For Whitening Your Teeth: Should you See a Dentist or Do it Yourself

It’s what nearly everyone wants: a dazzling white smile so shiny it can cause a traffic accident. Seen all over the place from TV shows to fashion models, to celebrities and world leaders, it seems that a white smile is an indicator of success, glamour, and prestige. Yet a white smile is notoriously difficult to come by at the best of times, and many people have dedicated a lot of time and effort in finding new ways to secure a whiter, cleaner smile.

Tooth whitening is basically the process by which teeth are cleaned and lightened in order to make them appear lighter in colour. It should be pointed out that teeth are naturally yellowish anyway, as a result of the way light reflects off the enamel of your teeth. All whitening treatments are essentially means of bleaching or obscuring the colour of this teeth enamel in order to deliver a whiter smile. This can be achieved through a number of means, but not all are equal.

Homebrewed Recipes

A quick look online will quickly reveal a large number of ways you can whiten your teeth yourself at home, using natural and not-so-natural methods.

Among the simplest methods is the use of whitening toothpaste. This is, as you’d expect, toothpaste especially designed to leave your teeth whiter after brushing, using a variety of ways to do so. Some do it by lifting stains left behind by food and drink, such as coffee or sugar while others coat the teeth with a white layer of residue. If used regularly, you can often see noticeable changes to your teeth’s appearance within a few weeks. Brushing your teeth in general after every meal will help keep your teeth cleaner and healthier, too.

Others recommend a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and lemon or orange juice. Baking soda is naturally abrasive, which allows the mixture to scrap away any staining layers sticking to the teeth. The juice is not just for flavour – the acids help balance out the alkaline in the baking soda to keep your mouth’s acidity in check. Lemon juice, coincidentally, helps to bleach tooth enamel.

One last recommended remedy is coconut oil. While the taste may not be pleasant, anecdotal evidence supports adding coconut oil to your toothpaste can help improve the colour of your teeth. Certainly coconut oil contains natural antimicrobial properties, so the use of it can definitely help keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Visiting your Dentist

Of course, the problem with natural remedies is that most of them rely on hearsay, anecdotal evidence and unproven rumour. Used incorrectly, they could actually cause more damage to your teeth and gums than anything else. Whitening your teeth at a dentist, like Premier Smile, therefore, are generally the safer option.

Dentists after all are trained, qualified professionals who actually know how dental care works. Your dentist also knows how your teeth work, and are more likely to be able to know how to treat them based on your past dental history. While whitening your teeth is generally more expensive when done through a dentist’s clinic, the results are far safer and more satisfactory. Many consider the extra cost for whitening treatment perfectly fair. One important thing they can do is tell you how to safely improve your teeth’s appearance.

If you have cavities or other problems with your teeth, for example, there’s a chance that attempts at whitening them may actually lead to further damage as the chemicals used can get access to the most vulnerable parts inside the tooth enamel. So it’s highly recommended you visit a dentist to get their recommendation anyway before you undergo any whitening treatments.

Further, dentists also have access to more fine-tuned and effective remedies than can be found in nature. Why settle for a diluted mixture found in strawberries, for example, when you can have solely the whitening agents applied directly to your teeth? The results are more immediate, more carefully applied, and come with fewer side effects.