Want Whiter Teeth? 4 Remedies to Restore Your Smile

White teeth can improve your smile and self-confidence, but a white smile can be hard to maintain. Here are four ways you can combat stains and yellowing for a bright, beautiful smile, even if you aren’t ready to give up your morning coffee or lunchtime Diet Coke.


At-Home
These whitening solutions can brighten your smile in minutes. Even better, you can whip them up in your own bathroom or kitchen.

1. Over-the-Counter Whiteners
You’ll find a wide range of bleaching products in the toothpaste aisle of your local grocery store. These over-the-counter whiteners can effectively remove or disguise surface stains on your teeth.
Here are some of your options:

• Toothpaste: Read the ingredients on your chosen whitening toothpaste. Some whitening toothpastes use an ingredient call blue covarine to create the illusion of whiter teeth. These pastes work quickly, but don’t actually remove surface stains. Most ADA approved whitening pastes remove dimming particles using abrasion. These toothpastes can take a little longer to produce results because they polish your teeth without bleaching them.
  

• Strips: Whitening strips use peroxide gel to bleach your teeth. Lay the strips over clean teeth for 30 minutes every day and you should see results within two weeks.
  

• Trays: Trays use either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide gel. Add a pea-sized drop of gel in the tray and wear it for 30 to 60 minutes for hydrogen peroxide and 2 to 4 hours for carbamide peroxide. You’ll begin to see results in a week or two.
  

• Pens: You can spot-check your teeth with whitening pens. Be careful when using this method as pens do not effectively change the color of the sides of your teeth and uneven coats may create new discoloration.
  

Exercise moderation with store-bought whiteners. While you’ll likely see results, individuals who compulsively whiten with these harsh bleaching agents damage their tooth enamel. This can counteract your efforts by making your teeth too sensitive to whiten or turning them a translucent blue-gray color.

2. Natural Solutions
Just like what you eat and drink can stain your teeth, natural foods can make your teeth whiter and brighter. Try these natural solutions to whiten your teeth over time:

• Drink a glass of water after a beverage that’s notorious for dimming your pearly whites (like coffee and red wine).
  

• Swish coconut oil through your teeth for several minutes after brushing or apply some of the oil to a clean washcloth and daub it on your teeth.
  

• Brush with Apple Cider Vinegar before brushing with your regular toothpaste.
  

• Rub your teeth with lemon or orange peel (just be sure to rinse afterward as acidic foods can eat away at your enamel).
  

• Apply freshly mashed strawberries to your teeth. Rumor has it that Catherine Zeta Jones uses this method to keep her signature smile sparkling white.
  

In Your Dentist’s Office
If you aren’t seeing the results you want at home, talk to your dentist about these professional whitening options.

3. Take-Home Whiteners
High-grade take-home whiteners may help if you haven’t had any luck with home solutions. Your dentist can prescribe bleaching strips or trays that use high quality whitening agents.

These professional whiteners may be more effective because they are tailor-made for your mouth. Over the counter whitening tray kits include one-size-fits all trays, which may prove inefficient or uncomfortable to wear. But your dentist can create a whitening mold that fits your teeth perfectly, which you’ll be able to use for the rest of your life.

4. Laser Treatments
Many dental offices, like Sierra Dental, a Calgary dentist office, use concentrated light to perform quick, effective whitening treatments. First, your dentist spreads a peroxide gel on the surface of your teeth. Then, lasers are used to break down the gel, allowing oxygen to penetrate the surface of your teeth, removing stains.

Whitening treatments usually require several short appointments to complete. You will see the fastest and most dramatic results from these professional bleaching treatments. While over-the-counter solutions can lighten your teeth by five shades, dental treatments may make your teeth up to 12 shades brighter.
Be sure to let your dentist know if you experience any changes in tooth sensitivity over the course of your treatment, as this may indicate deterioration of your tooth enamel.

Whether you’d rather consult with your dentist or whip up a whitening solution at home, it’s simple to find an option that works for you. These whitening methods can restore your pearly whites to their ideal shade, keeping your smile as big, bright, and beautiful as it’s ever been.

(Contributed by Lizzie Weakley)

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