Many people consider a dazzling, pearly white smile a standard of beauty, so it is not surprising that tooth whitening is a very popular procedure. However, not everyone has enough money to get their teeth bleached by a dentist. Therefore, a lot of people are wondering how to whiten their teeth safely at home.
The normal colour of healthy tooth enamel varies from light yellow to bluish (greyish) white. Normally, it doesn’t need any special care, except for regular hygienic procedures and maintaining the overall health of the oral cavity. However, smoking, drinking tannin-rich beverages (red whine, tea, coffee) and eating certain foods can stain the teeth. Other causes of tooth staining include dental plaque, certain medications, exposure to metallic compounds, and ageing. Stained enamel becomes yellowish or even brownish, which many people perceive as aesthetically displeasing and therefore start looking for ways to lighten tooth enamel.
To make you teeth whiter, you should first and foremost minimize the factors that have caused enamel to darken, otherwise the effect of tooth bleaching procedures won’t be long-lasting. So, you should limit the consumption of enamel-staining drinks, brush your teeth twice a day and rinse your mouth in between meals, maintain the overall health of your oral cavity, and have regular check-ups with your dentist.
Before whitening your tooth enamel, you should properly prepare the oral cavity, i.e. make sure that you don’t have gum inflammation, tooth decay, or any other issues that need to be addressed. If your oral cavity is healthy (except for darkened enamel), you can proceed to whitening your teeth. To bleach your teeth safely at home, you can use special whitening toothpastes or tooth powders.
Dentifrices for at-home tooth whitening can be formulated with various active ingredients. The most popular one is probably silicon dioxide (silica). It is a natural mineral with abrasive properties that mechanically removes tooth plaque and whitens the teeth. Other abrasive minerals that are used in whitening toothpastes and tooth powders include calcium carbonate, orthosilicic acid (silicon hydroxide), aluminium oxide, bentonite clay (montmorillonite), dicalcium phosphate, etc.
In addition, whitening toothpastes and tooth powders for at-home use may contain sodium or potassium pyrophosphate, which helps to dissolve and remove soft deposits and pigments on tooth enamel more effectively. Brushing your teeth regularly with a whitening toothpaste will make your teeth lighter in about a month, but the whitening effect will depend on many factors, such as the initial condition of your teeth, dietary habits, etc.
Abrasive tooth whitening products for at-home use are considered effective, but rather aggressive towards tooth enamel. Therefore, people with sensitive teeth usually prefer oxygen- or enzyme-based whitening dentifrices. Oxygen-based tooth bleaching products are usually formulated with hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide, calcium peroxide, zinc peroxide, magnesium peroxide, sodium persulfate or perborate, stabilised chlorine dioxide, or sodium chlorite. When you brush your teeth, these compounds release active oxygen, which dissolves deposits on tooth enamel and makes it lighter. In addition, active oxygen destroys dark pigments in the enamel structure, contributing to more effective whitening.
As for enzyme-based tooth whitening dentifrices, they are formulated with natural enzymes, such as bromelain and papain, which have tooth bleaching properties. These enzymes are obtained from pineapple and papaya, respectively. They effectively break down protein deposits and, in combination with other whitening agents, remove dark plaque from tooth enamel, producing a bleaching effect.
At-home teeth whitening with abrasive-, oxygen- or enzyme-based bleaching products is considered safe for enamel, but only if you use them correctly and if such products contain additional ingredients that restore and remineralise tooth enamel, as well as take care of the oral cavity.
In our online shop Organic Store, you can find a great selection of whitening toothpastes and tooth powders produced by Aasha Herbals, Agor, Biomed, Detox Expert, Family Doctor, Happy Dent, Rochjana, Sapo, Splat, Triuga, ZUBB, and other brands. They are formulated with a carefully balanced combination of active and auxiliary ingredients that effectively lighten tooth enamel and take good care of the oral cavity. At Organic Store, we offer quick order processing, secure payment methods, and international delivery to most parts of the world.
