Naturally Whiten Your Teeth at Home
North Americans spend more than $12 billion every year on professional teeth whitening and at-home teeth whitening products. There are hundreds of teeth whitening products to choose from, making it really difficult to know which ones to use. It's important for you to know that most teeth whitening products use harsh chemicals in order to remove stains.
In this article, we will discuss a few options on how to maintain a bright and beautiful smile without the risks that come from using harmful chemicals. First, let's explore some of the causes of yellow teeth. There are many reasons why teeth can get discolored and lose their white appearance.
Things like foods, substances, and plaque buildup on your teeth will cause them to change color and look more yellow over time. The good news is that teeth discoloration can be treated with over the counter teeth whitening products. On the other hand sometimes when the hard enamel on your teeth has eroded your teeth will expose dentin, a natural tissue underneath the tooth enamel that looks yellow.
5 Ways to Naturally Whiten Your Teeth at Home
1. Brushing and Flossing
Age-related tooth discoloration will most likely be something that all of us will experience during our lifetime, but the main cause of tooth yellowing will be plaque buildup. The best way to keep your teeth looking great is by brushing and flossing on a regular basis, doctors recommend twice a day. Brushing and flossing your teeth will prevent plaque buildup by reducing the number of bacteria in your mouth.
Toothpaste is designed to rub impurities and stains from your teeth while dental floss will remove most of the plaque caused by bacteria. This is by far the best way to keep your teeth looking white. Visiting your dentist every 6 months for a routine checkup will keep your teeth feeling and looking great.
2. Prevent Tooth Stains
Anything that can stain your clothes can stain your teeth and that's why it's so important to limit the amount of food that can stain your teeth.
Foods to avoid:
- Coffee
- Red Wine
- Soda
- Dark Berries
By no means are we trying to tell you that you should avoid eating the foods you love, but it's a great idea to keep most of these substances away from direct contact with your teeth. A great tip is to consume most of these drinks thru a straw by limiting the amount of contact with your teeth. Just like a stain on your shirt, it is extremely important to brush your teeth right after consuming any substance that can stain your teeth.
Needless to say that products with tobacco are your teeth worst enemy and they will surely cause yellowish stains on your teeth. Another great way to keep your teeth as white as possible is to avoid sugar and foods with lots of it. Sugar supports the growth of bacteria in your teeth and promotes plaque and gingivitis.
Just like we mentioned above, the best way to keep your teeth looking whiter is to brush right after you consume any type of food, including foods with sugar. Another great tip is to add a source rich in calcium to your diet to help strengthen your tooth enamel to avoid yellowing and discoloration.
There are plenty of healthy foods rich in calcium.
Foods:
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Sardines
- Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, turnips, and collard greens
- Fortified cereals such as Total, Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes (They have a lot of calcium in one serving)
- Fortified orange juice
- Soybeans
These foods rich in calcium will help your teeth fight tooth decay and slow down enamel erosion.
3. Clean Diet
Having a clean diet and adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet will not only have a drastic impact on your overall health but your teeth will also feel and look better than before. Chewing fruits and vegetables is the best way to remove plaque away from your teeth in a natural and healthy manner. Studies have found that eating strawberries and pineapples help whiten your teeth naturally.
It's been found that the malic acid in strawberries helps remove stains in teeth.
A mixture of strawberry and baking soda has been made famous on the internet and many people claim to see great results on their teeth color and appearance.
Tip:
- Smash a fresh strawberry
- Mix it with baking soda
- Brush onto your teeth
Strawberry works as an exfoliant on your teeth.
Please avoid excessive use to avoid damage to your teeth. This homemade remedy is in no means a replacement for professional teeth whitening products or a visit to your local dentist.
Pineapple
Clinical studies have shown that an enzyme found in pineapples removes stains much better than the ingredients in regular toothpaste.
4. Baking Soda
Baking soda is very effective and its the reason why so many teeth whitening and toothpaste companies use it as their main teeth whitening ingredient in most of their products. It's been shown that Baking Soda has the ability to gently remove and scrub away mild outer stains on the teeth. Baking soda is also known to help remove bacteria from your teeth and mouth.
Baking soda doesn't whiten as fast as other chemicals or ingredients but when used over a continuous period of time it can help remove stains and whiten your teeth. There are many different brands of toothpaste containing different amounts of baking soda. Toothpaste with baking soda is proven to remove stains better than toothpaste without baking soda.
5. Hydrogen Peroxide
Another great way to fight bacteria in your teeth is by using Hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide works as a bleaching agent, removing tough stains from your teeth and killing bacteria in your mouth. It also helps fight plaque and bad breath. Clinical studies have shown that participants who used teeth whitening products containing baking soda and 1% Hydrogen peroxide noticed whiter teeth.
It also showed that participants who brush their teeth twice a day for 6 weeks with toothpaste containing baking soda and peroxide had an improvement of 62% whiter teeth after the trial. There's not enough information regarding the use of hydrogen peroxide. Altho it appears that small doses of peroxide are safe, some people will experience gum irritation and tooth sensitivity.
You can also use hydrogen peroxide as mouthwash just before you brush your teeth. In order to avoid any harmful side effects use a 1.5% to 3% solution. As mentioned above, mixing baking soda and hydrogen peroxide into a paste can help remove light stains and whiten your teeth.
Tip:
- 2 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- Brush your teeth
Other Resources:
Homemade Remedy to Whiten Your Teeth