Try These Teeth Whitening Remedies for a Brighter Smile
Your smile is one of the first things people notice, so it’s understandable why you want it to be bright and healthy. Whiter teeth make us look healthier and even happier since having white teeth makes us more likely to smile. Wondering how to whiten your teeth easily and effectively? We’ve got you covered with these ten teeth whitening remedies that suit a range of budgets. Let’s get into it.
1. Get Your Teeth Professionally Whitened
Having your teeth whitened professionally by a dentist is probably the most effective whitening method, although it’s not the cheapest. If you’re looking for long-lasting, super-white results and you’re willing to invest financially in the future of your teeth, professional whitening can be the best choice.
If you’re looking for an affordable option, try one of the home remedies from our list, instead.
2. Use Whitening Strips
Whitening strips, such as those offered by brands like Crest, promise a cheap and simple way to whiten your teeth from the comfort of your own home.
While they vary in effectiveness (and the more effective ones can cost more), whitening strips do a good job of removing stains and brightening the overall appearance of your teeth. The best part? You don’t even have to leave your couch to use them!
3. Brush Your Teeth with Baking Soda
Baking soda gently helps to remove stains from your teeth and clean them, making them appear whiter. If you’re looking for a cheap home remedy, brushing your teeth with baking soda is a great idea.
You can make homemade toothpaste using baking soda and a small amount of hydrogen peroxide and brush using this mix a couple of times weekly. This mix, however, doesn’t contain fluoride. Don’t use baking soda as a replacement for regular toothpaste as it won’t clean your teeth thoroughly enough.
4. Invest in Oral Care
One of the most effective ways to ensure your teeth stay white is to simply look after them. Brush and floss twice a day, every day. You should brush for two minutes each time and use an electric toothbrush for the best results. For teeth that are healthy as well as bright and white, oral care is one of the most effective teeth whitening remedies.
5. Try Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is one of the lesser-known teeth whitening remedies. It's also easy to do! Oil pulling involves putting around one tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swishing it around for 15-20 minutes before spitting it out and rinsing.
6. Purchase Whitening Trays
Professional whitening trays are some of the most effective teeth whitening remedies. Custom teeth whitening trays can be purchased from dentists. They’re molded to your teeth, and then you place them on your teeth daily with specialist whitening serum in the tray.
Whitening trays aren’t the cheapest option, but they’re one of the best at actually making your teeth a few shades whiter.
7. Use Whitening Toothpaste
Whitening toothpaste is available at lots of drugstores from popular brands such as Colgate and Crest. Whitening toothpaste helps lift stains from your teeth, resulting in a whiter and brighter smile.
It’s one of the cheapest options for whitening on the market, coming in at only a few bucks. You can use whitening toothpaste as often as you like. Make sure the option you buy contains other ingredients necessary for clean teeth, such as fluoride.
8. Avoid Smoking and Teeth-Staining Foods
As they say, prevention is better than cure, and one of the key teeth whitening remedies is to make sure they don’t get stained in the first place.
Avoid smoking, which is one of the leading causes of yellow teeth. Sadly, other foods are known for staining teeth, such as sugar, tea, coffee and red wine. Many of these drinks should be avoided for general health reasons, and lowering cancer risks.
If you can’t go without your daily cup of joe, sip your coffee or tea through a straw instead. Keep sugar to a minimum. Consuming less of it will reduce stains on your teeth, but it’s healthier to avoid too.
9. Use Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal toothpaste does a great job of removing yellow and brown stains from the surface of your teeth, making them appear whiter. You can easily find activated charcoal whitening products both in physical drugstores and online.
10. Do an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
Apple cider vinegar is known for its myriad of health benefits, one of which is whitening teeth. You can rinse out your mouth using apple cider vinegar as long as it’s watered down. Do this sparingly; too much acid can damage the surface of your enamel.
You can choose one or a combination of these teeth whitening remedies to remove stains and whiten your teeth, resulting in an all-around brighter smile.