For a Beautiful Smile: 7 Natural Teeth Whitening Home Remedies
No one wants a yellow smile, but if you’ve paid attention over the last several years, smiles have gotten whiter and whiter. It’s not completely unusual these days to see a celebrity, newscaster, or other person overly-concerned with their appearance, to have teeth so white it’s completely distracting. Do you want a smile that “lights up the room”? No matter how white you want your teeth, there are plenty of natural teeth whitening home remedies for a beautiful smile. What’s more, teeth whitening at home is super easy.
Teeth discoloration is part of the aging process. But just like wrinkles, many people fight it. While you can expect your teeth to change a little over the years, there are things you can do to avoid stains and embarrassing discoloration—and fortunately, these natural teeth whitening home remedies solutions don’t require hundred dollar bleaching trays, dentist visits, or unknown chemical solutions.
7 Natural Teeth Whitening Home Remedies – Teeth Whitening at Home Made Easy
1. Eat Strawberries
There is evidence that strawberries can help whiten teeth due to containing an enzyme called malic acid and vitamin C. The astringent found in strawberries helps to remove surface stains, while vitamin C washes away plaque. Mashing a few strawberries and brushing with the mixture once or twice a week can have positive results. You could also just eat strawberries, making sure to chew really well and allowing them to do the brushing on their own.
2. Floss Your Teeth
For some reason, flossing doesn’t come as easily to people as brushing. Still, many dentists and hygienists agree that flossing is more important than brushing. Floss twice daily for the best, teeth-saving results. Just flossing can easily remove the staining between your teeth, helping them to look whiter.
3. Baking Soda and Lemon
This may be one of the most popular of the natural teeth whitening home remedies. The chemical reaction of baking soda with the citrus of lemon juice has a smile-brightening effect. Either one of these ingredients works well, but together they are super-effective. Only brush with this solution up to once per week as it can wear away the tooth enamel if used too frequently. If irritation occurs, the baking soda may be too abrasive for your gums, so discontinue use. If you’re worried about damaging tooth enamel, try some of the other solutions.
Directed by Dr. Oz:
In a small bowl, mix a little bit of baking soda with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon. The mixture should bubble slightly. Using a cotton swab, wipe saliva and excess plaque from your teeth before brushing on the mixture. Leave the mixture on your teeth for a minute before gently brushing it off with a toothbrush.
Don’t leave the mixture on your teeth for any longer than a minute; the acid erode tooth enamel.
4. Eat Crunchy Fruits and Veggies
Apples, celery, and carrots are all great for your teeth. Crunchy fruit or vegetables act like nature’s toothbrush. Simply chewing removes excess food and bacteria from your mouth. It also helps to scrub away surface stains. Not only does the texture remove food particles and bacteria, but the acids in the fruits and vegetables pull double duty, actually keeping the teeth whiter. Apples in particular contain malic acid, the chemical also found in strawberries (and teeth whitening products) that removes surface stains.
5. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is an Indian remedy used primarily to enhance oral health and cleanse the body. The process is actually quite simple, harmless, and very inexpensive. Simply take one tablespoon of a pure, organic oil and swish it around in your mouth for 15-20 minutes. Move the oil around your mouth through sipping, sucking, and essentially pulling through your teeth. After rinsing, spit out the oil, thoroughly rinse your mouth out with water, and consume 2-3 glasses of water (purified if possible).
To learn more on what oil pulling is and the oil pulling benefits, check out our oil pulling post. You won’t want to miss this interesting solution.
6. Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
Others reported on Earthclinic that hydrogen peroxide could also be an effective teeth whitening remedy. Hydrogen peroxide prevents the growth of bacteria, can help to prevent infections, and prevents bad breath, which often results from bacteria. Simply swish some food grade hydrogen peroxide (FGHP) around in your mouth for a few seconds, than spit it out. Another option would be to mix a 50/50 solution using FGHP and water, and swish it around for 60 seconds.
7. Use a Straw
Coffee, tea, soda, and wine can all cause serious damage to the enamel of your teeth. Whenever possible, use a straw to reduce direct exposure to teeth. If drinking your coffee or wine out of a straw is more embarrassing than discolored teeth, just make sure to brush after drinking these beverages – except after drinking white wine.
A healthy and bright smile is definitely something to be happy about. Eating healthy foods, not surprisingly, can go a long way in ensuring your teeth stay white for years to come. But having an arsenal of natural teeth whitening home remedies can improve your toothy glow without breaking the bank or exposing you to unknown chemicals and bleaches in the dentist’s office.
Additional Sources:
don,t use h202(hydrogen peroxide) in or around your teeth if you have dental metal, as it will cause more mercury to be pulled from fillings and then into your system.
thanks for that bit of info Richard! mercury in our bodies is not our friend!
Totally agree Richard; the substance is also a poison and while a well diluted mixture helps to clean the teeth and mouth it use should be very infrequent.
Awesome remedies thank you!
Good tips, we need to completely remove amalgam from dentistry.
Only do so under the guidance of a naturopath who will advise you on how to safeguard yourself against the toxic mercury exposure during and following amalgam removal.
I've tried a few of these and have had some good results. Shared
I've tried the oil pulling. But I used it first thing in the morning or maybe an hour after I'd eaten anything. My teeth were whiter in just one week.
It has a ph of 2. A ph of 1 is stomach.
This is plain stupid! Lemon has an acidic balance of 2.3ph enamel decalcifies below 5.5. Battery acid has a ph of 1 for comparison.
Lemon is alkaline forming. Try Google next time :).
Warning! ALWAYS dilute food-grade hydrogen peroxide! It is caustic to delicate skin tissue! -RN
Oil pulling does a hell of a lot more than brighten your teeth. Google this ancient remedy… it is used to DETOX your entire system of bacteria, virus and fungal infections. It is seriously amazing, eat it, massage eachother with it, bathe in it. Only caution with swishing for 15 mins (Oil pulling) is not more than 3 times per week if you have dental amalgams fillings, for the same reasons above, it pulls it into your mouth and you may absorb too much into your system.
Another solution, get rid of your fillings, stop fluoride toothpaste, keep GLYCERINE away from your teeth (it coats it for up to 25 days) and allow your teeth to regrow. Google will show you many ways to do this.
Good advice, to which I like to add: Eating raw vegetables keeps your teeth clean. It prevents buildup from plaque. Don't eat bread, it has almost no nutritional value and is the main cause for plaque (only starch and cellulose, the nutrients are mainly in the wheatgerm, which is removed from the wheat kernel and processed separately)
Lemons have a low, highly acidic pH, which is attributable to their citric acid content. The acidity of a fresh lemon can vary between 2.2 and 2.4 on the pH scale, depending on the fruit's state of ripeness.
The pH nature of lemons changes during the body's metabolic process, however, and they become highly alkaline-forming.
Adding just 1 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice to a glass of water is an easy way to give your body a boost of alkalinity
You are correct Greg about the lemon pH, but baking soda is a neutralizer against all acids, so the pH combo of lemon and baking soda will be more of base, or neutral pH. The lemon oil will need to be washed off with bar soap, since only soap will wash the lemon oil off of the teeth. Tooth paste will not; info for all your lemon eaters too.
You can also used the combo, which wasn't mentioned in the article, of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. I have been using that for years with great success. It is easy to make a paste to brush with.
Great article thanks so much glad I found you guys
Great post. Keep it up. I love strawberries and therefore the 1st solution is my favorite 🙂
okay so with the lemon and backing soda how much of itdo i use?
I want to thank those who posted lemon juice for lack of stomach acid I have suffered from a cough for years no doctor could give me any explanation after different tests.When i was on this sight i read the posts about lemon juice for lack of stomach acid and have been trying this ever since using PLJ it works like a miracle i have vertually no coughing and can sleep through the night without coughing thank you so much this treatment works for me I always check your sight now to keep healthy.
I have a chronic cough that no doctor can figure out…what is this lemon juice thing??? I’m very interested!
I have found that drinking tepid water (6-8 oz) with half a lemon squeezed into it gives me the alkaline ph I need so that I do not suffer from acid reflux. I drink this if I am suffering or at least once a day to give my liver a chance to detoxify as well.
Vinegar will work as well. Braggs has a very good Organic vinegar on the market.
Just noticed my teeth are looking a little more yellow than before. Might be from too much coffee and tea. I may go with the lemon and baking soda periodically and then oil pulling. Thanks for the info!
Thanks! I think I’ll try … Hmmm… All of these!
what kind of oil do you guys prefer me to use for the oil pulling?
I’ve just been reading about using Coconut oil for this method of whitening.
Organic cold pressed Sunflower oil. This was the most highly regarded one when I researched it. Spectrum is a good brand.
actually i found just an ordinary organic supermarket sunflower oil worked best – it wasn't cold pressed. also tried an expensive cold pressed (clear spring brand) which didn't work nearly as well so kept that one for salads instead 🙂
Olive oil
google honey and apple cider vinegar, mix together and drink. it works
Brush teeth with 'activated' charcoal (from HFS). Unusual but sure keeps them white and contrary to all the hype it does not scratch the enamel.
Baking soda and lemon if not used too often is very very good. To be safe I would use that method only twice a month tough. Recommended by a the dentist!
Regards
Lemon’s acidic properties also help rid of the yellowish teeth coat and helps improve our gum;s health and alleviate us from bad breath.
If you go with the baking soda and lemon program, make sure your finish up with a regular mild bar soap. Soap will cut the oil from the lemon off of the teeth. The same goes for eating lemons; bar soap is the only mild thing to cut it. Toothpaste will not do it either. Otherwise the lemon oil left on the teeth will erode the teeth. There is a tooth soap product on the market that will work just as well, without the soapy taste. Either one will work.
Wen u try it did it work
Looks like we’ll need to stock up on more apples and carrots. Now I have even more reason to wolf them down.
The best solution is a teeth whitening product.
So glad you read the article carefully! Talk about constructive criticism!!! And I imagine its the safest, cheapest and healthiest too , right?????
Remedies 1 and 4 are definitely my preferred ones. Who knew that eating some of my favorite foods could actually help my teeth as good as any toothbrush or mouthwash?
Clove oil or OregaSpray from N. American Herb & Spice works amazing!!! I’m also a fan of low abrasion EcoDent. Cut out grains and cereals they will rob your teeth of minerals.
Need more lemon Pledge…Superman no home.
Try using 'activated' charcoal. Contrary to popular fear it does not scratch the enamel but cleans teeth in a remarkable way leaving them pearly-white. It is good for cleaning poisons from the mouth leaving the mouth feeling fresh. If feeling unwell, especially after taking orally food or medication, then take a capsule or two of charcoal which will clear the body of any poisons or toxicity; should this fails to work then something else is the cause. It is good too for smelly flatulence and particularly so in animals. An old but excellent remedy for many ailments but especially snake bites or other types of stinging bites.
one thing i learned a long time ago, is mash up strawberries and baking soda, apply all over the teeth (kinda messy), and leave on for five minutes…again, only do this once or twice a month….but i have to say, after reading all of the others, i'm going to do an easier one…i have done oil pulling a couple of times, didnt' know it would whiten your teeth! where it has so many bennies, i'm gonna go back and try some more of that! love this site!
I use coconut oil with mint oil mixed in it. It really leaves the teeth feeling smooth and clean and it does help the teeth lighten.
I found when I stay away from milk and milk products, plegm problem disappears
The use of lemon and baking soda is a great way to clean teeth, but lemon comes with an oil that came be harmful if left on the teeth. Toothpaste will not cut lemon oil, but soap will. A mild bar soap will cut the oil and if rinsed quickly will not leave the bad taste of soap.
Baking soda and a little hydrogen peroxide to make a paste, may be another way to go.
Seriously? Nothing like washing your mouth out with soap. Hope it works.
Actually Ali, there is a product known as tooth soap, that works better. But soap will suffice.
There is an excellent tooth soap that does an amazing job of cleaning and whitening. With no SLS or fluoride.
I’ve posted this in the turmeric comments and haven’t heard anything…I believe that turmeric can be used to whiten the enamel on teeth. Brush
with it, swallow it and then follow up with toothpaste. Am I correct to
believe this?
Googled it and vid shows his whiter teeth afterwards. Soooo, I tried this and it actually makes the enamel whiter! Any thoughts? (Be sure not to let the turmeric touch anything else or it will permanently stain.)
Is it really necessary to swallow the turmeric?
Salt is also very good for tooth.salt powder with musterd oil is best remedy for tooth.i get rid of pain of tooth.
Don’t use lemon and baking soda on your teeth. It will erode the enamel and may lead to serious issues.
I’m no chemist, but doesn’t mixing a weak base (baking soda) and a weak acid (lemon juice) create a neutral solution? I’m not sure how putting that on your teeth would whiten them.
PLEASE do not advocate the use of LEMON for cleaning teeth. Lemon is highly acidic and will soften the enamel on your teeth causing it to WEAR away. In the same vein STRAWBERRIES contain SUGAR which as you know is bad for your teeth. If you want whiter teeth see your DENTIST.
Are you sure? have you tried that remedy? I’ve personally tried it and it worked like a charm.
very nice post, I personally use charcoal powder to get whitened teeth.
i brush my teeth with Himalayan Salt, that’s number 8 on the list i guess. 🙂
and it also avoids cancer and it softens the skin and damaged tissue on the out and inside of our body 🙂