Tips for Getting Whiter Teeth

June 15, 2021, dentaltown

Pulling out a great smile is crucial in making a perfect impression. Just like anything else, teeth wear and tear, such as discoloring and stains. When this happens, a person's self-esteem may be negatively affected as one is not contented with their smile. The primary cause of teeth stains is the diet and poor oral health and practices.
The majority go to greater lengths to restore the perfect smile by using the Snow teeth whitening kits to whiten their teeth. Modern dentistry provides self-care and treatment methods to achieve white teeth. blogs Natural remedies provide quick and safe ways of getting whiter teeth as well.
Here are ways that you can adopt to restore the perfect white teeth.
Brush your teeth regularly.
Brushing your teeth after every meal is the surest way to maintain the white glamour of your teeth. The type of diet is the number one contributor to stained teeth. After meals, brushing teeth eliminate any food particles stuck in your teeth that may otherwise cause teeth stains and discoloring.
It is also advisable to use tooth-whitening toothpaste while brushing your teeth. This kind of paste not only remove the surface stains but also have mild abrasives to help get rid of tough stains. Teeth-whitening toothpaste does not have bleach hence have no negative side effects and can restore your teeth whiteness by about one shade.
Maintaining excellent dental hygiene is the surest way to have or restore the teeth' perfect white color.
Oil pulling
Oil pulling is one of the most natural remedies of whitening your teeth originating from ancient Indian practices. Oil pulling involves mouth washing using the oil.
This practice removes dirt, bacteria, and food debris that may be clogged in between teeth. By eliminating/reducing the harmful bacteria in your mouth, chances of plaque forming on your teeth are also reduced. Severe plaques are responsible for cavities, gingivitis, foul breath, among other negative effects.
Oil pulling is incredibly easy. You rinse your mouth with oil after brushing then spit it out. The exercise can work with almost any kind of oil, but the most recommended types are sunflower, coconut, and sesame oil.
Making dietary changes
Foods such as red wine, coffee, and tea contain tannins that severely stain your teeth. Acidic food such as soda and citric fruits wears the enamel down, causing teeth-yellowing. Brushing teeth after having such foods is highly recommended to reduce the risk of staining.
However, for acidic foods, brushing too soon after having them may damage the enamel. Dentists recommend waiting about half an hour after taking them to brush.
Alternatively, mouth washing with water after taking dark foods will immensely help before you brush properly later on.
Tobacco contains tar that is a leading cause of teeth stains. Abandoning the smoking habit altogether will save you the risk of stained and discolored teeth.
Diets for whiter teeth
First and foremost, a healthy diet ensures the body is supplied with appropriate minerals and vitamins. Consequently, one will achieve healthy, white teeth. Some diets, more so fruits, contribute to whitening your teeth. This diet is normally referred to as a white diet. Here’s a list of white diet that you can adopt for whiter teeth.
Water
Drinking plenty of water will help rinse food debris in your teeth. Also, water helps in saliva production that suppresses bacterial growth.
Apples
Eating apples helps scrap teeth and clean off debris. Apples contain malic acid that aids in the secretion of saliva.  Malic acid is also found in strawberries. Saliva is the mouth’s self-cleaning agent and suppresses bacterial growth.
Broccoli
Broccoli’s abrasive nature helps in scrubbing your teeth. Broccoli has got fiber, which is a source of iron that protects the enamel.
Pineapple
They contain bromelain, which prevents gum inflammatory and has cleaning properties that are useful for your teeth.
Dairy products
Milk products contain lactic acid and calcium. Calcium strengthens the teeth while lactic acid whitens them due to its mild bleaching properties. Chewing cheese rids off food particles stuck on teeth and promotes saliva production.
Brush the teeth with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda paste
Teeth-whitening procedures are often expensive and out of reach for the majority of the citizenry. Using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste is the most common DIY natural remedy for whitening your teeth. It’s quite cheap too. There has been intensive scientific research looking into how hydrogen peroxide will help whiten your teeth. Baking soda’s alkalinity and mild abrasiveness help prevent teeth discoloration and remove teeth plaque, respectively. Baking soda fights bacteria as well and therefore prevents plaque formation and decay.
Hydrogen peroxide has mild bleaching properties and can get rid of stains in your teeth.
For a perfect desired outcome, mix a tablespoonful of baking soda and a half spoonful hydrogen peroxide. Harmoniously stir using your finger to form some paste. Use this paste to brush your teeth for about three minutes, and then rinse with a lot of water. 
The desired whitening may not be instant, and the brushing with this paste should be done consistently for at least once a week until you achieve the desired whitening effect.
Brushing your teeth with turmeric
Turmeric use is another cheap and natural way to restore a bright smile. While no scientific studies explain its ability as a teeth whitener, turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial herb. It comes in handy in-home dental care. Brushing with turmeric is a safe means for whitening your teeth.
You can easily make a turmeric paste at home. To do this, take the desired amount of turmeric powder and half the amount of melted coconut oil and mix them. Coconut oil helps in making turmeric stick in your teeth. Turmeric affects yellowing your toothbrush. It would be best if you did not worry as it is the effect on your teeth.
Alternatively, you can get some turmeric-based commercially made toothpaste. However, it is advisable to use the homemade paste as turmeric concentration is more in the powder than in those commercial pastes.
Brushing with Neem tree leaves
Neem is a naturally occurring herb with a history of medical care, especially in India. Neem has anti-microbial and anti-bacterial constituents. Neem leaves, therefore, come in handy in dental care by fighting bacteria. It has healing properties and therefore treats swollen gum. Neem hinders plaque formation, ultimately giving you whiter teeth.
Also, neem leaves contain neem oil that also washes off bacteria and treats teeth plaque.
To use neem twig as a toothbrush, chew the end of the desired size of neem stick to about half an inch until you achieve shredded bristles.  Use the twig to rub your teeth gently.
Like any other natural means of teeth whitening, the use of neem doesn't bring about an instant whitening effect. Therefore, it is advisable to use it consistently until you can start to see the effect you so wish.
Use straw
Some fluids such as fruit juices, coffee and tea, and other beverages can severely stain your teeth. While it may be impossible to quit these drinks, using a straw may be a better way to protect yourself from the detrimental effect they cause to your teeth.
Reduce staining effect is achieved by reducing your teeth exposed to the beverage and therefore reduced staining.
Straw use also reduces cavities formation caused by the highly sugary and acidic beverages.
Floss
Teeth brushing alone are not an independently adequate means of dental care. Dental flossing complements teeth brushing to prevent teeth plaque formation and decay. Some food particles get stuck between the teeth and will not wash off by brushing. Flossing rids off the food particles between teeth that would otherwise attract bacterial growth.
To get the full benefit of flossing, you need to observe the following.
Floss first before brushing, so that food particles are adequately washed off your teeth. Second, use the right floss. 18to 24-inch floss will reach the back teeth without strain. Lastly, slide the floss up, down, and all-around your teeth surfaces, avoiding rough movements that would otherwise cause your gum to bleed.
Reduce sugar intake
Most harmful oral bacteria feed on the sugars we ingest. These bacteria facilitate the production of acids that damages the enamel and cause tooth decay in the longer run.
While it may be impossible to cut off this sugar diet, limiting their intake to mealtimes will significantly reduce acid damage, helping your teeth maintain the white glamour.
Here is what to consider or lookout to minimize the negative effect of sugar on your teeth. First, avoid eating or drinking them before bed. Secondly, rinse your mouth with water after taking sugary meals. Lastly, do not take sugary snacks or drinks in between meals. Alternatively, you could use a straw for drinking these liquids to reduce the teeth exposure.
Rub your teeth with Vaseline
We easily pick up teeth stains from our dietary such as wine and coffee. To protect your teeth from drinks-caused stains, rub a thin layer of Vaseline onto your teeth.
Vaseline will help prevent food particles from sticking on to your teeth. For ladies who use makeup, applying a thin layer of petroleum jelly helps prevent lipstick from sticking on your teeth, causing stains.
Vaseline, therefore, helps maintain moisturized and dazzling teeth all day so you can flash smiles without reservations.
Use clay
Clay is mildly abrasive while soft at the same time hence cannot damage your gum. Some clay types, such as white kaolin clay, have a cleaning ability while rubbed onto your teeth. The clay's abrasive and ability to remove stains make it an efficient and perfect natural remedy for whitening your teeth.
Activated charcoal
Activated charcoal is created by burning carbon-rich materials at high temperatures. Carbon-rich materials include coal, coconut shell, and wood. Chloride salts are added into the charcoal powder and mixed to create a porous structure.
There’s no enough scientific evidence or hypothesis that show how charcoal use helps in teeth whitening. However, there are proven and observable benefits to brushing your teeth with activated charcoal. Charcoal is abrasive, and due to its achieved porous nature, it will help absorb teeth's surface stains to some extent.
However, frequent use of activated charcoal can have a damaging effect on your teeth as it is too abrasive and can wear your enamel down. Therefore, it's advisable to use this technique cautiously and not as frequently as other natural means of teeth whitening.
Use apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar, AVC, is yet another perfect remedy to whiten your teeth. AVC contains acidity in its constituents that remove plaques and stains that threaten white and spotless teeth.
The bleaching ability of AVC exposes your teeth to potentially damaging effects too. The acidity level in AVC can potentially weaken your enamel increasing the chances of tooth cavities and decay. It's therefore advisable to use it cautiously and in limited amounts.
Combine strategies
When used independently, the above mention teeth whitening strategies may not be as effective as we desire. Using a combination of two or more of these strategies will help to increase the whitening efficiency.
Here are a few examples of combined strategies
Brushing your teeth with baking soda and clay powder
To benefit from both baking soda and clay powder's mild abrasiveness, make a mix of the two to form a paste.
Oil pulling and activated charcoal
Alternatively, you can add activated charcoal onto your pulling oil. The achieved effect is much advantageous as opposed to using each method independently.  The charcoal will absorb stains while oil dissolves and cleans off the stains.
Dental office treatment
Modern dental treatment procedures provide whitening solutions. These strategies applied by dentists are otherwise called in-office bleaching.
Dentists use professionally approved bleaches under strict procedures to rid of teeth stains. The whitening agent contains hydrogen peroxide, whose concentration will be determined by the extent of the patient's stains.
In some cases, a dentist may opt to use veneers. Veneers are thin porcelain wafers permanently mounted on the teeth surface to hide undesired characteristics such as discolored teeth andachieve the desired white color, shape, and size.
For severely damaged teeth, your dentist may recommend dental implants.
Wrap up
In conclusion, teeth whitening techniques range from simple and naturally occurring products such as oil to more sophisticated in-office procedures performed by dentists. Recent research has shown exponential growth in demand for teeth whitening market. The increased demand has been due to deteriorating dental health and mounting pressure for great aesthetics.
Before choosing any of the teeth whitening methods, it is advisable to consider factors such as availability and cost. Also, get to learn about possible side effects so you can make an informed decision.
It is also advisable to consult with your dentist to recommend the best method for whitening your teeth.

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