Teeth Whitening Home Remedies

A Brief History of teeth Whitening

Wanting to have a brilliant set of pearly whites is by no means a modern phenomenon. The first example of whitening teeth for aesthetic purposes is probably found in Ancient Egyptian culture, circa 2000 BC. They made use of a rudimentary toothpaste consisting of powdered pumice stone and wine vinegar, brushed on using a crude type of toothbrush. The pumice acted as a scrubbing agent, whilst the acidity of the wine vinegar performed the bleaching. As rough as this sounds, it is still more civilized than the practice employed by the Romans of using human urine as a teeth whitener. The ammonia in the urine did actually help to whiten the enamel, but this is not highly recommended, due to obvious health, culture and social issues. This practice was actually carried out in certain parts of the world until the 18th century!

Prior to the 18th century in Europe, there was the practice of applying nitric acid - a highly corrosive substance. It worked, but also destroyed the enamel, resulting in some severe examples of tooth decay. During the 19th and Early parts of the 20th century, fluoride was believed to be an asset in delivering whiter teeth. It was sometimes even taken in the form of honey-sweetened, fluoride lozenges. Today, although fluoride has shown some promise in preventing tooth decay, it does not contribute in anyway towards a whiter shade in the enamel. In fact, ingesting excess fluoride can actually cause stains and discoloration.

Do it yourself Teeth Whitening Practices used Today

Strawberries:

The method of applying a paste made from crushed strawberries to help whiten teeth has gained some level of popularity in recent times. In effect this will produce a whiter appearance of the teeth in the short term. The problem is that the whitening effect is caused by the acid in the strawberries breaking down the calcium and thus compromising the enamel. Not a great long term solution. Although the consumption of any kind of fruit is highly recommended, the application of fruit acid to the teeth for an extended period will compromise the initial intent.

Lemon Juice:

Lemon juice (or any citric acid) is actually more severe than using a milder fruit such as strawberries. It is a very strong whitener, stain remover and cleaning agent. It is used to clean grill plates and oven tops in some commercial kitchens! An initial increase in the white appearance of the tooth will eventually lead to the tooth enamel being compromised and the incidence of decay is increased.

Baking Soda or Salt:

These substances can actually help to remove stains from the teeth due to their abrasiveness. They won't actually contribute to any whitening or bleaching of the tooth enamel itself. This can be a double edged sword though. By the scrubbing action on the enamel, it is possible to to actually make the surface of the tooth rougher and so enable stains to more easily adhere to the enamel in the future. This will make the removal of future stains more difficult resulting in harsher scrubbing, a rougher tooth surface etc. This practice should therefore be done sparingly and a better solution would be to get a dentist to perform micro-abrasion.

Hydrogen Peroxide as a Rinse

This is a highly dangerous practice which will contribute to a more brilliant smile, but will also do major damage to the tissue lining your mouth if used for any length of time. This is why peroxide treatments whether bought over the counter or applied by a dentist are only applied to the teeth directly.

The bottom line - what you can do to help your teeth stay beautiful!

• Avoid, or a least reduce the consumption of coffee, tea, cola, red wine and tobacco
• If possible, try to brush your teeth after every meal.. Brushing can remove most of the plaque, which holds stains. Do not OVER brush, it weakens the enamel
• Rinsing with a commercial mouth wash or warm salted water also helps in the prevention of stains. Be careful of OVER using alcohol based mouth washes - especially if you smoke or are a heavy drinker.
• Chew gum. It helps to clean the teeth by removing the debris, and it also stimulates the production of saliva, which has the ability to neutralize acid and re-mineralize the enamel,
• Consume more crunchy fruits and vegetables such as apples carrots, and celery. Teeth benefit from the gentle rubbing actions that occur when eating these.