There is no question that glamor and beauty are always associated with perfect white teeth. From the broad covers of the most popular lifestyle magazines to the humongous billboards scattered across the metro every known celebrity endorser flash their white straight teeth to get the attention needed to sell their products. Nevertheless, the need for a beautiful smile is not exclusive to celebrities and endorsers alone. We can all use it to boost our confidence and thereby influence other people; we can also use it to feel good about ourselves.
However, not everybody has been naturally given the chance to bear a set of perfect white teeth. Some people are just born with yellowish or grayish teeth while some others have caused the discoloration of their teeth through their lifestyle, i.e. cigarette smoking, too much drinking of red wine, tea, cola or coffee, and chewing of foods that can cause teeth staining. Fortunately, with the present methods employed by dentists nowadays, teeth whitening can be achieved in minutes. In-office teeth-whitening (professional teeth whitening) uses a special type of light to hasten the oxidation of the teeth surface caused by whitening solutions applied on the teeth. However, because of the use of such equipment plus the involvement of a dentist in the process, this procedure can be really expensive making it inaccessible to most people. Nevertheless, this does not mean that these people do not have any other options to whiten their teeth. There are teeth whitening products that can be used at home which cost only a fraction of what you will have to spend in professional teeth whitening. Refer to my list below for some home teeth whitening alternatives:
Baking soda/Peroxide Home-made toothpaste
The use of this product is probably the cheapest alternative that you can ever find, plus you get to make your own teeth whitening toothpaste right in the convenience of your own bathroom! All you need are: baking soda, peroxide solution, some flavored toothpaste, a little bit of salt and water. Grocery baking soda will do just fine so you don’t have to use a special type of baking soda. Most drugstores sell peroxide solutions in different concentrations, but the most common ones are in 3% or 10% concentration. All that you have to do is to mix all your ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Try to achieve a consistency that is close to that of paper paste. Adding of flavored toothpaste adds tastes to the mixture while the salt is added to improve the oxidizing effect of the mixture. Use the mixture as you would with ordinary toothpaste.
Teeth Whitening Strips and Gels
Over-the-counter teeth whitening gels costs only $10 per tube, so you might as well want to try this if you don’t like making your own toothpaste. Whitening gels also contain peroxide mixed with carbamide. The gel is directly applied on the teeth surface using an applicator or using a tray that is filled with the gel and then fitted unto the teeth. The tray can be custom-made for a perfect fit, but you may also use pre-made trays or sports mouth pieces to serve the same purpose.
You may also use whitening strips if you don’t want the messy feeling of having gel stuck on the surface of your teeth. The strips also make use of carbamide peroxide to whiten teeth; the chemical is applied on the teeth through sticking the strip on the tooth surface. A single pack of whitening strips costs about $15, each lasts for about two weeks of usage.
People also use fruits and vegetables to whiten their teeth, the most popular ones are strawberries and lemon. However, it has been known now that these fruits are too acidic for the teeth causing severe enamel deterioration. In most cases, the use of organic products in teeth whitening is not advised by professionals because of the high risk of exposing the teeth to harmful acids.
