If there’s one thing the importance of which we cannot deny, then it’s our smile. It shows our personality and makes other people comfortable around us. When it is beautiful, it makes a long-lasting impression on the people we meet. In other words, beautiful smiles are the smiles that are never, ever forgotten.
What does a beautiful smile start with? Sure, it also has to do with your eyes and your charm, but the truth is that you teeth play the major role in the appearance of your smile. To put things simply, if you want a beautiful smile, you will have to have beautiful teeth. It’s completely logical, isn’t it? The one usually doesn’t go without the other.
There is no one rule for how your teeth should look in order to be regarded as beautiful. There are no formulas or sets of criteria that you should follow so as to check whether your particular teeth fall under the category of beautiful. We cannot all be the same and it would be pretty boring if everybody had the same smile. Go here to learn how to have great teeth.
While it’s true that we cannot talk about specific rules when the appearance of your teeth is in question, there is one thing that we certainly can talk about when it comes to that appearance. I’m talking about the discoloration and the stains on your teeth. Those definitely play their part in making your whole smile less beautiful than it can be and, the worst part is, discoloration is bound to happen overtime, no matter how hard you try to fight and avoid it.
Just because it is bound to happen, though, it doesn’t mean that it cannot be solved. Luckily, people are no longer willing to put up with discoloration as if it were something completely normal, which led to scientists figuring out a few whitening methods that are nowadays used by individuals all over the world. Before we get to learning about those methods, though, let us quickly check out the types of tooth discoloration that you might be affected by.
Discoloration
Tooth discoloration can happen for many different reasons and the good news is that most of the stains that appear are perfectly treatable. Of course, different stains require different attention. Due to that, we will now take a look at the different discoloration types that exist, so that you can figure out what causes specific types and how each of those are supposed to be treated. So, let us get started.
- Extrinsic
Extrinsic stains are those that usually only affect the enamel, or the surface, which is a good thing, since removing them will be much easier. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. These particular stains are caused by certain foods, beverages and, of course, tobacco. This means that you will have to avoid some ingredients if you are planning on whitening your teeth. Those include colored beverages, as well as some red and dark-colored fruit and other types of foods.
It goes without saying that these stains cannot actually be removed by simply avoiding tobacco and some foods and drinks. This is the right step towards preventing the stains from appearing, but if you want to remove the ones that have already appeared, you will have to put in some more effort than that. We will, however, explain some of the at home whitening methods that will help you get better looking teeth, so let us not dwell on that now.
- Intrinsic
Before we get to those methods that I have mentioned above, we need to take a look at the two other common discoloration types. The second type are intrinsic stains that go a little deeper than the first one. In other words, these are located within the tooth, meaning that they might be a bit harder to remove than the first type. Let’s see what these are caused by.
Tooth decay is, of course, the first cause of these stains. In addition to that, certain types of medications that people take in order to deal with some illnesses and diseases they are affected by can also be the cause of intrinsic stains. On top of all that, genetics play a huge role here, meaning that poor genetics can definitely be the cause of these types of stains.
- Age-Related
There’s one last type that we have to mention. As you become older, the enamel is bound to wear away, which frequently results in yellowish teeth. These particular stains are rather difficult to avoid since, well, we do all celebrate our birthdays and get older year after year. Age-related stains can be caused both by certain intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Luckily, some of the methods that we are about to look into can definitely be successful in removing these stains.
Take a peek at some of those methods: https://www.insider.com/how-to-whiten-teeth-naturally-at-home
Get Better Looking Teeth At Home
It’s important to remember that regular dental checkups are a must. Skipping your appointments will lead to a lot of issues with your teeth and those issues can definitely affect their appearance as well. So, do yourself a favor and stop finding excuses to miss those appointments. If you do regular examinations, your teeth will be much healthier and thus better looking. Not to mention the fact that dentists are the experts that can give you the best advice on how to improve the look of your smile.
As true as that is, I understand the necessity of most people to search for at home whitening methods that can help them. I am definitely not the only one who understands this, since a lot of professionals have decided to create whitening products that could assist those people in this process. Some of those are more and some are less successful, but it ultimately all depends on you, your determination, as well as the particular stains that you are dealing with.
There certainly are, however, certain at-home methods that you can use in this endeavor. So, if you really want to get better looking teeth and thus a more beautiful smile, I suggest you take your time to research and try out some of those methods. You will find some of those below, so take a look at those and decide for yourself which ones you would like to try out.
- Oil Pulling
I’m not sure if you have heard about this method yet or not, but oil pulling actually goes way back. It is actually a traditional Indian method for removing toxins from the body and improving overall oral hygiene. These people usually used sesame or sunflower oil, but the truth is that any oil will actually work and, nowadays, coconut oil is the most popular option since it comes with a lot of health benefits.
Basically, what you have to do is swish the oil around your mouth in order for it to remove any bacteria that can easily turn into plaque and thus cause discoloration and other oral issues. Studies show that this can be done on a daily basis for the maximum effect. In fact, practicing this daily decreases the risk of developing plaque and gingivitis.
- Whitening Kits
Since everybody is perfectly aware of our desire to get better looking teeth, there are now a lot of at home teeth whitening kits on the market and most of those can significantly affect their color and the overall appearance. These are usually also designed to be used on a daily basis, but the method of use depends on the specific kit that you decide to get. People often go for whitening gels and trays since those are pretty easy to use and don’t require you to devote a large amount of time to the practice.
The most important thing that you need to remember, though, is that there are various manufacturers out there and that not all of their products can be of perfect quality. What does this mean for you exactly? Well, it’s simple. If you really want to get the best results, you will have to do your research on those manufacturers and their products and then make an informed decision and buy the kit that has proved to be helpful.
If some of the people around you have used these kits in the past, then you can talk to them and let them give you their point of view on the specific types of kits, as well as the manufacturers. This will bring you one step closer towards choosing the perfect product. Of course, you can also find a lot of useful information online and those are certainly going to help you make the right decision. So, do your research and get the best whitening kit for you.
- Baking Soda
Let us now get back to a method that requires you to do nothing more but use the products that you already have at home. I’m sure that this won’t be difficult for you to try, since you don’t really need to shop for anything in particular. Whether you knew this or not, baking soda is a rather popular ingredient contained in many commercial types of toothpaste. This means that you can easily use the baking soda you have at home in order to affect the color of your teeth.
Baking soda cannot only help scrub away the stains that you are bothered with, but it can also prevent bacteria from developing and growing, which means that it will have an overall great impact on your oral health. Keep in mind, though, that this ingredient won’t exactly whiten your teeth overnight. You will have to be persistent and patient, but you will surely notice the change for the better over time.
Now, the last thing that you have to remember is that you shouldn’t just pour baking soda on your toothbrush and try to brush that way. This would be rather ineffective and a complete waste of time. Instead, you can mix it with water and create a slightly firmer, gel-like substance that you can easily use to brush your teeth with. Doing this a couple of times a week should be enough to help you get the results you want.
- Hydrogen Peroxide
I suppose you are already aware of the effects that hydrogen peroxide can have on the appearance of your teeth. In fact, this substance is known to be contained in most whitening products out there. If you aren’t keen on using those particular products, you can easily get yourself hydrogen peroxide at home and work towards removing the stains your own way with the help of this product. Here’s how you can do it.
For starters, you can just buy hydrogen peroxide and use it as mouthwash. It would be wise to mix it with water, so that you dilute the solution you can get at a drugstore, since it might be a bit stronger than you need it to be. In addition to doing this, you can also mix hydrogen peroxide, water and baking soda together and make your own toothpaste that will definitely help you whiten your teeth at home (additional info) and get the smile that you want.
- Certain Fruits And Vegetables
I have mentioned above that certain types of foods can actually cause your teeth to stain, but here’s the thing. There are also some ingredients that can actually help you whiten them. Those include certain fruits and vegetables, with strawberries and pineapples being the most popular options that are claimed to be able to whiten your teeth. Including these in your diet will also be useful for your overall, and not just your oral, health.
- Flossing
While brushing is something that everybody does, some people tend to neglect or underestimate the importance of flossing. Don’t be one of those people. Flossing can help you prevent plaque buildup and get rid of the bacteria in your mouth, which certainly plays a huge part in the teeth whitening process.
