Ways to Whiten Teeth at Home

We are all born with white and shiny teeth, but as we age our teeth becomes darker because of stains. Highly pigmented foods, drinks and cigarette smoking can heavily stained our teeth. Note that there is no totally white teeth because the natural color of our teeth is actually light yellow to light yellow-red. Common stains like coffee, tea, acidic juices and cigarette can be washed away with the following tips:

1. Cleanse after every meal – If you clean and floss your teeth regularly and conscientiously, you have less chance of keeping stains on your teeth.
2. Polish with baking soda – Mix baking soda with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a toothpaste.
3. Rise after every meal – After every meal, rinse the food from your teeth. If you can’t get to a restroom, pick up your water glass, take a swig the rinse and swallow at the table.
4. Use electric toothbrush – An electric toothbrush will push more of the stain-collecting plaque off your teeth. Studies show that an electric toothbrush can remove 98.2% of plaque.
5. Use mouthwash with antibacterial action - It may reduce stain-catching plaque.
6. Don’t buy super-whitening tooth polishes. It’s only a quick fix solution but it’s like an abrasive on a countertop. It takes off the stain, but it wears off the enamel, too. And as your enamel gets thinner, more of the dentin shows through. And dentin is darker, so it looks like your tooth is stained.
7. Watch out for excessive scrubbing – Harder doesn’t mean better. A heavy brush with lot of muscle behind it can be wearing on tooth enamel as an abrasive toothpaste.
8. Visit your dentist every 6 months. This way your dentist can remove hard to reach stains and plaque build up on your teeth.

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