Whitening Teeth, The Natural Way

Last night I went to a beauty networking event, and the one comment I kept getting was on how my teeth were so white. “What’s your secret?” was the common question, but it’s not like I haven’t heard it before. A lot of my friends commented on my teeth before, and to tell you the truth…I really have no idea. I don’t use any teeth whitening or any crazy gadget toothbrush, I do the occasional floss and mouth wash, here and there. I don’t smoke, don’t care for coffee, and my toothpaste is judged by it’s convenience to my budget. So it really is a phenomena, to the point that people have decided that it must be genetics.

Causes for Teeth Yellowing:

- Smoking
- Caffeinated / sugary drinks (i.e. coffee, soda drinks)
- red wine
- berries
- Chocolate
- Consuming too many antibiotics over the years

Tips to a Whiter Smile, the Natural Way:

Teeth naturally are suppose to get yellower as we age, but a lot of the stuff we eat actually does influence the yellowing process. I’m not a picky eater, as i do enjoy food and trying new things. But here are some of my own ultimate commandments that I live by that no doubt has contributed to my attractive smile the past couple years.

1. ” Green Tea Cures All “ - that’s my exaggerated motto. I’m a tea lover, and green tea is great for its antioxidants, and other health benefits. I’m not fond of the processed tea bags like Tetley, instead I actually preferred buying a big bag of leaves for cheap and steeping it myself. I found them to taste better straight up, without the need to add sugar or milk. For people who are sensitive to the bitter taste of tea, my favorite recommendation is this Asian popcorn-green tea. It’s not bitter, but it has a natural appealing taste that I can’t explain. I don’t know the translated name, but you can find it in any Asian grocery store. It’s visually recognizable by it’s green package, and it’s contents which include green tea leaves, roasted rice and yes, actual tiny pieces of popcorn in it.

2. Drink Juice Through A Straw - Juice is no doubt healthy, but it is also loaded with sugar. Not only does it have the sugar that’s added, but the is healthy sugar from the natural fruit itself. When we take big mouth fulls of juice we are actually submerging our teeth into sugar, which cannot only stain the tooth’s enamel (shell), but it’s another reason why we get cavities in the most ridiculous crevases. By drinking through a straw you bypass affecting your teeth as you drink.

3. Eat Cheese - Cheese and crackers, yum! A healthy snack but also a natural scrubber. When you eat cheese, think of it as taking an eraser to plaque, or like using taffy to shine a piece of jewelry. It’s exactly the same thing, it helps buff those pearly-whites nicely!

4. Brushing & 30 Minutes Later - There was a time that I believed that by brushing harder I’ll scrap off the yellow from my teeth (was not effective and I don’t recommend it). My dentist told me later that I was actually abasing the tooth, which is not a good thing. Solution: Brush lightly to avoid wearing down the tooth. After brushing, we have the tendency to rinse our mouths to get all the toothpaste out, when actually we are washing out all essential nutrients that our teeth actually need. What we should be doing, after we brush is wait half an hour before we eat or drink anything else. It’s okay to rinse once or twice to get the gunk out, but after that my dental hygienist recommended that I just keep spitting it out after that if I don’t feel comfortable swallowing.