Say Goodbye to Yellow Teeth? Professional and At Home Methods

What Causes Teeth to Yellow?

It’s natural for your teeth to become yellow as you age because your tooth enamel becomes thinner and the yellow dentin is exposed, resulting in a less bright smile. But there are other reasons your teeth become discoloured. 

  1. Dyed foods and drinks: Most people enjoy drinking coffee, red wine, and dark coloured fizzy drinks. They also indulge in sweets like chocolate and caramel, and foods like curry and tomato sauces. These foods and beverages, unfortunately, discolour your teeth. Even delicious and healthy fruits like berries, cherries, and grapes can stain the teeth because of their dark colour.
  2. Cigarettes and other tobacco products: Chewing tobacco and smoking cigarettes, which contain nicotine and tar, causes a yellowing effect on the teeth’s enamel.
  3. Poor oral hygiene: If you neglect to regularly brush and floss, your teeth are more likely to become yellow and stained.
  4. Medications: Antihistamines, high blood pressure medicine, and iron supplements are just a few of the medicines that stain teeth. 
  5. Chemotherapy: An unfortunate side effect of chemotherapy treatment is a brownish tint on your teeth. 
  6. Genetics: Your tooth enamel may be genetically more yellow than other people with different genes. 

Your dentist in Greenwich can help you protect your pearly whites and suggest products that go beyond brushing such as toothpaste, floss, and mouthwashes that contain xylitol, which is used to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease for better oral health.

How Can Dentists Transform Teeth from Yellow to White?

Laser whitening treatment is an in-practice teeth whitening procedure that shows almost immediate results. Your dentist applies a specialised whitening gel to the teeth and sets the gel with a laser light beam that activates the whitening technology.

Whitening trays are another common in-office technology. The trays contain a whitening gel with a high bleach concentration that can be used during scheduled visits or prescribed for at home use.

Home-based whitening is less expensive than laser treatments. Patients who opt for home-based whitening use a similar gel and tray technique, but the results are much more gradual. At home-based teeth whitening treatments are also more convenient since the trays can be worn either during the day or at night while you sleep.

Professional Whitening Treatments Differ from DIY Treatments

DIY treatments like whitening strips, gel, and toothpaste rarely yield satisfactory results. Because of this, many patients have begun to prefer in-practice treatment options that contain professional strength whitening technology.

Professional teeth whitening treatments are safe and effective. During in-practice procedures, your dentist monitors your mouth, and the amount and strength of the gel applied, so any sensitivity is minimal and your results are consistent.    

Teeth Whitening at Home Methods

Most teeth whitening products use chemicals to bleach your teeth. If this is a concern for you, then look around your kitchen pantry for a natural alternative. The following kitchen ingredients can be used as whitening agents:

Baking Soda

Baking soda can be mixed in with toothpaste and used to whiten your teeth. Take a small amount of baking soda and mix it into your toothpaste twice a week, brush and rinse with warm water after use.

Also, baking soda can be used to help prepare a whitening mouthwash–combine one tablespoon of baking soda with one and a half teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide and one cup cold water. Use this mixture two to three times daily for the best results.

Orange Peel

Oranges contain high levels of citrus acid, which can be used to bleach the teeth. If you rub fresh orange peel over the teeth before bed, you should see results within a couple of weeks with continued use.

Strawberries

Strawberries are high in vitamin C, and when ground into a paste they act as whitening toothpaste which removes any staining or discolouration from the surface of your teeth.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Mix baking soda with hydrogen peroxide until you achieve a paste, apply this paste to the teeth and brush it off with your regular toothpaste.

Lemon

A mixture of a few drops of fresh lemon juice and salt rubbed on the teeth and left for a few minutes before rinsing off twice a day for a few weeks can significantly reduce the appearance of stains and yellowing on the teeth.

Salt and Baking Soda

Regularly massaging a mixture of salt and baking soda on the surface of your teeth helps return them to their natural white colour because of salt’s high mineral content, while the baking soda gently removes the yellow tinge. 

Apples, Carrot, Cucumber, or Broccoli

Raw fibrous fruits and vegetables help whiten your teeth as you’re eating them because they naturally remove surface stains.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.