White may not be your friend.

Here’s one big reason: over time our teeth loose their “pearly white” nature and become more yellow as the enamel wears off and the yellow dentin underneath begins to show. Red wine, coffee, cola and smoking also cause tooth discoloration. Bleaching is one remedy, and there are others that help.

However, the simplest remedy is to prevent drawing attention to the color of your teeth by not wearing white. (This woman would look much better in the warm gray of her hair color.) Ivory, beige, blush and other off-whites are much more flattering to most people–which ones depend upon your personal skin tones. Needless to say, this is one of the benefits of having your color palette done.