Home Remedies for Teeth Whitening

When Unprofessional Tooth Whiteners Go Wrong

Mar 25, 2009 Cheryn Tan

Pearly white teeth are central to one's smile, and to avoid spending fortunes for a Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts megawatt smile, some resort to do-it-yourself remedies.

Teeth naturally lose their colour with age, and even with proper care, they can be stained by coffee, cigarettes, tea, carbonated drinks or red wine. The residue of food is easily stuck between the fine crevices between one’s teeth, and brushing twice a day without flossing will not be able to get it out. Even toothpastes sold at chemists, promising to produce immediate whitening results, will only bleach out minor discolorations.

Here are some of the home remedies that people have sworn by, and the potential damage that could be done to your teeth:

Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

This is one of the most common home prescriptions. The method is to mix baking soda with hydrogen peroxide and brush teeth for five minutes before using normal toothpaste. Others may recommend using hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash to gargle. Bad idea. Hydrogen peroxide is a very powerful corrosive agent, and if accidentally swallowed, it could lead to loss of sight, or even death.

Baking soda is marginally less dangerous, when used in moderation, it can help remove plaque from teeth, making one’s teeth shine. However, baking soda is abrasive, and over-dependence on it can damage the teeth’s enamel.

Lemon Drops and Orange Peel

Drop some lemon juice on your toothbrush and brush your teeth with it. An alternative fruit-based teeth whitener is rubbing the inside of an orange peel on the surface of your teeth.

These methods provide a short-term solution, because the acid in citrus fruits erodes some of the off-white colour from the teeth – however, that is precisely because it is eating away at the calcium from one’s teeth. Calcium, a major component of healthy teeth, provides a strong defence against caries and cavities. Without it, the teeth are loosened and become more susceptible to fracture and decay.

Hard Wood Ash

It is believed that cleaning teeth with wood ash is a good idea, because wood ash contains potassium hydroxide, also known as lye. Before lye was available commercially, soap was made by extracting the potassium hydroxide from hard wood ash and combining it with animal fat. So there is some truth to wood ash as a whitening agent, but exercise caution as the harshness of the potassium hydroxide could significantly damage your teeth over time.

Strawberries

As endorsed by actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, rubbing strawberries on your teeth will remove all stains and give you bright white teeth. The trick is to brush and floss beforehand, mash about five strawberries, then use a cotton swab to apply the berry mixture to your teeth. Leave it for five to ten minutes, then rinse with water.

Many people are coerced into believing this – Zeta-Jones’ brilliant smile is a persuasive advertisement. However, similar to lemons, strawberries contain acid; albeit they occupy a higher rating on the pH scale (meaning strawberries are less acidic). Acid can soften the enamel of the teeth, and if one does not wait before brushing or rinsing off the berry mixture, one runs the risk of eroding the teeth’s enamel. After a certain amount of time, saliva will act as a “buffer” for the acid, and it will be safer to gargle. Leaving sugar on one’s teeth will also open up opportunities for cavities.

Ask your Dentist

There are many other home remedies for getting rid of the discolouration of teeth, such as apple cider vinegar, bark from walnut trees, et cetera. But when something appears too good to be true, there generally is a catch. So seek consultation from your dentist before trying out any so-called foolproof remedies, especially if they involve potentially hazardous chemicals.

The copyright of the article Home Remedies for Teeth Whitening in Beauty is owned by Cheryn Tan. Permission to republish Home Remedies for Teeth Whitening in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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