Have you been wishing for pearly white teeth but wondering how you will achieve them? Your case is not isolated. Various surveys show that many Americans want brighter and flawless teeth. When you want pearly teeth to boost your confidence and obtain a flawless smile for interviews or romantic dinners, consider the prevalent and dental expert-recommended teeth whitening options.
Practice Coconut Oil Pulling Using Baking Soda
Coconut oil pulling is a conventional remedy originating from India. It helps enhance your oral hygiene and extract body toxins.
Pulling entails swishing the coconut oil to eradicate microbes. The bacteria build up to form plaque, which is associated with yellowing of the teeth. Pulling helps maintain the pearly white color of the teeth by preventing bacteria buildup.
Many people prefer coconut oil for their dental health because it smells good, reduces bad breath, and helps with tooth cleaning and whitening. The oil contains lauric acid as the primary fat component. The fatty acid contains properties crucial to fighting microbes, making the product essential for dental health.
The oil has been used for centuries as an antimicrobial to improve dental health in a process called oil pulling. The procedure removes harmful bacteria, preventing plaque, which causes yellowing in the teeth, tooth decay, and foul breath.
Therefore, to keep your teeth pearly white, you should consider swishing coconut oil to kill harmful bacteria, remove plaque, and prevent gum disease. If you want to try oil pulling, put a tablespoon full of the oil in the mouth, then push and pull it through the teeth. You should do this for 15 to 20 minutes. Afterward, spit the coconut oil in a trash can or toilet because if you do it in your sink, it will solidify later, clogging your drainage.
Lastly, you can pull coconut oil daily for an extended period of time because it does not use acids to wear down the enamel and whiten teeth. It only kills bacteria and removes plaque, helping you keep white teeth. Ensure you brush your teeth with baking soda when you pull using oil.
Usually, you pour the baking soda on the toothpaste and then brush like you normally do. The soda is a mild abrasive that helps to remove the stains left in the teeth after pulling, giving your teeth a pearly white and bright appearance. Again, it forms an alkaline setting in the teeth that prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. Using baking soda with toothpaste is not an overnight teeth-whitening remedy. Its results start to appear over time after prolonged use.
Utilize Activated Charcoal
According to cosmetic dentistry experts, activated or powdered charcoal is the most affordable and quickest way to obtain brighter teeth naturally. Activated charcoal pulls toxins from the mouth and extracts teeth stains by absorbing calculus and plaque that cause your teeth to turn yellow. Dental experts recommend powdered charcoal for teeth whitening because it is flavorless and has no odor, making it ideal for the teeth. The charcoal makes the teeth appear cleaner and pearly white, removes foul breath, and prevents germ growth in the teeth.
If you plan on using powdered charcoal as a remedy for teeth whitening, you should start by crushing a charcoal pill into powder. Once the activated charcoal is in powder form, dip your toothbrush in water and into the powdered charcoal. The powder will stick to the brush, which you can use to brush your teeth. After brushing, do not rinse your teeth immediately because it will wash away the activated charcoal. Instead, leave it for at least four minutes, then rinse afterward. You will obtain pearly white teeth if you do that consistently for several days.
Dental experts discourage using activated charcoal for teeth whitening when you suffer a cut or open wound in the mouth. Also, do not scrub the teeth so hard because the charcoal could eat into your enamel or surface.
Keep a Balanced Diet
Eating a balanced diet ensures your body has all the minerals required to maintain white and healthy teeth. Chewing crispy raw fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots stimulates the salivary glands, increasing saliva production that helps wash away harmful bacteria. When germs are eradicated from the mouth, the risk of tooth staining reduces significantly, helping you maintain pearly white teeth.
Strawberries and pineapples have been proven to be natural remedies for whitening teeth. If you wish to whiten the teeth with strawberries, mix them with water and baking soda. Strawberries contain an ingredient known as malic acid that removes tooth discoloration. The baking soda then buffs away the stains.
The challenge with using the strawberry and baking soda mixture is that it has not been scientifically proven to remove stains because it hardly penetrates. It causes little color change compared to professional teeth whitening.
If you wish to try the treatment, crush fresh strawberries, mix them with baking soda, and use the mixture to brush your teeth. Do not use the mixture daily for a long time because excessive use can harm the surface of your tooth.
Some tooth staining or discoloration stems from enamel erosion that eats away at the surface of your teeth, exposing the dentin. Dentin is yellowish, meaning that when exposed, your teeth appear yellow. So, if you want to keep white teeth, you need strong enamel. You can achieve this by sticking to calcium-rich foods like milk and broccoli. The calcium in these foods removes acids responsible for enamel erosion, preventing discoloration from exposure to the dentin.
Part of maintaining a balanced diet involves drinking sufficient water. Water removes food debris and clears dark beverages like coffee, preventing tooth staining. Therefore, drink water to remove the stains and keep your teeth pearly white when taking coffee or red wine.
Combine Toothpaste and Milk Powder
Another technique cosmetic dentists recommend for teeth whitening is a mixture of toothpaste and milk powder. The powdered milk gives your teeth a pearly white look, and its calcium keeps the tooth enamel healthy and robust.
It could sound weird, but using milk is an affordable way of maintaining pearly white teeth as it removes discoloration and superficial blemishes.
When trying this natural whitening remedy, apply toothpaste to the brush, sprinkle the mild powder on top of the paste, and thoroughly brush the teeth before rinsing. Do this at least twice a day for a couple of days, and you will begin to see your teeth turn brighter than they were.
Utilize Hydrogen Peroxide
Cosmetic dentists also recommend hydrogen peroxide for teeth whitening, as it is a natural bleaching agent that can help you achieve the pearly white teeth you have always wanted. Also, it helps kill germs in your mouth, reducing the risk of infections and other dental concerns. The ability of hydrogen peroxide to kill germs explains why it has long been used to disinfect wounds.
Several bleaching agents have hydrogen peroxide as an ingredient, although the concentration in these commercial products is higher than in-home bleaching remedies. Using toothpaste with a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide two times daily proved to be more effective in teeth whitening within one and a half months than other toothpaste. A study on the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide as a bleaching agent showed that toothpaste with a higher concentration gave the teeth a more appealing shade within twelve weeks than toothpaste with a lower concentration.
Another study showed that hydrogen peroxide toothpaste was more effective than charcoal and abrasive toothpaste at lowering discoloration from coffee stains.
However, excessive bleaching products with high hydrogen peroxide concentrations can cause gum irritation and increase cancer risk. Therefore, when using the product, use a low concentration to prevent erosion and use mouthwash before brushing.
Try Turmeric Whitening Toothpaste
You can also achieve pearly white teeth through turmeric whitening toothpaste, primarily containing turmeric powder, peppermint droplets, and coconut oil. The mixture of turmeric powder and oil is highly effective in plaque removal, thus pivotal in keeping white teeth. Also, the mixture is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, meaning using the product will keep your teeth healthy and pearly white. The outcome of using the combination is not instant. You must use the product consistently daily to obtain your desired flawless smile.
Steer Clear of Smoking
The nicotine in tobacco produces tar, which is responsible for turning teeth yellow. Therefore, if you want to retain white teeth, you should consider quitting tobacco smoking. Avoiding smoking will be good for your smile and overall body health because your lungs and heart will be healthier. The stains and yellowing from tobacco smoking will also hurt your breath. If you cannot quit smoking for any reason, try brushing immediately after smoking to prevent staining and maintain healthy teeth.
Utilize Whitening Strips
Whitening strips are thin, elastic membranes that assume the shape of your teeth. These strips are coated with a bleaching agent and are effective at whitening teeth. Your cosmetic dentist will recommend strips because they are affordable and suitable when you have yet to decide on additional dental care. If you are planning a wedding, romantic date, or job interview, you should consider wearing whitening strips for at least a week for pearly white teeth.
Strips are highly effective because of whitening products like bleaching agents and peroxides. When you purchase the product, you will receive two strips for the top and bottom teeth. The strips have a bleaching agent layer that makes it to your teeth's enamel, removing the stains and discoloration.
Ease of use makes many people prefer strips for whitening teeth because you only slap them on the teeth and have them for the directed duration before removing them. Following the instructions will give you the white teeth you have dreamed of within days.
Nevertheless, do not forget you are dealing with chemicals or compounds regarding strips. Therefore, if you do not adhere to the instructions, the chemicals can erode your enamel, causing dental problems, including yellowing of the teeth due to the exposed dentin. The strips can cause issues like sensitivity, so talk to your dentist first if you are considering the treatment.
Care for Your Gums
Healthy gums are instrumental in maintaining healthy teeth. If the gums are unhealthy, they develop gum disease or gingivitis, affecting the overall appearance of the teeth and smile. Caring for the gums involves caring for your teeth through regular brushing and flossing. Ensure your toothbrush has soft bristles to avoid hurting the gums, resulting in recession or pullback. Again, it would be best if you brushed your teeth gently. When you care for your gum tissue, your teeth will be healthy and look brighter.
Do Not Overlook Proper Oral Hygiene
Staining is the primary cause of tooth discoloration, although some could stem from aging. Therefore, proper dental hygiene is the most critical and recommended way to keep teeth white. Proper dental hygiene entails brushing teeth two times a day after meals and flossing at least once to remove food particles and sugar debris stuck in the teeth.
Also, it would help if you considered scheduling biannual visits to your dentist for deep cleaning. Doing so ensures that the plaque or tartar that cannot be removed through normal brushing is removed using special tools.
Again, do not forget to clean your tongue. Germs can build up here, staining your teeth and causing bad breath. Moreover, you should switch to electric toothbrushes if you have yet to do so because they are more effective at removing stains than normal ones. You will obtain and keep brighter teeth by practicing excellent oral hygiene habits.
Find a Competent Dentist Near Me
All these pointers will help you keep healthy and bright teeth. Nevertheless, healthy dental hygiene and diet are key to maintaining brighter teeth. Also, consult your cosmetic dentist when you plan to whiten your teeth. The reason is that most of these techniques involve chemical bleaching products that could harm your teeth if not used properly. At Northridge Advanced Dentistry, we are committed to helping you maintain brighter teeth. Contact us at 818-701-3010 to arrange a meeting with our dental experts.
