Home remedies to whiten your teeth have been suggested all over the internet. Some of the most commonly mentioned are lemon, vinegar, baking soda, charcoal and essential oil. A question that is less frequently asked but should be considered seriously is: is it safe to whiten the teeth using home remedies?
The advice from the dental professional is that teeth whitening carrying out at home using remedies will harm your teeth. Many home remedies are made too aggressive for the teeth. They may not be able to achieve the whitening effect that you want because they can only remove a certain type of stain, namely, extrinsic stain.
It is very important to understand from where the stain comes from and whether it is staining the outer surface of teeth or it is involving the deeper layer too.
After reading this article, you may be able to
- know how to prevent teeth staining
- perhaps do your own teeth whitening in a controlled manner using home remedies
- return to the dentist if the home remedies do not work out.
Types of stains/discoloration
There are two types of teeth staining/discoloration: intrinsic stain and extrinsic stain.
Intrinsic stain, or internal stain forms as a result of disturbances to the teeth as they are forming in the jaw bone in the first 8 years of life.
One very common example is dental fluorosis where excessive ingestion of fluoride from toothpaste or water leads to white chalky teeth and even brown teeth.
Another example of intrinsic stain is the natural color of the dentin, the inner layer of the tooth. Some people may notice their teeth to be more yellowish than others because of their more yellowish dentin.
Generally, home remedies do not work well in removing intrinsic stain or internal stain, except hydrogen peroxide.
Extrinsic stain, or external stain typically is due to the accumulation of pigmented molecules on the outer tooth surface. It may be caused by certain chromogenic bacteria that produce colored molecules from food. Below are some reasons for extrinsic stain:
- Diet: coffee, tea, wine, carbonated drinks, berries, candies, iron supplements and other food with metallic ions
- Habit: tobacco smoking and tobacco chewing
- Dental product: toothpaste or mouth rinse containing chlorhexidine, stannous fluoride, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)
- Occupation: long term exposure to metal
- Tooth defect, old fillings, tooth decay: the defect or abnormal junction on the tooth tends to pick up stain
Many of the home remedies are effective for removing extrinsic stain or external stain. However, most of them come with a cost to your dental health.
Home remedies available to whiten teeth (Pros and Cons)
Many websites have been suggesting home remedies that can whiten your teeth. For example, this article on How to Get Rid of Yellow Teeth by healthline.com is quite informative.
In this article, we will have a look at the pros and cons of each suggested home remedies.
Baking soda and salt
They are abrasives, which are tiny particles that wear against the tooth surface to remove the extrinsic stain. This wearing effect also abrades the outermost layer of the tooth, which is enamel. It is usually done by mixing baking soda with acids or toothpaste and use it to brush the teeth using a toothbrush.
Pros:
- easily available and cheap
- fast and easy application
- may see the effect immediately after applying
Cons:
- not effective for removing the intrinsic stain
- the outermost tooth surface, enamel, will be abraded
- may lead to tooth sensitivity if underlying dentin is exposed
- the tooth may get more yellowish because of the underlying dentin color
Acids
Just like eggshells, shells and bones, teeth are made of high content of minerals (calcium, phosphate, fluoride, apatite). Any highly acidic substance can corrode the tooth surface thereby removing the extrinsic stain. Some examples that are often used are lime, lemon, vinegar, orange and berries.
Pros:
- easily available and cheap
- fast and easy application
- can work for removing the extrinsic stain
Cons:
- not effective for removing the intrinsic stain
- enamel will be corroded and lead to tooth sensitivity
- the tooth may get more yellowish because of the underlying dentin color
Hydrogen peroxide
It is a chemical which can break down the colored compound into colorless one, through chemical reaction instead of mechanical mode. It is present in certain whitening toothpaste and teeth whitening kit used by the dental professional. A special home care product called whitening strip contains hydrogen peroxide which will be coming in contact with the teeth as the strip is applied onto the teeth.
Pros:
- work for both extrinsic stain and intrinsic stain as it can diffuse through the tooth
- do not need to remove the outermost layer, the enamel of the teeth
Cons:
- not easily available
- may irritate the gum if it is coming in contact with the gum
- may worsen the appearance of fluorosis teeth, making it more chalky
Charcoal, turmeric and oil pulling using essential oils
These substances are considered safe. Although charcoal is known to be safe and able to “trap” or “attract” the stain particles, there is an inadequate scientific study to show its efficiency.
Turmeric and oil pulling also lack scientific evidence to support their use because they have not proved to be effective.
Summary: can you whiten your teeth at home using home remedies?
The answer is: you can whiten your teeth at home by removing the extrinsic stain. However, do it at your discretion as many of the home remedies are quite aggressive to your teeth in order to be effective.
Home remedies like baking sodas or salts with or without acids can remove extrinsic stain only and they come at the cost of losing a layer of enamel. In the long run, the teeth may become shorter, more yellowish and tooth sensitivity may kick in as the dentin is exposed.
Hydrogen peroxide could be a better alternative as it can remove both extrinsic and intrinsic stains. However, to achieve the appropriate whitening effect in the safest environment, I suggest you consult your dentist and do it under dental professional. A proper teeth whitening procedure required a trained professional to carry out. Talk to your dentist soon to find out more about teeth whitening.
Reference: Hosdurga, Rajesh. (2013). Extrinsic stains and management: A new insight. J. Acad. Indus. Res.. 1. 465-42.
