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Tooth whitening may be a cosmetic dental procedure, but it is just as important as any aspect of oral health. Improving the way your teeth look is essential in making you feel comfortable and confident. It helps you feel good about yourself.
With whiter teeth, you will not only feel and look younger, but you will also be more motivated in practicing good oral hygiene. And proper oral care can result in improved overall health.
However, getting healthy, white teeth is not easy with all the temptation around you. The food that you eat and your choice of drink can affect your teeth color. If you like drinking coffee, tea, or wine, your teeth will easily turn yellow. Other teeth-staining drinks include energy drinks, dark soda, and fruit juice. Curry, tomato-based sauces, and dark berries can also stain your teeth.
There are numerous teeth whitening products available, and your dentist can recommend procedures for removing or reducing teeth discoloration and getting whiter teeth, but these can be too expensive for you. So, your best option would be to change your diet by removing teeth-staining food and replacing these with those that whiten the teeth.
Food that Naturally Whitens Teeth
Here are some examples of food that can naturally whiten the teeth.
1. Strawberries
The malic acid in strawberries helps remove discoloration on the tooth’s surface. This natural astringent is found in a variety of toothpaste and some wines. You can pair it with baking soda and use it to brush your teeth.
Crush several strawberries (two or three, ideally) in a clean bowl and then put in a small amount of baking soda, just a pinch – and mix. Put the mix on your toothbrush, brush your teeth, and rinse with water. Don’t forget to gargle with mouthwash as malic acid can affect the enamel. Don’t do this every day, though; just once every four months.
2. Milk and Other Dairy Products
Milk has lactic acid that helps lighten discolored enamel. It also has calcium, which is good not only for the bones but for the teeth as well. Calcium makes your teeth stronger as it also whitens them.
Additionally, lactic acid can help produce saliva, which is essential for removing bacteria that can cause cavities. Milk contains casein as well, which can remove stains.
Aside from drinking milk, eating yogurt and cheese may also help whiten your teeth. If you can, choose low-fat cheese. The calcium, phosphorus, and protein in cheese act as a shield against mouth acids, and calcium and phosphorus may also help restore the mineral in your teeth.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli florets are the flowers at the end of the broccoli without the stock and cut into tiny pieces. These florets are highly nutritious and can clean your teeth the way a toothbrush does. Its effect is almost like scrubbing your teeth and removing dirt from them.
Its iron content is known to block off and prevent acid erosion, stains, and harmful bacteria.
Choose to eat your broccoli raw, but if you cannot take it this way, you can cook or boil it. Add flavor by sprinkling some salt and pepper and putting in garlic and olive oil. You can also add some lemon juice to enhance the taste.
4. Apples
Like broccoli, apples are said to have a scrubbing effect on your teeth when you chew them. They also contain malic acid, like strawberries.
Cut your apple into smaller pieces and eat them as is. You can also mix them with your salad or yogurt.
5. Cauliflower
Food like cauliflower needs to be properly chewed, which means breaking it down can take time. But this is good for your teeth and oral health because the longer you chew on cauliflower, the more saliva it produces. Saliva cleanses the teeth naturally and removes bad-smelling bacteria.
You can enjoy cauliflower the same way you do your broccoli – raw or cooked. You can also prepare cauliflower rice: remove the stalks and leaves from the cauliflower head, cut the vegetable into florets and put them inside the processor. Using the pulse button, grind or shred the cauliflower until they become rice-like, and then prepare to cook your healthy meal.
6. Pineapple
Pineapples contain bromelain, an enzyme that is found in the plant’s stem. It helps remove stain naturally and plaque on the teeth surface. Bromelain’s cleansing properties are essential for whitening your teeth. This enzyme can protect your teeth from salivary proteins, which may protect the teeth but can stain them as well by absorbing food pigments.
Take your pineapples as is, sliced and juicy. You can also add them to some dishes. Grilled pineapple slices are also a good, tasty idea.
7. Basil Leaves
Natural antibiotic basil helps reduce plaque, and its leaves have natural, strong whitening and bleaching characteristics. The leaves are good protection against staining caused by certain drinks and food.
Create toothpaste made of basil leaves by drying and then crushing or grinding them. Add your basil leaves to your toothpaste and brush your teeth with the mix twice a day.
8. Celery
Like apples, celery increases the production of saliva, which is in itself a cleaning agent. And like broccoli and cauliflower, its crunch can scrub your teeth clean. Celery is also rich in nutrients and has low caloric content. It is not only a natural stain remover; it can also keep your gums and teeth clean and healthy.
9. Orange Peels
Orange is acidic, but its peels are not. Orange peels are rich in variants of vitamin C and can be used to whiten teeth.
Before rubbing the inner, white part of the peel onto your teeth’s surface, make sure it is thoroughly clean.
How Long Will It Take Before the Effects Become Visible?
While there has been no concrete proof, research, or studies that specify when the effects of these teeth whiteners become visible, it can take quite a while before your teeth lighten as natural solutions typically work that way. They are not quick-fix remedies, so you have to use them as regularly as allowed.
How long it will take for you to see results will also depend on the severity of your problem. Have you had stained teeth for years? What is your teeth’s original color? How stained are your teeth? If you have a significant stain or stained teeth for years, the results can take longer to show.
If you regularly eat stain-causing food, the results will take longer as well.
Eating these natural teeth whiteners will not be enough; you must follow good oral health practices diligently, too. Brush your teeth at least two times a day, floss and gargle daily, and visit your dentist regularly.
