When you have a big occasion coming up, especially one like a wedding, where the pictures taken will be saved for a lifetime, it is only natural that you would want to look your best. For a lot of people this includes having white teeth and a beautiful smile.
So you may ask yourself, how to whiten teeth at home, without expensive dentist work? You are in luck, there is a wide range of options available that can all be used in the comfort of your own home and won’t break the bank.
One of the first options for how to whiten your teeth at home is to use a teeth whitening toothpaste. These tend not to cost much more than regular toothpaste, but should contain an active ingredient that will whiten your teeth without you changing your normal routine.
The active ingredients you want to look out for in a good tooth whitening toothpaste are hydrogen peroxide or baking soda, ideally both! There are some slightly newer active ingredients that the main brand toothpastes such as Colgate and Aquafresh put in their toothpastes, but hydrogen peroxide and baking soda are a sure thing!
If you want to make your own teeth whitening toothpaste you can mix baking soda with your regular toothpaste, while this won’t taste very pleasant, it is a cheap and effective way to get good teeth whitening results at home.
The next option for how to whiten teeth at home comes in the form of purchasing some low concentration hydrogen peroxide solution and using it as a mouthwash after brushing. You ideally need to be looking for 2-3% solution which can be bought at your local pharmacy for a whole range of things.
One side effect to be aware of is potential soreness of gums, however, at such low concentrations this will be temporary and you should start seeing results in the colour of your teeth within a few weeks.
The next step up price wise for how to whiten teeth at home comes in the form of teeth whitening kits than can be bought both from pharmacies and online at a range of price points. These can range from strips that you wear for a few hours or overnight, to mouth pieces that can be worn for a length of time to hold gels and other products against your teeth.
Most of these products are hydrogen peroxide based and work on the principle of holding the hydrogen peroxide against your teeth directly, unlike with a mouthwash in order to speed up the results. As the treatment is more targeted it can also be used in higher concentrations which also speed up the process. These kits can get quite expensive and are intended for a rapid teeth whitening solution rather than a long term fix to the underlying problems.
Before embarking on any teeth whitening regime from home, always ask yourself what has caused the discoloration in the first place. If it is a lack of brushing then you may simply be able to get results by using your normal toothpaste more often and rigorously. If you are a heavy smoker or coffee drinker then you are likely to notice the discoloration come back to your teeth as soon as you stop the treatments.
There are other ways in which you can get whiter teeth from home that fall into the category of home remedies from such as rubbing strawberries on your teeth to mixing vinegar and salt as a mouthwash, which would be a very unpleasant experience indeed!
Overall, the best long term solution to getting whiter teeth at home is to find a teeth whitening toothpaste that works well for you, so you don’t have to build in anything new into your daily routines.
Arm & Hammer make toothpaste that can be bought in all major stores that contains both hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, and still contains the cavity fighting fluoride that is needed from regular toothpaste, without the vile taste from mixing your own baking soda toothpaste.
Considering this costs no more than a regular brand name toothpaste it is a great long term solution and a much better option than cosmetic dentistry or a one off whitening kit, where the results will not last more than a few days before you have to spend money to purchase another kit.
Should you have any adverse reactions to any teeth whitening product you are using at home, it is recommended that you seek medical attention immediately to ensure no lasting damage, as when you are using any self medicating product.
How to whiten teeth at home doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive, but with the right knowledge you can build it into your daily routine and not even know you are doing it.