A whiter smile is often sought after, and for good reason, since having a brilliantly white smile has been tied to large improvements in self-confidence, and can sometimes be the driving force behind someone committing to take better care of their smile and improve their oral health. With the potential life-changing effects, many have searched for ways to whiten their smile as fast as possible, experimenting with new and creative ways to lift stains from their teeth. Unfortunately, no matter how creative they are, many of the solutions out there that claim to whiten your smile through strange means can actually end up causing more damage to your smile, while not making a difference in their appearance.
Here at Gentle Smiles Of Colorado, we want you to have that perfectly radiant smile that you’ve always dreamt amount, but the last thing that we want is for you to put your smile at great risk in order to get it. That’s why we’ve put together this list of “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for teeth whitening.
Teeth Whitening Methods To Avoid
Most of these teeth whitening methods started in a small corner of the internet and spread like wildfire through social media. Unfortunately, these methods are not effective at whitening teeth, but have deceived many into believing that they are. This is because the result is what appears to be whiter teeth, but is simply the after-effect of them wearing down their tooth enamel and damaging their smile.
Brushing With Charcoal
You may be thinking to yourself and asking, “Isn't charcoal black? How is going to whiten my teeth?”, and we’d say that yes, it is black and unfortunately it doesn’t whiten your teeth at all. The claim that this method whitens teeth is based on the “activated” part of the activated charcoal. Charcoal that has been activated simply means that it has been processed to have increased absorption and is most commonly used to absorb toxins from the body in cases of poisoning or drug overdose. Then, someone tried to use that idea of absorbing toxins to try to whiten their teeth, claiming that the charcoal powder would absorb stains and bacteria just like it would with toxins and other chemicals.
Since the charcoal doesn’t remove stains, what does it do? Well, that charcoal powder is an abrasive substance, meaning that when you brush with it, it will scratch and wear away your tooth enamel. This process can be deceptive, since that aggressive abrasive powder can clear away surface stains, but you’re also losing valuable layers of your enamel at the same time, which could expose the sensitive layers underneath, which actually have a yellowish appearance, leaving you worse off than when you started.
Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is actually a practice that dates back to ancient India, which involves putting a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swishing it around your teeth for up to 20 minutes in one session. The idea is that the oil will “pull” harmful chemicals and bacteria away from your teeth, gums, and other parts of your mouth, which has led many to claim that oil pulling can improve oral health, prevent the development of cavities, and even lift stains to whiten teeth.
Unfortunately, oil pulling does not have enough data behind it to support the claim that it can whiten teeth or even fight oral health problems. While this method has not been completely disproven to be effective at whitening teeth, it’s lack of evidence supporting the claim means that you probably shouldn’t rely on it if you’re really trying to get a whiter smile. The good news is that oil pulling is not harmful, so if you want to try it out, you can give it a go without worrying about damaging your smile.
Strawberries & Baking Soda
The idea of mashing up strawberries, mixing it with baking soda, and then brushing your teeth with the remaining makeshift paste sounds like an idea that was born on the internet right? If that’s what you though too, you’d be absolutely correct. This wacky and tasty-sounding tooth whitening method claims that the malic acid in strawberries can lift stains from your teeth, with the baking soda enhancing that acid’s effectiveness. Unfortunately, in a study performed on this method back in 2015, it showed that the mixture did not lift stains, but only cleared away some surface debris and bacteria on the teeth. Unfortunately that positive result was probably thanks to the abrasiveness of the baking soda and the toothbrush, and not the yummy strawberries that were mashed and completely wasted.
Teeth Whitening Methods That Work
Now that we’ve covered the teeth whitening methods that you should avoid, it’s finally time to look at the things you can do that actually work. All of these options are just as easy and convenient as all those other strange whitening methods that claim to be faster and simpler, and the best part is that you get actual, reliable results instead of a smile covered with strawberries, charcoal, or oil.
Whitening Toothpastes & Rinses
There are many types of toothpastes and mouthwash available that can help whiten your teeth. The key ingredient in these oral hygiene products is hydrogen peroxide, which is a special chemical that can penetrate your tooth enamel and clear away staining, without causing any damage to the enamel itself. Whitening toothpastes and rinses have very low dose of hydrogen peroxide in them to make them safe for daily use, but this also means that the whitening process can be very slow. However, whitening your teeth over time just by brushing your teeth and rinsing every day is better than doing nothing, and you could start seeing a difference in the whiteness of your smile after a few months.
Professional Teeth Whitening
By far, the best way to get a whiter smile in a short amount of time is through a professional teeth whitening with your dentist. Your dentist is not only an experienced professional when it comes to caring for smiles, but they are also trained and certified to use clinical strength ingredients that are designed to effectively whiten teeth much faster compared to other at-home whitening products. At Gentle Smiles of Colorado, we offer a variety of teeth whitening solutions so that patients can get their radiant smile in a way that best suits their lifestyle. We have in-office whitening, which uses a special gel that is light-activated to eliminate stains in just one session, or an at-home option in the form of take home trays with a whitening solution you can apply yourself. In no time, you’ll have that brilliantly white smile that you were dreaming of!
Contact Us To Get Your Whiter Smile!
If you want to whiten your smile the right way, just contact us at Gentle Smiles of Colorado to schedule your appointment for a professional teeth whitening. For years, Dr. Timothy J. Wachuta, Dr. Kelsey Appleby, and our dental staff have been providing professional dental care to the families of Denver, Golden, Wheat Ridge, and the surrounding communities, from simple dental check ups to smile transformations with teeth whitening. With three local offices, the path to your brighter, whiter smile is always close to home. We look forward to seeing you in our office soon!