrus fruits contain a lot of water and promote saliva production, which also helps clear your mouth of harmful materials.
Cheese and Milk
Not only do these foods contain tooth-strengthening proteins, calcium and phosphorus, they also encourage saliva production, which is crucial to neutralizing cavity-causing acids. Because cheese and milk contain fortifying elements, consuming them will help your teeth withstand harmful, staining substances.
Carrots
This is another saliva trigger. Beyond that, carrots contain vitamin A, which keeps your tooth enamel healthy, and their crunchy texture naturally cleans your teeth. Actually, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry recommends eating many crunchy vegetables because of their natural cleaning abilities.
Pineapples
Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain, which some research has shown to fight stains and remove plaque from your teeth.
Broccoli
This green vegetable is rich in iron, an element that is said to help form an acid-resistant film on your teeth, protecting your enamel from stains and other damage.
As you may have guessed from this list, raw and minimally processed foods can be great for your teeth, particularly because they don't contain the high levels of added sugar that many tooth-damaging foods contain. Choosing foods that naturally keep your teeth clean will help you maintain a white smile, but visiting a cosmetic dentist for professional whitening will give you the best results. If you have questions about in-office teeth whitening, call Apple Valley Dental at (760) 247-6007, and we can give you more information on how to achieve your whitest smile.