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Easy Ways to Whiten Your Teeth Naturally at Home
Over $11 billion was spent on teeth whitening in 2015, with over $1.4 billion spent on at-home whitening solutions.
When it comes to whitening your teeth, there are a plethora of options.
Most whitening treatments, however, employ chemicals to bleach your teeth, which many people are concerned about.
If you desire whiter teeth but don’t want to use chemicals, this article provides a number of natural and safe choices.
What causes discoloration of the teeth?
Teeth get dull and lose their dazzling, white gleam due to a variety of circumstances.
Certain foods can discolor the enamel of your teeth, which is the outermost layer. Plaque buildup on your teeth can also cause them to seem yellow.
Cleaning and whitening solutions may typically be used to cure this form of discoloration.
However, teeth might seem yellow if the hard enamel has worn, exposing the dentin beneath. Dentin is a bone substance that lies beneath the enamel and is naturally yellow.
Here are some easy methods to whiten your teeth naturally.
Does coconut oil whiten teeth?
Oil pulling is an ancient Indian folk treatment for improving oral hygiene and eliminating toxins from the body.
The procedure is swishing oil around in your mouth to eliminate germs that can cause plaque and yellowing of your teeth (2Trusted Source).
Oil pulling was traditionally done using sunflower or sesame oil, although any oil can do.
Coconut oil is a popular choice since it tastes good and has a lot of health advantages.
Coconut oil is also high in lauric acid, which is recognized for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Daily oil pulling has been found in a few trials to reduce germs, plaque, and gingivitis in the mouth.
Streptococcus mutans is one of the bacteria that cause plaque and gingivitis in the mouth. In one research, everyday swishing with sesame oil lowered the number of Streptococcus mutans in the saliva in as little as one week.
Unfortunately, there has been no scientific evidence that oil pulling whitens teeth. It is, nevertheless, a safe activity that is worth attempting. Many people think that oil pulling makes their teeth whiter and brighter.
Put a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and press and pull it between your teeth to oil pull. At room temperature, coconut oil is solid, so you may need to wait a few seconds for it to melt. Oil pulling should be done for 15–20 minutes.
Make careful to spit the coconut oil into a toilet or trash can, since it may solidify in your drain pipes and plug them.
Coconut oil pulling, unlike many other tooth whitening techniques, does not expose your teeth to acid or other elements that might destroy the enamel. This indicates that it is safe to perform on a daily basis.
Does baking soda whiten teeth??
Baking soda is a common component in commercial toothpaste because of its inherent whitening effects.
It’s a gentle abrasive that may be used to remove surface stains from teeth.
Baking soda also generates an alkaline environment in your mouth, which inhibits bacteria growth.
This isn’t a quick fix, but you should see a difference in the look of your teeth over time.
Brushing your teeth with ordinary baking soda has not been shown to whiten your teeth, but multiple studies have shown that toothpaste containing baking soda has a considerable whitening impact.
According to one study, kinds of toothpaste with baking soda were much more successful than toothpaste without baking soda at removing yellow stains from teeth. The stronger the action of baking soda, the higher the concentration.
Furthermore, a study of five research indicated that toothpaste containing baking soda was more successful at removing plaque from teeth than toothpaste without baking soda.
To apply this cure, make a paste with 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 tablespoons water, then wash your teeth with it. This is something you can do a couple of times a week.
Use hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth.
Hydrogen peroxide is a naturally occurring bleaching agent that also destroys germs in the mouth.
Because of its capacity to destroy bacteria, humans have been using hydrogen peroxide to treat wounds for years.
Many professional whitening creams contain hydrogen peroxide, but at a far greater concentration than you’ll be using.
Unfortunately, no research has looked into the effects of simply rinsing or brushing with hydrogen peroxide, however, various studies have looked at commercial peroxide toothpaste.
According to one study, using a toothpaste with baking soda and 1% hydrogen peroxide resulted in substantially brighter teeth.
In another study, brushing twice a day with a commercial toothpaste combining baking soda and peroxide resulted in 62 percent whiter teeth after six weeks.
However, there are some concerns about hydrogen peroxide’s safety.
Strong concentrations or misuse can cause gum inflammation and dental sensitivity, even in highly diluted quantities. High dosages have also been linked to cancer, although this has yet to be confirmed.
Before brushing your teeth, you can use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash. To avoid negative effects, make sure you’re using a 1.5 percent or 3% solution.
A 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide is the most typical concentration seen in drugstores. By mixing equal amounts of peroxide and water, you may readily dilute this concentration to 1.5 percent.
Another way to utilize hydrogen peroxide is to produce toothpaste by combining it with baking soda. Brush your teeth carefully with the combination of 2 tablespoons hydrogen peroxide and 1 teaspoon baking soda.
Overuse of this homemade paste might damage your tooth enamel, so use it just a few times each week.
Consume fresh fruits and veggies
Fruit and vegetable-rich diets may be beneficial to both your body and your teeth.
Crunchy, raw fruits and vegetables can help push plaque away as you eat, though they’re no substitute for brushing.
Strawberry and pineapple are two fruits that have been touted as tooth whiteners.
Prevent tooth stains from forming in the first place
While your teeth will naturally yellow as you get older, there are several things you can do to help avoid stains.
Coffee, red wine, carbonated beverages, and dark berries are all known to discolor teeth.
That doesn’t mean you should avoid them entirely, but you should minimize the length of time they come into touch with your teeth.
To avoid direct contact with your teeth, sip liquids that are known to stain teeth with a straw if at all feasible.
Additionally, brush your teeth 30 minutes after ingesting one of these meals or beverages to reduce the color change in your teeth.
And of course, avoid smoking and chewing tobacco, as both can stain your teeth.
Sugar consumption should be limited
Reduce your sugar intake if you desire whiter teeth.
Streptococcus mutants, the principal kind of bacterium that produces plaque and gingivitis, thrive on a high-sugar diet.
After eating a sweet snack, wash your teeth as soon as possible.
Make sure you’re getting enough calcium in your diet
Enamel erosion exposes the yellow dentin underlying, which causes some tooth discoloration. As a result, everything you do to improve your teeth’ enamel will help maintain them dazzling white.
Milk, cheese, and broccoli are calcium-rich foods that may help protect your teeth against enamel erosion.
Brushing and flossing are really important
While some tooth discoloration is caused by aging, the majority of it is caused by plaque accumulation.
Brushing and flossing your teeth on a regular basis can help keep your teeth white by eliminating germs in your mouth and avoiding plaque accumulation.
Toothpaste eliminates stains on your teeth gently, while flossing removes germs that cause plaque.
Dental cleanings on a regular basis can also assist your teeth to stay clean and white.
Teeth whitening products
However, there are a few things to consider before choosing one of the hundreds of teeth whitening products available. “You should absolutely do some research on what sort of items you’d be putting into your mouth when trying to whiten your teeth,” says Marianna M. Weiner, DDS, of Brooklyn-based Envy Smile.
Hydrogen peroxide is the major component to search for. Dr. Weiner adds, “This is the most potent whitening agent that breaks down into compounds that are safe to eat, such as water and oxygen.”
Polyethylene glycol, sodium hydroxide, diethanolamine, ammonium hydroxide, and alcohol are among the chemicals the dentist recommends avoiding. Dr. Weiner points out that alcohol is particularly harmful since it dries out our gums and mouth, leaving us without saliva to protect us.
You can check these products recomended by reviewers
GLO Science Deluxe Teeth Whitening Device at Amazon is the best overall.
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