The right lipstick can make teeth look whiter, but the teeth themselves stay exactly the same colour. What changes is the colour your eye compares them against. A strong red or purple next to the teeth tends to make them read brighter, and a nude shade close to your skin tone can make the same teeth read a little more yellow.
A small study put this to the test
In a study by Varvara and colleagues (Medicine and Pharmacy Reports, 2023), researchers photographed the smiles of four women wearing five different lipstick colours. One hundred observers then rated how light or dark the teeth looked in each photograph. The teeth were judged darkest in the photos with nude lipstick and lightest in the photos with red and purple lipstick. The authors concluded that the lipstick around the teeth has an important influence on how their colour is perceived.
It was a small study using photographs, so it shows that the effect exists rather than giving precise rules. It fits with what is already known about how people see colour.
Your eyes judge colour by comparison
The visual system does not measure colour in isolation. It compares each surface with what surrounds it. A grey square looks lighter on a black background and darker on a white one, even though the grey has not changed. This is called simultaneous contrast, and it happens automatically.
Teeth are never pure white. Enamel is slightly translucent and sits over dentine, which is naturally yellowish, so every natural tooth has some warmth in it. Two features of lipstick change how that warmth is seen:
- Hue. A red with a cool, bluish undertone carries a hint of blue, the colour opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so the teeth beside it may look less yellow by comparison. A warm orange red or coral is close to the tooth's own hue and does little to hide its warmth.
- Lightness. A deep berry, plum or wine shade is much darker than the teeth, and that large gap in lightness makes the teeth look brighter.
A pale nude near your skin tone offers neither kind of contrast, which is why teeth can look a touch more yellow with it. None of this is a reason to change what you wear. It simply explains why your teeth might look different from one day to the next.
Why photos and shade matching can look different
Cameras add another layer. Phones adjust white balance and skin tones automatically, and a flash adds cool light that shifts both the lips and the teeth. A combination that looks balanced in the mirror can look quite different on screen.
The same principle explains why dentists take care when matching the colour of a crown, veneer or filling. The surroundings, including lips, skin, clothing and makeup, influence how a shade is perceived. Removing lipstick and using a neutral background and consistent lighting helps the chosen shade look right in everyday life, not just in the chair.
Real changes in tooth colour have other causes
When the colour of a tooth genuinely changes, the cause is in or on the tooth, not on the lips.
Stain on the surface
Tea, coffee, red wine and tobacco leave stain on the outer surface of enamel, and so can some mouthwashes and liquid medicines. Surface stain can usually be removed with a professional clean, which returns the tooth to its own natural shade but does not lighten it beyond that. Our articles on coffee, wine and tea staining and intrinsic versus extrinsic staining explain the difference.
Changes inside the tooth
Colour can also come from within the tooth. Developmental conditions affecting enamel or dentine, some medicines taken while teeth are forming, and injury to a tooth's nerve can all darken it. With age, enamel gradually wears thinner and more of the yellower dentine shows through. Cleaning will not change these.
Whitening
Peroxide whitening works by lightening the colour within the tooth. A Cochrane review of home-based whitening (Eachempati and colleagues, 2018) included 71 trials and found that whitening products lightened teeth compared with placebo over short periods, although the certainty of the evidence was low to very low. Sensitivity and gum irritation were the most common side effects. Results vary from person to person, and no particular shade can be promised. Our comparison of professional and at-home whitening and our article on whether whitening toothpaste works go into the options.
Who can supply stronger whitening products
In Australia, whitening strength is regulated. Under Schedule 10 of the Poisons Standard, teeth whitening products containing more than 6% hydrogen peroxide or more than 18% carbamide peroxide may only be sold, supplied and used by registered dental practitioners as part of dental practice. The Australian Dental Association sets this out in its policy statement on whitening by people other than dental practitioners. Our article on salon teeth whitening covers what this means for kiosks and salons.
At Lumi Dental, the whitening options are Lumi Home (take-home trays), Lumi Refresh or Lumi Radiance (in-chair whitening with take-home gel), all using dentist-supplied Boutique take-home gel.
Common questions
Which lipstick colours make teeth look whitest?
In the Varvara study, red and purple lipsticks made teeth look lightest. Colour theory suggests cool, blue-based reds and deep berry shades are likely to give the most contrast, while warm corals and nudes give the least, although this has not been tested shade by shade.
Can lipstick stain or damage teeth?
No. Any lipstick that transfers onto enamel wipes off and does not affect the tooth. It is worth removing before a shade is chosen for a crown or veneer, because it can affect the match.
Will a professional clean make my teeth whiter?
A clean removes surface stain and brings teeth back to their natural shade, which can look like a noticeable improvement if stain has built up. It does not lighten the tooth itself.
If you are unsure whether what you see is stain, a change inside the tooth or simply the lighting, a check-up can sort it out. The team at Lumi Dental in Melrose Park can explain where the colour is coming from and what the realistic options are. You can book online, read about teeth whitening at Lumi, or see our current deals.
This article is general information only and is not personal advice. Tooth colour has many causes and only an in person examination can tell you which applies to you. Please see a dental or medical professional about your own situation.
