Smoking can severely stain your teeth. In fact, smokers have a much higher rate of discoloration (moderate to severe) than people who don't smoke. Tobacco causes yellow stains that are difficult to remove with just a toothbrush. This happens because the nicotine and tar found in cigarettes penetrate the tiny holes in the enamel. To keep your teeth white while smoking, it is necessary to intervene promptly to take care of their hygiene and also to commit to eliminating the stains that have now set.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Preventing Tobacco Stains
Step 1. Brush your teeth
Brushing your teeth is important to have proper oral hygiene in any case, but it is especially important for a smoker to keep them white. Wash them two or three times a day making sure you brush them for at least two minutes at a time. Use whitening toothpaste if you want to make them even whiter.
- Smokers tend to have less correct oral hygiene and are more prone to suffer from periodontal diseases. It is therefore important to make a commitment to keep your mouth healthy and to focus on this goal. In addition to reducing the risk of oral conditions such as periodontitis, brushing your teeth makes them whiter.
- Try to wash them immediately after smoking. This will quickly remove tar and other chemicals that have deposited on your teeth, preventing them from setting.
Step 2. Try using a toothpaste designed for smokers
In fact, there are toothpastes specially designed for people who smoke. They contain more abrasive ingredients (such as baking soda or aluminum oxide) than regular ones. This helps remove the tar and nicotine that have become attached to the teeth.
Since these toothpastes contain more abrasives, they can deteriorate the enamel sooner. If you are concerned about ruining it, try using this type of product only from time to time and continue to use your usual toothpaste regularly
Step 3. Use an anti-tar mouthwash designed for smokers
It is a specific product whose function is to reduce the tar and chemicals that remain in the mouth after smoking. This type of mouthwash is designed to be used every time you stop smoking a cigarette.
Using regular mouthwash won't keep your teeth white, but it will improve overall mouth health. Use it if you are unable to purchase a smoking mouthwash. Just make sure you pick one that actually has therapeutic properties for fighting gingivitis while also freshening your breath. Instead, avoid mouthwashes exclusively aimed at making your breath fresh. Distinguishing between the two products is easy: therapeutic mouthwashes contain fluoride and antimicrobial substances
Step 4. Use dental floss
It is important to floss before bed or after brushing your teeth. In addition to improving oral hygiene in general, it also helps remove nicotine and tar. This will reduce the risk of staining the areas between your teeth.
- Choose the dental floss you prefer. It doesn't matter what type of product you use: what matters is to use it correctly to clean the areas between the teeth.
- Floss once a day. It doesn't matter when, the important thing is to do it.
Step 5. Go to the dentist regularly
Smokers should go to the dentist more often than non-smokers. Consult your dentist to determine how often they think you should be examined.
- During routine visits, the dentist will clean your teeth thoroughly. This treatment should remove less noticeable spots and soften deeper ones.
- If you're interested, your dentist can also tell you about smoking, its consequences and how to quit. For example, it will explain the side effects it has on a person's oral hygiene.
Part 2 of 2: Remove Tobacco Stains
Step 1. Clean your teeth with baking soda
The taste of baking soda isn't the best, but you should try it for the sake of your teeth. Brushing them with baking soda will substantially affect the color of your teeth and make them whiter.
- How to do? Sprinkle baking soda on your toothbrush and brush your teeth as usual.
- Don't leave baking soda on your teeth for too long and don't brush them too hard. If the baking soda stays on your teeth for a long time or is rubbed too hard, you risk eroding the enamel, doing more harm than good.
Step 2. Use a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide
Pour a few drops of hydrogen peroxide over a handful of baking soda until you get a paste. Use it as if it were toothpaste. Hydrogen peroxide enhances the whitening properties of bicarbonate, thus offering a better result.
Since this mixture can be quite abrasive, it should only be used for a few days. Then, stop the treatment for several months. This will ensure you don't damage the enamel
Step 3. Use over-the-counter whitening products
The simplest to use is whitening toothpaste, which can be applied like regular toothpaste. However, there is a wide range of whitening products. They are typically available in the form of gels, strips or liquids to be applied with a mask. They are very effective in removing smoke stains.
Whitening gels and liquids should be used in moderation, while the strips can be applied regularly
Step 4. Try whitening your teeth with products you have at home
There are several natural products that are considered effective for making teeth white. Examples include banana peel, strawberries and apple cider vinegar. You can also do coconut oil rinses.
- Do you want to use strawberries? Take a handful and mash them, then mix them with baking soda. Apply the mixture as if it were toothpaste. This remedy can give good results thanks to the malic acid found in strawberries.
- Rub the inside of the banana peel on your teeth to whiten them. The inside of the peel contains minerals that are good for your teeth.
- Mix one part of apple cider vinegar with three parts of water, then add the mixture to your regular toothpaste. Brush your teeth as usual. The effectiveness of the toothpaste will become greater due to the whitening properties of apple cider vinegar.
- For coconut oil, measure a tablespoon of coconut oil and use it for rinses lasting up to 15 minutes. To get used to coconut oil, you may need to do shorter rinses at first. You also need to focus on making sure you don't ingest it. This process helps stimulate saliva production and eliminate bacteria from the mouth.
Step 5. Get professional whitening
This treatment is very effective in getting rid of stains. Cosmetic cleansing can remove more imperfections than normal scaling. It is possible to do it between one dental hygiene session and the next, but it should not be performed as a substitute for this treatment.
Professional whitening uses rather aggressive chemicals. After this treatment, the teeth will be particularly sensitive for some time
Step 6. Stop smoking
This is the most effective way to get rid of stains, but it is definitely not the simplest. If you stop smoking, the nicotine and tar stains should fade over time.
