Don't Use These Home Remedies To Whiten Your Teeth!

It's understandable that people want to put their best foot and smile forward to make the best social impression. And in this current economy, saving money while getting a brighter smile may lead some to try folk remedies not done in the dental office. Some people have misplaced motivations and leave the concoctions on the teeth too long and/or use them too often, thinking that more is better. The enamel of the teeth and the soft gum tissues can be harmed with these chemicals. Instead of trying potions you might find or prepare at home, use modern, proven methods from your store or pharmacy, or under the controlled conditions at your dental home, which are evidence-based, safe, and actually work.

I have come across several home remedies, which I feel shouldn't be used, that purport to whiten the teeth:

Baking Soda- As an abrasive, it won't brighten the teeth, but it will remove surface stains, so that the natural whiteness of the teeth will show. With overuse, it may remove too much enamel which is only replaceable with a filling. Add a strong acid like lemon juice, and you will remove your precious enamel at a much faster rate.

Strawberries- Malic acid in strawberries can remove stains from enamel caused by, say, dark wines and dark sodas, but it also removes surface minerals. Some people have a tendency to leave the crushed up strawberry paste on too long. When mixed with baking soda and brushed on the teeth, too much enamel can be removed.

Lemon Juice or Grapefruit Juice- Both contain strong citric acid (lemon pH is about 2, grapefruit pH is about 3) that can decalcify teeth surfaces and make the enamel softer, and prone to loss. They do have beneficial effects inside the body, though. People who suck lemons a lot will destroy their enamel and need dental work.

Apples- From the plant Malus domestica, apples contains mineral-removing malic acid which is present in apples, in foods, and in some teeth whitening products, to dissolve stains.

Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar- Rubbing a paste solution made from these items, which is acidic, will whiten the teeth by removing stains, but removes needed enamel minerals.

The aforementioned substances will not whiten your teeth much at all, only a shade or two, and then, only temporarily. Any additional whiteness that you achieve is the result of stripping the salivary and surface minerals away, leaving a decalcified, bleached look. In this state, the microsurface of the enamel is at its most fragile state. Nature has given us all a certain thickness of enamel to last a lifetime. Don't wear yours away too quickly. Your teeth can stay their whitest by regularly flossing, brushing and rinsing with remineralizing, commercially-available toothpastes and mouth rinses, and seeing your dentist and hygienist at least every six months to use their whitening powers.

                 

May you have many…nonacidified, luminous, enamelly-rich… smiles!