What's your poison, coffee or tea? Most adults prefer one or the other. After all, caffeine is a super pick-me-up. Hot or cold, black or doctored, our favorite daytime drinks are laced with it.

However, our best beverages can wreak havoc on our beautiful smiles. Like tobacco, coffee beans, tea leaves and even colas can stain teeth brown. The more you sip, the more they stain.

Other factors can cause teeth to become yellow or brown. Some antibiotics and other medications can do so, along with certain allergies, extreme fevers, sudden metabolic shifts, and failure to practice proper dental hygiene. Most people notice their teeth naturally darkening with age as well.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REMOVE STAINS?

Dental whitening products are everywhere. Over-the-counter offerings can be found at pharmacies and discount stores. Most include a plastic bleaching tray, which fits over the teeth, somewhat like an athletic mouth guard. A whitening paste or gel is placed in the tray, so that your teeth will soak in it while you wear the tray for several minutes each day. A simpler method employs flexible adhesive strips, which are peeled and placed directly on the teeth. These contain a similar bleaching solution.

Most of these products actually work reasonably well. Consumers report promising results, as their teeth become several shades lighter. However, in-home treatments usually must be repeated at least once a year.

Many people also opt for professional whitening services. Most dental insurance policies do not cover these cosmetic treatments, however, and they can be quite costly. In-office whitening services range from bleaching trays (made from personalized dental molds) to infrared whitening (about $1,000 per treatment) to porcelain veneers (up to $1,500 per tooth). According to marketers, if you really want a bright movie-star smile, then you need to be willing to pay Hollywood prices.

The prudent option, of course, is to prevent teeth from staining in the first place, as much as possible.

HOW CAN YOU PREVENT STAINING?

Short of quitting caffeine cold-turkey, you can take a few simple steps to keep your drinks from ruining your smile.

First, keeping your teeth sparkling clean is essential. Choose a whitening toothpaste. Make and keep regular dental cleaning appointments twice each year.

If you like iced coffee or tea or dark sodas, use a straw. Sipping through a straw protects your front teeth from discoloration.

Rinse your mouth with water after drinking darker beverages. Everyone wants us to drink more water each day anyway. Grab a glass or bottle of water, and swish it around in your mouth to clean your teeth. (Just be careful about swirling cold water on your teeth immediately after a hot beverage. If you didn't have sensitive teeth before doing so, you surely would afterward!)

Whenever you can, brush your teeth after eating or drinking. This prevents a film from forming on the surface of the teeth, which contributes to discoloration.

A clean white smile projects confidence and success, in today's society. People will go to great lengths to maintain this, but most will not give up their daily coffee or tea. As a result, popular tooth-whitening products and services will continue to thrive. Perhaps those who manufacture such items are sporting the brightest smiles of all!