This home remedy became popular after certain celebrities revealed their beauty secrets and said that they whitened their teeth by rubbing strawberries over them. While this may provide a slight whitening effect for it’s users, the risk is totally not worth it!
Strawberries contain malic acid, and this is what cleans your teeth so effectively that they come out whiter than before. Make no mistake; acid is BAD for your teeth. Most people don’t know that using strawberries to whiten your teeth can actually make your teeth permanently darker.
Here’s why: when your teeth are exposed to acidic conditions, the protective enamel on your teeth wears off. When all the protective enamel on your teeth is gone, you’re left with just the darker yellow colored dentin on the surface of your tooth. You cannot bleach or whiten dentin. Dentin is just a darkish yellow color and it’s going to stay that way.
Once you take off all the enamel (the part of your tooth that can actually be whitened) it’s lost forever. Once it’s all gone, you can regrow your enamel anymore!
Luckily, as long as you have some enamel left, you can help it to regenerate. Your saliva deposits minerals onto your teeth, and those minerals build upon your existing enamel. It’s a long, slow and careful process, but it can be done.
How To Regenerate Your Enamel
- Eat less acidic foods and drink less acidic drinks.
- Remember never to brush your teeth immediately after eating/drinking anything acidic.
- Use an enamel strengthening toothpaste or tooth treatment. Here is a big list for you to choose from.
- Take a multi-vitamin or eat a diet high in vegetables and fruits. The mineral content from these nutritious foods ensures there’s sufficient mineral concentrations in your saliva to remineralize your teeth.
- Brush your teeth very gently, yet thoroughly so that you don’t leave any sugars on your teeth (acid forming bacteria feeds on sugar)
- Chew xylitol gum. Xylitol interferes with bacteria reproduction in your mouth and the act of chewing gum encourages more saliva to flow into the mouth.
A Better Way To Whiten Your Teeth Than Using Strawberries
The best way to whiten your teeth that I know of thus far, is to get your teeth whitened by a professional or use an at home tooth whitening kit. Most of these methods employ the use of peroxide to do the whitening, which is less harmful to your teeth than acids.
And remember to take care of your enamel, because without enamel, there will be nothing to whiten! Once the enamel is gone, so is your chance of having a bright, white smile.