Your smile is the first thing people notice about you, so you have to make it amazing, right? The latest thing in the beauty industry is to have sparkling white teeth. If you can’t afford veneers or professional teeth whitening, then whitening toothpastes are your next best option (and a bonus is that they are only a fraction of the price). If your smile doesn’t shine, it needs to. However, it is questionable if these toothpastes do actually work, and if they do, what are the right ones to use?
The key to trying out toothpastes are to look in the ingredients. Research is the best thing to do when you are trying out new things and toothpaste is a big thing to launch yourself into. Sensitive teeth will not get the most benefit out of normal teeth whitening toothpaste as it may strip some of the enamel off of your teeth to make them whiter and therefore, will not help to fight the sensitivity and nerve exposure in your teeth.
While keeping all this in mind, you must not panic when buying toothpastes which have teeth whitening properties in them. There are so many on the market now (which range in price) to suit your teethy needs, so you can guarantee you will find the right one.
Charcoal is one ingredient which is known for its whitening properties on teeth. However, the BBC published a story about charcoal toothpastes and told people ‘don’t believe the hype’. Dr Joseph Greenwall-Cohen, from the University of Manchester Dental School conducted a study which tried over 50 charcoal products on teeth and found they didn’t work. He said that anyone that can’t whiten their teeth by changing their diet should talk to their dentist. But what foods should you eat to change your diet?
Usually good teeth whitening toothpastes will contain ingredients such as mild abrasives like magnesium carbonate, hydrated aluminium oxides and calcium carbonate. These will remove the stains on your teeth which sit on the surface. Another ingredient is hydrogen peroxide is what most dentists use to whiten teeth and a low dosage is more than likely to be contained in the toothpaste.
If your toothpaste does not instruct that you can use it every day – it is best not to. It may be too harsh to use every day and can cause more long term damage than good. Always read the packaging and double check that you are not going to react to the ingredients before use. It is also important to get the toothpaste which answers your mouths needs. There is no point suffering from mouth ulcers from using a toothpaste, find the right one for you!
Strawberries, apples, celery, carrots, natural yogurt, pineapple, milk and cheese are all foods which can contribute to healthy, whiter teeth. Fruits and vegetables all contain ingredients which will benefit your body, and the above are just a few of those that will contribute to glistening white teeth. Strawberries are recommended by dentists and they say that the fruit is a natural teeth whitening food. Along with a good toothpaste, you should have a beautiful smile in no time.
But, of course, nothing happens over night. No matter how many products you use to brighten your teeth you won’t be able to wake up after one use with amazingly white teeth. Your diet will also affect the colour of your teeth if you eat/drink a lot of foods which will stain them. Fruit juices, coffee, tea, curry, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and red wine are all food and drink that can cause your teeth to colour. With a good brush and a good toothpaste it should help combat this, so you can still enjoy the food and drink you love (in moderation).
Teeth whitening by anyone who is not a dental professional is illegal and you should not let them loose in your mouth for health and safety reasons, of course. Most home kits do not contain the right about of whitening to be effective and may cause your gums to become sensitive or blister as it can leak from your teeth. Therefore, if you are not using a toothpaste, try to avoid cheap ways of lightening your teeth.
Many feel the affects after using a good teeth whitening toothpaste, one of the most common is sensitivity. To combat sensitive teeth while keeping your white smile you should use a sensitive toothpaste. You can buy these with whitening properties in them, but they may not give you results as quick. It would be best to alternate the toothpastes you are using to achieve the best results. Give your teeth a bit of a break from whitening to build up some strength against sensitivity.
The key question here however, is do teeth whitening toothpastes actually work, and the answer is yes. Of course you need to use everything in moderation and in the safest way possible. It won’t work as well as a dentist service, but if you do want a white smile and are willing to trial run a few different toothpastes to work out which is best for you, then you are on the right tracks.
Look out for key ingredients, eat more of the foods that will your smile will benefit from, and try to avoid eating the foods that will stain your teeth. This combination will eventually give you a smile that people will be able to see from outta space! No veneers in sight.
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