Whitening “Hacks:” Are They The Real Deal?
Spend much time on the internet and you’re going to stumble across some sort of advice for how to save money and get great results on something. Teeth whitening has fallen into this DIY scheme as well, and there are several methods that people advocate.
But are any of those treatments realistic? We’ve been performing professional
teeth whitening for a long time at our Valparaiso and St John offices, and
we’ve never been able to determine if teeth whitening hacks work.
So how about we go over the most common DIY teeth whitening hacks and see if
any of them hold up?
The Peroxide And Baking Soda Method
Most people have heard that baking soda can be a good product for cleaning your
teeth in a pinch, and plenty of people know that hydrogen peroxide is the only
real ingredient that works for whitening teeth. Combining them both into a
homemade toothpaste must work great, right?
Not so fast! While peroxide does whiten teeth it needs to be pretty strong to
do so, and the stuff in the bottle you have at home is only two percent. Most
whitening products are a minimum of five percent, and good results only start
coming in the ten percent or greater range. Peroxide also needs to be isolated
from your teeth to actually whiten – if it’s exposed to saliva it gets
neutralized almost instantly.
But what about baking soda? Sure, it’s a good substitute for toothpaste in a
pinch, but it’s not ideal for long-term use. Baking soda is really gritty, and
using it too much can actually damage your enamel and make you more susceptible
to cavities. We suggest ditching this method!
The Banana/Citrus Peel Method
Some people advocate for rubbing the inside of a banana or citrus fruit peel on
your teeth to get a whitening effect. Here’s where we start to get into
slightly odd territory, and territory that simply won’t provide any real
whitening results.
Banana peels are supposed to work because of the mildly gritty texture of the
inner peel, and the magnesium and potassium in the peel. It’s true that banana
peels will create a bit of a shine to your teeth because of these minerals, but
it won’t last more than a few minutes. You’ll get a nice brightening effect in
a hurry, but it won’t even last the day.
Citrus, on the other hand, is downright harmful to your teeth. Citrus fruit and
its peels contain a lot of acid, and nothing is worse for your teeth than
exposure to acidic stuff. If you continually expose your teeth to citrus peels
you’re going to damage your enamel and make it easier for cavities to form. Not
a very good idea if you’re looking for a brighter, prettier smile!
The Oil Pulling Method
There’s a growing belief in the healing power of ancient medical practices, and
unfortunately most of it is rubbish. It would be wonderful if all-natural
methods that have been around for thousands of years were realistic, but most
of them simply aren’t.
Take oil pulling for example. This technique comes to us from they Ayurvedic
school of medicine, which existed in India thousands of years ago. The idea is
taking a safe oil, like coconut oil, and swishing it in your mouth for ten to
twenty minutes. It’s supposed to not only strip away bacteria, but also whiten
in the process.
It can pull a bit of bacteria away from your teeth, but there’s simply no way
for it to actually whiten your smile. As for its mouth cleaning properties, oil
pulling may have been a great technique before the invention of the toothbrush,
but its benefits are far outweighed by modern brushing and flossing.
How Can You Really Get A White Smile?
Of all the amazing whitening products and DIY hacks out there only one kind of
whitening stands the tests of time: professional products you can get at
dentist offices just like Creating Smiles. When you come to us for teeth
whitening we custom tailor a treatment to your needs and desires that will
produce actual results in far less time than any alternative method.
If you want to actually whiten your teeth skip all the tricks and go straight
to the pros. You can reach our St John office at 219-322-9920 or our Valparaiso
office at 219-462-1970. You can also save time and simply schedule an appointment
online. We look forward to helping you get the white smile you’ve always
wanted!
About Us
Creating Smiles, PC, located in St. John and Valparaiso, Indiana, offers everything you need for a healthy smile and a healthier life. Dr. Kapers and his team can take the anxiety and uncertainty out of dental visits with sedation dentistry, and we're the premier provider of dental implants in the region.