Maintaining good oral hygiene is an important part of keeping your overall health in check. The main reason why oral hygiene is important is that it prevents the building up of tartar and plaque. Not only that, it protects your teeth from dental cavities, bleeding, swollen gums, and many other dental problems. Good oral hygiene also keeps bad breath at bay which can be a very embarrassing problem, to say the least.
Surprisingly, it has also been observed that people with poor dental health are at a greater risk of contracting serious health problems such as heart diseases, muscle disorders, brain dysfunctions and diseases like diabetes. For these reasons, regular dental visits are seen to be extremely important in keeping your oral health in check. A dentist monitors your dental health and looks out for any possible problems so that the necessary treatment can be provided in a timely manner. They perform cleaning procedures within the mouth to remove any trace of plaque or bacteria before they become major problems and also polish your teeth. So, if you aren’t already visiting a dentist regularly, it is time to look for a dentist near me.
Oral health mostly suffers as a result of the high consumption of foods such as coffee, tea, and sodas. Junk food also has a significant adverse effect on our oral health. One of the many signs of deteriorating oral health is yellow teeth. The reason our teeth turn yellow is because of damage to the outer layer called enamel. This is the layer that protects our teeth from any kind of bacteria or discoloring; our teeth begin to turn yellow when this layer gets damaged.
While all of us want to have to clean, white and shiny teeth, most of us do not know how to make this happen. Not all hope is lost on this subject though because there are many proven and tested ways to whiten your teeth so that you can smile your biggest smile without any fear of embarrassment.
Out of the many ways to make your teeth shine as bright as the sun and improve your oral health in the process, here are five of the easiest, safest and most effective ones:
- Maintain good oral hygiene
Maintaining good oral hygiene is basically defined as keeping one’s mouth clean and free of other mouth problems (bad breath, plaque, bacteria) by regular brushing and use of dental floss. Dental floss is important because it cleans the food particles that your toothbrush can’t reach.
The usage of electric toothbrushes is at an all-time high, with many people preferring to use them instead of ordinary manual toothbrushes. While a manual toothbrush can deliver 300-500 movements per minute, an electric toothbrush can provide up to 48,000 movements per minute, allowing it to remove 100% more plaque than a manual toothbrush.
While brushing, make sure to clean all sides of the teeth including the front and back and in between teeth. Moreover, pay close attention to the time you spend brushing; at least brush for two minutes, twice a day. Using mouth wash after brushing further cleans your teeth and kills bacteria that cause yellow teeth and bad breath.
- Use natural foods to whiten teeth
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can make a significant difference in making your teeth strong and clean. For example, fruits like strawberries, apples, bananas, white meat such as fish and chicken as well as dairy products help in keeping away plaque, strengthening your gums and preventing discoloration. Strawberry and apple contain a specific chemical called malic acid which removes discoloration from teeth while white meat is known to make your gums stronger and increase immunity to kill the bacteria that is known for damaging teeth. In comparison to artificial teeth whitening products that are loaded with chemicals, taking care of your diet is a much better remedy for teeth whitening which poses no risk to the enamel.
Apart from including the above-mentioned things in your diet, applying them directly to the teeth is also known to be useful. All you have to do is make a paste of mashed strawberries, carrots or apples and apply it on your teeth for two to three minutes and rinse it off. You can keep doing this once a week and you are sure to see an improvement after a few weeks. Using banana peel is also considered to be effective – just rub it on your teeth for two minutes and rinse off.
- Use baking soda
For centuries, baking soda has been used as an essential ingredient in toothpaste, owing to its natural whitening properties. Its abrasive nature helps to remove food stains from teeth and whiten them. Along with that, baking soda creates an alkaline environment in our mouths that prevents plaque from building and doesn’t let bacteria survive, consequently giving us fresh breath and strong, white teeth.
The procedure to apply it is simple: take one tablespoon of baking soda and put a few drops of lemon in it; mix it into a paste, apply it on your teeth, leave it on for two minutes and rinse off. Make sure not to use this more than once or twice a week and do not scrub your teeth too hard when using the mixture.
4) Use of apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has always been used as a disinfectant and cleaning agent. The acetic acid present in it is the main cleaning agent. It effectively kills the bacteria in the mouth and prevents plaque building.
However, undiluted apple cider vinegar is too strong to use directly inside the mouth and is likely to weaken your enamel. Weak enamel is more likely to be affected by tooth decay or cavities. The best way to use apple cider vinegar is to dilute it so that you have one part of apple cider vinegar and five parts water. You can then use this solution as a mouthwash for visibly whiter teeth.
- Try oil pulling method
This is a traditional Indian folk remedy used to clean toxins and bacteria in the mouth that can accumulate to cause yellowing. Initially, the method involved using sunflower or sesame oil but the same effect can be achieved with any oil. Coconut oil is the most sought-after choice for this technique. The reason behind this preference is that coconut oil is rich in lauric acid which is famous for its ability to kill bacteria and prevent inflammation.
The procedure is simple: put a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swish it around like you do with mouthwash and rinse after a minute or two. This procedure does not only whiten your teeth but helps in improving overall dental health as well. Since there are no risks of using coconut oil in your mouth, you can do it regularly as well.
Conclusion
If you wish to have whiter, brighter teeth, these are some great ways to go about it that do not pose any of the risks that come with artificial teeth whitening products. Although these methods may require a longer time to achieve your desired results, they use natural products and therefore, are completely safe. Try them out and you are sure to be impressed with the results.
