I enjoy coffee, tea and a few other things that probably aren’t on my teeth’s favorite foods list. I have been thinking about whitening, but the though of chemical strips has me cringing, so I thought I would do some searching for natural methods. Here’s what I’ve come up with to try. If you’ve tried these methods I’d love to hear how they worked for you. I plan to report back on this in a month or so.
Strawberries
I’ve read that strawberries can help whiten your teeth because of their acid content. Mixed with baking soda, this is suppose to deliver a power punch of teeth whitening magic.
The Method?
I took 3 strawberries (would have been 4 but my daughter ate one) and added 2 teaspoons of baking soda. I put them all in my mini food processor and blended until smooth. Once I had a nice smooth paste I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth gently for about 5 minutes. I put the remainder in the fridge to use later. I won’t lie, it did not taste good, but neither do chemical whiteners (I tried them in high school and OUCH they made my teeth sensitive!)
After I brushed my teeth with the strawberry paste I brushed them with my regular toothpaste and then rinsed with water/peroxide and then with mouthwash.
I have to say that my teeth feel really clean.
Bananas
Bananas are said to help whiten teeth because of their potassium and manganese content. Not sure how accurate or relevant this is, but we’ll see!
The Method?
Peel a nice ripe banana and rub the peel in a circular motion all over your teeth for a few minutes. Once you’re done you can wipe off what’s left on your teeth and go about your day. I’m thinking that I might need to brush, but we’ll see how it goes. I am told that you can see results in as little as two weeks, and I have seen lots of rave reviews regarding this method. I’m headed to the store today and plan to try this out!
Straws
Ahh, straws. This one is pretty simple. When you drink things normally your teeth are coated in acids, colorants, sugars and whatever else might be in your drink. The idea here is to avoid all of that contact by using a straw. It’s a simple method and I’m pretty sure your kids will think it’s cool too. If you aren’t into wasting plastic straws you can try a reusable straw like these from Glass Dharma. I haven’t had the pleasure of trying these yet, but I’ve heard great things.
And before you start thinking Glass=Breakage, they offer a lifetime guarantee against breakage. According to their site: If, for any reason*, your GlassDharma Drinking Straw breaks, you may return the broken straw for repair or replacement. If we cannot restore it to its original condition, we will gladly replace it.
Have you tried another natural whitening method with great results? I’d love to hear about it!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Good to know
Thanks for the info!
I heard/read baking soda is abrasive enough that it shouldn't be used too often… so I decided to use it once a wk instead of everyday. But my mom uses it every day & hasn't had problems.
I was curious about that Crystal. It's been 3 days now since I first tried it and my teeth still feel crazy clean. Cleaner than with normal brushing. I think once a week is a good idea!
Also, I might be crazy, but I think the banana is actually working…. we'll see!
I saw on an episode of Josh Dorfman's Lazy Environmentalist (Netflix Streaming) that blueberries are an amazing cleaner and whitener for washing white dogs (I don't remember how it was done, though). I wonder if blueberries and baking soda would be effective (like the strawberries).
I want to whiten my teeth but the chemical things I used to use now freak me out. Maybe I'll try this and let you know how it works.