Teeth Whitening

I've whitened mine simply by flossing & rinsing w/Listerine (generic) at night, & using a whitening pre-brush rinse before I brush my teeth. Listerine makes one but when I realized it was nothing more than Listerine & peroxide I mixed my own up until it tasted like theirs-works just as well. I also use an electric toothbrush & Crest whitening toothpaste.
My teeth would be whiter if I'd quit drinking coffee & iced tea though lol

Hydrogen Peroxide and baking soda. Mix it up like a cream paste. Brush your teeth with it for a few minutes. Its a stain remover and whitener AND its cheap!

The other thing that I've heard whitens teeth are strawberries.

They say all of the over the counter whitner things do work, it just takes longer then actually going to get it professionally done. I've heard that it only makes your teeth sensitive because of the light that they use, your teeth do go back to being normal. They are only sensitive at first. Not sure about anything more prone to cavities, thats the first I've heard of that. As long as you are brushing twice daily AND flossing you should be fine.

Good luck!!

Hydrogen Peroxide 10 minutes a day work great!

There are so many studies that have proven that whitening in a dentist's office show there are no adverse effects to the process. It does not weaken enamel or make them more prone to cavities. Most of the over the counter do not work or do not work well. Find a reputable dentist who is an AACD member and focused on cosmetic dentistry. Look at www.radzdds.com - he is my husband, but his website has a lot of very good information. Also, please note that CO is one of only 2 states in the US that does not require continuing education for dentists - a very pathetic state of affairs. This could be one of the reasons you've received negative info about dental whitening treatment. A good dentist gets hours and hours of CE per year as the treatments change, as well as materials and processes. Good luck to you - his office will give a discount on bleaching periodically. If you tell them his wife mentioned it they will give it to you. All my best to you,

N. Sneberger Radz

sorry I had to chime in and say that in high school I had a friend who used hydrogen peroxide every day on her teeth and they were white...and huge! she was using too much too often. that being said hydrogen peroxide is the main ingredient in most whitening systems. teeth can become sensitive from the whitening process but it doesn't weaken the teeth. my whitening trays came with the bleaching agent as well as some flouride to help with teeth sensitivity, but I haven't had any sensitivity and I love that the mold is my teeth and I can wear it while running errands etc.
personally after reading all the home remedies etc. I was more confused (and still had reservations because my friends teeth really were scary) so I went with a dentist since their business IS teeth--I knew my BIL who is a dentist wouldn't give me anything that would harm my teeth, and I love my trays.

Something that I saw on TV that Catherine Zeta Jones does is actually to brush her teeth with Strawberries - I guess that they have a natural whitening enzyme or something in them. I don't like strawberries, so I haven't tried it personally, but if you do like strawberries then try it and let us know if it works!

Use Hydrogen Peroxide. If you use it basically as a mouthwash each morning, it should whiten your teeth. I know it takes much longer than some of the new teeth whiteners out there but it will work.

strawberries are suppose to help. IT's the seeds in them that help to lift away stains from the teeth.

I don't know how "natural" it is, however I have heard you can just rinse daily with Hydrogen Peroxide. I do this and it seems to work. Tastes bad but you get used to it!

Hi
I've been a dental hygienist for 13 years. There's not a "natural" way to whiten teeth. There are two types of staining. Intrinsic stain is inside the tooth. Extrinsic stain is on the surface of the tooth which can be polished or scraped off. That's what whitening toothpastes are (or baking soda). They're more abrasive to scratch off external stain (from foods and drinks) but intrinsic stain, or the color of your teeth, does not change without using a whitening agent.
Professional whitening gels have been studied and used for a very long time. They were first used as oral cleansers long before they were used for whitening. There has been EXTENSIVE long term research on carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide (the main ingredients of whitening gels) and their safety. They are totally safe and DO NOT alter the structure of enamel or weaken your teeth AT ALL. I professionally whitened my teeth in 1989 and have been up keeping ever since. In the office we do about 5 whitenings a week. Over the years I've seen many happy patients and no weakening of teeth. A white smile makes all the difference in your appearance and takes years off your smile! For more information and reassurance ask your dentist or research on your own by reading studies on whitening from professional dental journals at the library which publish reliable scientific research findings (such as JADA). I can get into more of the process of exactly how the whitening process works if you want, let me know.

Hi T.,

I have done the rinse with Hydrogen Peroxide thing. It really does work! But be patient it takes probably 4-6 weeks to really notice. Before brushing, morning and night I rinsed with about 1 part water 2 parts HP.

My Mom uses straight hydrogen peroxides wishes it araound in her mouth and the spitsit out. I thinkl that is kind of radical so i found a mouth wash that has hydrogen peroxide in it, only you use it before you brush your teeth, I have seen improvement on my teeth. I bought it at Walmart.