Safe Ways to Whiten Your Teeth at Home
One of the most prevalent beauty standards in society today is perfect teeth. If you pick up a magazine, every person in there will have white, straight teeth. Unfortunately, getting your teeth professionally whitened can be expensive. People have started to whiten their teeth at home to prevent this cost, but it’s important to consider the health of your teeth too.
Peroxide Whitening
Perhaps the most common form of at-home whitening is rinsing with hydrogen peroxide. This compound contains natural bleaching agents that can kill bacteria that cause yellowness on your smile, leaving your teeth white and clean afterwards. This method is so reliable that many popular toothpaste brands have peroxide in their products as a whitening agent. It has been proven in studies to work over time to both clean and whiten teeth. However, before you use anything to whiten your teeth, you should consider how it will affect them over time.
You may be asking yourself the common question: is hydrogen peroxide safe for teeth? The short answer is possibly. While small concentrations of peroxide, such as in toothpaste, won’t damage your mouth, using a higher application of peroxide on a more regular basis can eventually lead to irritation and potential sensitivity to your teeth. Because of these concerns, it’s important to dilute your peroxide anytime you use it. Make sure you either mix it with water to rinse or make a slurry with baking soda to prevent damage to your mouth. Keeping an equal ratio of peroxide to other compounds when you use it will help keep your teeth healthy while also giving you the benefits peroxide offers.
Oil Pulling
Another remedy that has been used for centuries is oil pulling. First used in India, this method of cleansing involves swishing oil such as coconut, sesame, or sunflower in your mouth to remove bacteria and purify the body. Traditionally, the people of India believed this cleansed negativity from their emotions, spirits, and bodies, but science knows now that it removes plaque, gingivitis, inflammation, and other unhealthy bacteria.
While this method hasn’t been scientifically proven to whiten teeth, many people swear that it has worked for them when they do it regularly. This method is safe for your teeth, as it doesn’t expose them to harsh acids or chemicals. Because of this safety, you can practice oil pulling daily or weekly as you feel you need to without worrying over the health of your mouth. To oil pull, grab a spoonful of coconut or sunflower oil and swirl it around your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes. Once you’re done, your teeth should feel cleaner and have less plaque residue on them. Practicing this ancient method might not align your emotions, but it can help you keep your mouth healthy and balanced.
Dietary Changes
By far, the safest and most lasting thing you can do to protect your teeth is make healthy choices when it comes to your meals. In addition to making your entire body healthier and more able to fight off bad bacteria, maintaining a diet that’s high in fruits and vegetables can also help protect your teeth. While it doesn’t take the substitute of regular brushing, eating crunchy fruits and veggies, such as apples, carrots, or celery, can help to naturally scrub things like plaque or other food build up off of your teeth.
While adding healthy things to your diet can help prevent staining to your teeth, reducing the amount of certain other things will also have a marked effect on keeping your teeth white. Drinks such as coffee, red wine, dark soda, and dark berry smoothies can stain your teeth when consumed regularly. While these are all enjoyable and perfectly finer in moderation, having them too often can contribute to staining. To prevent this, brush your teeth directly after having one or try to reduce how often you have them. By making sure what you put in your body is conducive to your oral health, you can prevent staining to your teeth before it even happens.
