Natural Teeth Whitening
Everyone wants to look like movie stars and singers with their pearly whites smiling for the cameras. With today's technology and products, this is possible. Many people, however, don't want anymore to do with chemicals than they absolutely must.
They look for natural methods of maintaining their health and bodies.
The snag to that is that even though something is classified as “natural,” it can still cause damage to the body. Baking soda, for instance, is an acid that will eat at the enamel of your teeth if you use it every day. We wanted to give you a comprehensive list of natural teeth whitening methods.
We also wanted to give you tips and hacks to avoid harming your teeth with “natural” whitening methods.
Natural Products For Whitening Teeth
If we exclude the usual proven teeth whitening suspects due to their abrasive or bleaching properties, what's left?
Fruits and vegetables have ways of scrubbing and/or whitening teeth, either by scrubbing teeth as you chew or by whitening them in other ways.
Banana Peels
The fruit that deliciously enhances smoothies and muffins may also do wonderful things for teeth. You won't find this idea in any professional study, because none have been done. You'll read about this method of whitening teeth in professional papers, however, and cited as their sources will be “personal blogs.”
The idea behind banana peels whitening teeth is rubbing the inside of the peel against the teeth for a couple of minutes before or after brushing. Rubbing skins containing potassium and magnesium, amino acids, and proteins in the fruit's peel against the teeth makes them whiter.
Strawberries
Strawberries are fibrous and contain malic acid. Both scrub the teeth free of staining. Malic acid is an ingredient in many commercially produced toothpaste.
Additionally, fibers found in fruits and vegetables scrub the teeth as you're chewing.
Mash two good-sized strawberries and apply them to the teeth. Let it sit for five minutes. You can then rinse out the mouth and spit out the strawberries. Brush your teeth as normal. Do this twice per week for best results.
Lemons
Lemons are a great teeth bleaching agent, both from the peels and from the juice. Since lemons are greatly acidic, only use them twice per week for safety's sake. You can rub the peel against your teeth for two or three minutes, then brush as normal.
You can also bite into the fruit, and hold the teeth in the fruit for two to three minutes. If that freaks you out, though, you can mix two tablespoons of lemon juice with three tablespoons of water and spritz on the teeth. Brush normally afterward.
We must repeat that since lemons are greatly acidic, only do this twice per week to protect the teeth's enamel.
Crisp Fruits And Vegetables
Apples, pears, raw carrots and celery scrub the teeth free of plaque and stains as you chew. They increase the saliva that neutralizes the trouble-causing bacteria in the mouth. Thus, the teeth are scrubbed clean. Choose firm, crisp fruits and veggies such as Bell peppers, radishes, water chestnuts, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Cheese
Food doesn't always have to be crunchy in order to clean the teeth. Chicken and rice do it through the nutrients in them. Cheese does it the same way. It neutralizes the acids and bacteria in the mouth in addition to remineralizing the teeth. Cheese, yogurt, and milk all contain calcium necessary for making teeth and bones stronger.
Coconut Oil
A great rinse for the teeth is coconut oil, known as oil pulling. Use a tablespoon of coconut oil and swish it around the teeth for ten to fifteen minutes. Spit it out and brush as normal.
Although there are no studies to support it, the theory is that the oil binds to the cells of the harmful mouth bacteria as you swish it around your mouth. When you spit out the oil, the bacteria goes with it. Brushing afterward further eliminates this bacteria.
Oil pulling has other benefits than white teeth including healthier gums, no bad breath, and preventing cavities. Make sure to brush and floss after using coconut oil as a rinse.
Turmeric
We know it as the spice that makes curry so delicious. Added to other foods, turmeric acts as an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial which is good for arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. With that said, oral health such as healthy gums benefits from the use of turmeric, too.
Keep in mind that turmeric stains everything yellow including your toothbrush. Sprinkle a little turmeric into your hand. Wet your toothbrush and dip it into the turmeric. Brush your teeth as you normally would, letting the powder sit on your teeth for at least five minutes. Rinse extremely well. Brush your teeth again with your choice of toothpaste as you normally would.
It's safe to do this once per day every day of the week. There are few, if any, side effects of using turmeric. Just remember that turmeric stains everything yellow, but is a natural teeth whitening method.
Tips And Hacks For Preventing Stained Teeth
When teeth are stained, it's called extrinsic staining. Intrinsic staining would be beneath the enamel. Generally, food and drink or smoking cause stained teeth. Dark sodas and tea, coffee, both red and white wine, dark fruit juices such as cranberry juice, chocolate, and foods like beets, berries, and candies all stain the teeth.
Avoiding these fun and delicious foods and drinks is difficult. It has to be done, though, if you want your pearly whites to shine. Here are some tips and hacks to prevent the staining of your teeth.
- Drink lots of water. Water washes away the harmful bacteria that help to stain teeth. You should be drinking an eight-ounce glass of water for every 50 pounds of body weight in order to get “enough” water every day.
- Avoid acidic foods and drinks. Tomatoes, oranges, soy-based sauces, balsamic vinegar should be avoided. Likewise, kimchi and kombucha are fermented foods that damage the enamel of teeth.
- Drink using a straw. Drinking teeth-staining beverages through a straw is beneficial in more ways than one. Obviously, if staining beverages fail to come into contact with the teeth, the better for the teeth. It also prevents harm to heat or cold-sensitive teeth, it helps keep the sugars in drinks from giving the teeth cavities and protects the enamel.
- Chew sugarless gum. Chewing gum stimulates the saliva to circulate through the mouth. This washes away the harmful bacteria that cause dental troubles and scrubs the teeth. It also neutralizes the acids in the mouth.
- Brush your teeth. Immediately following the consumption of teeth-staining foods and drinks, slip away to brush your teeth. This will stop the damage in its tracks, leaving you with a whiter smile.
- Consume calcium. You need up to 2,000 mg of calcium every day for strong, healthy, white teeth. It doesn't have to come from fortified milk or dairy products, either. You can get your calcium through eating canned fish like sardines and salmon, almonds, beans, leafy greens like collards and spinach, and fortified cereals.
- Switch up your diet. You can eat berries because they're good for you. You can have tomato sauces, coffee, soda, and kimchi. However, limit yourself to consuming them once or twice per week. This will give you a taste of what you crave while preventing your teeth from becoming stained.
Today's world offers us so many amazing taste sensations that it's difficult to avoid what will harm us. It only takes a little forethought along with perhaps the help of TADSmile to prevent our teeth from looking besmirched. While you're trying out these natural teeth whitening methods, remember to see your dentist two to three times per year.
Ask him or her which whitening method s/he prefers for you to use. Happy whitening!
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