Would you like your teeth to be whiter than a few shades? Teeth naturally yellow with age, but there are many ways to restore them to their original color. Read on for quick whitening techniques, long-term solutions, and habits that will help prevent blemishes.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Whiten Your Teeth Immediately
Step 1. Brush your teeth and floss
Brushing your teeth and flossing will remove any stains that have recently settled on your teeth. Use a whitening paste and brush your teeth thoroughly, focusing on the front, to remove the most noticeable stains.
Step 2. Drink some water
Filling your mouth with water as often as possible will help remove bits of food, sugars, and other residues that build up on your teeth throughout the day and make them more dull. If you need to make your teeth brighter right away, drink a glass of water and wash your mouth before swallowing.
Step 3. Eat an apple
When you bite into an apple your teeth will be brighter because you will remove the patina that makes them dull. Use your incisors to bite into the apple, sinking them all the way to the gums. This is a good technique to use if you are not at home and need to whiten your teeth quickly.
- This technique works best with a fresh, hard apple. Use a green apple instead of a soft, sugary apple.
- Celery and pears can also help whiten teeth. They produce a lot of saliva, which will wash away the stains and patina.
Step 4. Chew sugar-free whitening gum
Chew a few gum every day, it will remove bits of food from your teeth and temporarily whiten them.
Step 5. Do a peroxide rinse
Put a few tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide in a glass, pour it into your mouth and rinse for a minute. Spit into the sink and rinse with clean water.
- Alternatively, soak a cotton ball in the peroxide and rub it on your teeth, making sure they are completely covered. Let it sit for about a minute, then rinse your mouth with water.
- Do not swallow the peroxide. It is not dangerous to use peroxide on your teeth, but swallowing it could make you sick.
- This technique shouldn't be used often, as it can damage your teeth over time. Use it when you need to whiten your teeth quickly, but switch to less dangerous techniques in the long run.
Method 2 of 3: Long Term Whitening Techniques
Step 1. Use strips, gels or rinses to whiten your teeth
These whitening products are available in drugstores which contain small amounts of peroxide to make your teeth whiter. Follow the instructions for applying the strips or gel to your teeth. Rinses are usually used like mouthwashes. It will usually take several applications before seeing results.
- Whitening strips and gels are not recommended for people with gum or tooth problems. Talk to your dentist before using these products if you have any concerns.
- The whitening strips and gels are best suited to people with a yellowish tint to their teeth and do not necessarily help in the removal of darker stains.
Step 2. Use a whitening appliance
Whitening appliances, available in drugstores and dentists, use a slightly more aggressive approach to whitening teeth. A concentrated solution of peroxide is poured into the plastic appliance, which will need to be worn for several hours.
- You can use whitening appliances at night. You can keep using them every day for several weeks depending on how much you want to whiten your teeth.
- Dentists can offer you a whitening kit. In some cases, you may have custom made braces that will fit your teeth much better.
Step 3. Have your teeth whitened by a professional
Many dentists offer whitening treatments which are very effective in removing dark spots. This is the most expensive technique, but it is also the fastest and guarantees the best results.
- Lasers or heat are used to catalyze the action of the whitening solution.
- Depending on the extent of the spots, multiple visits to the dentist may be required, but each session will only last 30 minutes.
Method 3 of 3: Preventing Future Spots
Step 1. Stop smoking
Tobacco is one of the main causes of yellowing and stains on the teeth. The smoke fills the mouth and the chemicals adhere to the teeth. Try using a nicotine patch or e-cigarette to avoid staining your teeth with smoke.
Step 2. Drink less coffee, tea, and other dark drinks
Coffee and tea contain ingredients that stain the teeth. If you drink them every morning, they will eventually leave a mark. Try to reduce your consumption to just one serving, or remove them from your diet altogether.
- When drinking coffee or tea, brush your teeth to remove residue.
- If you don't have a toothbrush or sink at your disposal every time you drink coffee or yourself, drink a glass of water to rinse your mouth.
- Rinse your mouth after drinking fruit juice, wine and other alcoholic beverages.
Step 3. Eat fewer sweets
Eating a lot of sugars is not good for your teeth and gums because it leads to the accumulation of plaque and consequently to tooth decay and gingivitis. All of these factors will make your teeth more yellow, so avoid eating candy and drinking too many sugary drinks. When you eat sweets, brush your teeth or rinse your mouth with water immediately afterwards.
Step 4. Treat your tooth enamel
With age, tooth enamel begins to erode; as the underlying layer is not as bright, our teeth will take on a more yellow hue. When the enamel is no longer present it is difficult to regain the youthful shine. Whitening your teeth too often can cause them to turn bluish, so you can't rely on that solution forever. Prevent enamel erosion in the following ways:
- Limit acidic foods, such as sour candies.
- Treat acid reflux right away.
- Do not drink too much alcohol and do not follow other practices that can lead you to vomit excessively.
Advice
- Always carry a bottle of water with you to rinse your teeth whenever you want.
- Brush your teeth with whitening toothpaste at least twice a day.
- Every day when you brush your teeth, brush them with toothpaste first, then wet your toothbrush with boiling water and brush your teeth several times to amplify the cooling effect of the toothpaste.
- Don't eat too many sweets. When this happens, remember to brush your teeth immediately afterwards.
- Mix baking soda into your toothpaste or sprinkle it on your toothbrush before brushing your teeth.
