Recently a celebrity Doctor (whose last name sounds like a land over-the-rainbow where Dorothy from Kansas found a great and powerful Wizard) recommended a simple at home whitening formula. The recipe??? Coat your teeth with a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice before brushing.
Does this really work? Well, it certainly may remove some stains! But, unfortunately, it can also be a recipe for disaster!!
Lemon juice is an acid, so even though fruits are generally healthy, large concentrations of the juice can actually wear down the enamel, the outer layer of the tooth. Once that erodes, not only are teeth quite unattractive – they are incredibly prone to cavities and difficult to repair. For comparison, lemon juice has a pH of 2; car battery acid has a pH of 0.8; Coca Cola has a pH of 2.5; and stomach acid has a pH of 1-2. Corrosive indeed!
Baking soda is an abrasive material, sort of like sandpaper. So even though in very small amounts it can polish your teeth nicely, use the wrong amount and you may as well be sanding your teeth away! For those who can remember some of the whitening toothpastes of the seventies – Pearl Drops worked on some of this principle.
Our suggestion? Put the lemon in your tea and use the baking soda in your kitchen! When it comes to whitening your teeth, your best bet is to ask a dental professional.
Over-the-counter whitening toothpastes and whitening products from the drug store can do a decent job on lightly stained teeth, especially for those in their late teens and early twenties. But we find that most people who express the desire for whiter teeth need what only a dental office can offer.
There are many different treatments available, from take-home systems with custom molded trays to much stronger products that must be supervised by a dentist. At Michael C. Peer, DDS, PC, we will be glad to help you decide which one is right for you. Or we may recommend that you keep your teeth as they are!!!
As far as that TV doctor – we wish him the best and hope that he doesn’t grind his teeth away. When it comes to dental advice, please ask a member of the dental profession.
Remember that we are here for you! If you have any questions about anything concerning your dental health, please give us a call at 434-575-5677 or visit our website at www.michaelpeerdds.com
