Flash Those Gems: Natural Teeth Whiteners

With the number of coffee addicts growing by the minute, coffee chains breeding like rabbits, and with the month of November highlighting the Great American Smokeout to help people quit smoking, there is another addiction we should shed a light on: teeth whitening. Who doesn’t want movie star teeth that look great in any light, with any lipstick color, and without surface stains from coffee, tea, wine, soda or cigarettes? Sure white teeth look great but they also cost a lot of money and can be harmful to the lifespan of your teeth and gums. While researching teeth whitening to make my own set sparkle in those impending upcoming holiday snapshots, I stumbled on the pros and cons of homemade alternatives.

In the last few years, teeth whitening has become extremely popular and most dental offices as well as cosmetic dentists are offering professional whitening services starting at a couple hundred dollars. If you prefer popular at-home treatments in strips, pens or gel trays, they are slightly cheaper than professional applications and most are under $100, but they can strip your teeth by using harsh chemicals and add to the sensitivity of both teeth and gums. Natural remedies have been around for years and most are better for your teeth and your checkbook.

Found in most cupboards, the most popular home remedy for tooth health is baking soda. I remember brushing with baking soda as a kid but I didn’t understand the benefits. I just knew that I didn’t like the gritty, bitter feel of the white paste when I was so used to the delicious three-color mint of my favorite Aquafresh. Baking soda is good for taking plaque off the teeth and making them shine however, the fridge-friendly freshener can be abrasive and can hurt the enamel with use over time.

Strawberries have been in the media lately, appearing on the Tyra Banks Show this season, the suggestion that rubbing a fresh cut strawberry across your teeth whitens them instantly. While this quick remedy has some truth, the malic acid in strawberries turns into an astringent that removes surface stains from your teeth. While rubbing a fresh cut strawberry across the front of your teeth seems to work immediately, most recipes use mashed strawberries with baking soda as a paste to brush your teeth. Strawberries are sweet and cheap, but you should always wait at least twenty minutes before you brush your teeth regularly, or else you run the risk of brushing the enamel away. After twenty minutes, your own saliva helps to buffer your teeth to protect your enamel.

Another fruity suggestion is to use lemon juice or the inside of orange or lemon peels as a quick brightener. However, professionals discourage these methods more than that of the strawberry mixture, because the damage citric acid can cause to your teeth. Citric acid steals the calcium from your teeth’s enamel, causing decay to set in much faster than normal. The juice of citrus fruits, besides giving your teeth an extra dose of sugar, can strip the enamel to dangerous levels of disrepair.

Hydrogen peroxide is used in many toothpastes, mouthwashes and rinses, as well as professional tooth whitening products; however a lot of the at-home recipes for tooth whitening combine hydrogen peroxide diluted with baking soda for brushing teeth or for use on its own as a mouth rinse. The health hazard is high with hydrogen peroxide because the effectiveness of store-bought astringent peroxide is different than professional-use peroxide and the at-home variety can cause blindness and poisoning if swallowed. The dangers of using liquid hydrogen peroxide do not outweigh any possible benefits for whitening the teeth.

After running through the gamut of different homemade remedies for tooth whitening, strawberries and baking soda seem to be the best and least hazardous for your health if you’re looking for a quick fix every so often. For keeping your teeth healthy and looking their Hollywood best, your best bet would be to stay away from common liquids that stain teeth: tea, coffee, red wine, or dark sodas, but that solution is easier said than done. While it seems expensive, professional, chemical teeth whitening may help keep your set gleaming as bright as this season’s snow, natural whiteners can also work as a cheap, temporary fix you can find in your own pantry. Just remember to use with caution.