Laughter is the best medicine—the only problem being it shows our teeth in true colors. Here are five natural tricks to keep that smile gleaming and beautiful.
When it comes to teeth it’s simple common sense: if it can stain your tee, it can stain your teeth. The rather long list of things that can stain your pearly whites include wine, coffee, colas, tomato sauce (yeah, really), and of course, that nasty cigarette habit. In an article by NBC News as stated by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, whitening teeth is the number one requested dental cosmetic procedure in America, with anyone from a college student to grannies wanting to get that gleaming Hollywood smile.
OTC TLC For Teeth
Experts believe using OTC whitening kits and whiteners may not give you a Catherine Zeta Jones smile but is unlikely to turn your teeth black either for the chemicals in them are mostly safe, and unlikely to be at harmful levels. Still, it’s good to remember that these whiteners contain bleaching agents and using them too often can slough off the enamel, leaving your teeth prone to sensitivity (and not particularly gleaming, either).
The solution? Choose Ayurveda’s approach instead.
Go the Ayurvedic way to keep that smile gleaming and white! You can avoid expensive storebought whiteners and also trust you're using a gentler approach on your sensitive enamel.
1. Go Crunch
No, we do not mean chips. Crunchy veggies and fruits like apples, pears, celery, and carrots are nature’s abrasives so they have the ability to scrub your teeth clean. They also make your mouth produce more saliva, which in turn flushes bacteria away. Since you cannot brush after every meal, try biting into nature’s crispness post-meal to ensure your pearly whites remain gleaming!
2. Try The Baking Soda Way
This grandma-recommended remedy actually works—mix baking soda and lemon juice into a runny paste and let it sit on your toothbrush for a minute or so. Then gently brush your teeth with it and rinse off as usual for a quick remedy to whitening teeth. Don’t do this more than once a week, lest you damage the enamel on your teeth—it does not grow back!
3. Hurry, Hurry Strawberry
While eating strawberries is awesome (especially when dipped in chocolate!) and reminiscent of epicurean delights, brushing your teeth with strawberry pulp can whiten them too. The whitening happens because of the malic acid found in these berries while the high vitamin C content targets and eliminates plaque. Once a week is good—and this treatment tastes great, too.
4. Coconut Oil Works
While swishing your mouth with coconut oil may not sound very good (and frankly, it does taste yucky), it does work as a great trick to whiten teeth. And it’s based in Ayurveda too. Rinsing or swishing your mouth with coconut or even safflower oil for 5 to 20 minutes (yep, minutes, not seconds!) apparently makes all the bacteria and plaque between your teeth stick to the oil—and when you spit that oil out, all of these cavity- and stain-causing problems get spat out too.
5. You Can Always Trust The Ultimate, Apple Cider Vinegar
All you have to do with apple cider vinegar is to dip a finger in and then rub it all over your teeth (don’t brush, lest you damage tooth enamel). Apple cider vinegar contains plenty beneficial compounds like acetic acid, potassium, and enzymes which eliminate harmful bacteria but keep the healthy bacteria unharmed. Also, its natural acids break down and remove plaque and other stains on your teeth.
As with every dental issue, good oral hygiene can nip any problem in the bud—remember to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss everyday too. And check out these herbs that can prevent decay too. Happy smiling…
