The Affirmative Guide to Home Teeth Whitening
The first step that must be taken for whiter teeth is to change your toothpaste to a special whitening toothpaste. Now you could go into the store and see about 20 different brands all claiming to give you whiter teeth, however, only a couple actually will make a noticeable difference. Now remember, the toothpaste s what is going to do the least whitening, in fact, I like to think of it as more of a tool to maintain whiter teeth, rather than a way to get them.
The two toothpastes I used in this experiment were Colgate Simply White Advanced Whitening Toothpaste and Arm & Hammer Complete Care Plus Extra Whitening. I used each one for a period of 30 days, with before and after pictures of my teeth. The results are as followed: Colgate Simply White Advanced Whitening seemed to lighter the color of my teether right after brushing but would fade back to it’s regular color after about 30 minutes. Arm & Hammer Complete Care Plus Extra Whitening would do the same thing however, my teeth would stay a lighter shade for a longer period of time, about an hour and a half. After the first 2 weeks of using each toothpaste I noticed a very slight change in color. After the full 30 days I was surprised to notice that Arm & Hammer Complete Care had actually whitened my teeth a few shades. Colgate however, only seemed to still whiten them immediately after brushing but not permanently.
There are many teeth applicators and strips that claim can be applied for whiter teeth. The product I heard about the most were Crest White Strips. I went out and bought a pack for $22 at the local grocery store and although a little hesitant with the price thought it might be worth it. So I got home and read over the instructions and then looked at the contents of the plastic container it came in. There numerous little packets that labeled whether the contents were for the top or bottom teeth and a little mirror to see your progress. Now, the directions state to apply strips to top and bottom of teeth and and let sit for 30 minutes before removing and to do this twice a day. It also states that it is OK to use the strips more than twice a day as long as they sit for 30 minutes each time you use them. So, being as impatient as I am I opened the first packet and removed the little strip. It’s translucent and has some sort of gel on one side. I placed on my upper front teeth and pushed the bottom under and behind as showed by a series of pictures on the bottom of the box. I did the same thing for the lower jaw as well. After about 10 minutes I sensed a slight tingling feeling in my teeth and to me that was saying that it was working. After 20 minutes my mouth became slightly dry and I tried to not move my lips in fear of moving the strips. Finally a half hour later I removed the strips and looked in the mirror. No difference yet. So I spent 4 hours that day applying the strips and after that 4 hours my teeth were noticeably whiter than they were before. The truth is these things work and well!
Now that my teeth were white and I was comfortable enough to smile again went and researched how to keep them that way. First I realized that brushing your teeth twice a day is not enough. Most people should aim at three times a day at least. Currently I brush them 5 times a day and I am very pleased that I do so. Brushing your teeth removes plaque which can be a strong cause for yellowish teeth. Also, something I found very interesting is that what foods you eat can help keep your teeth white. Eating an apple or other fruits or vegetables that are somewhat hard can actually scrape plaque of your teeth while you bite and chew! I also continued using the Arm & Hammer Complete Care Plus Extra Whitening toothpaste as a way to preserve the whitening.
There are many things and habits to stay away from that can be dangerous and defective to whitening your teeth. The first is to stop drinking coffee. Studies show that stretching for 5 minutes in the morning can make you more awake and alert than a cup of coffee. Coffee will stain your teeth and can even damage them over time. Smoking is another habit that can be very bad for white teeth. Tar and other chemicals stick to your teeth turning them brown. Smoking can also cause many cancers. Although, it may be difficult to quit there are many clinic and products that can help you.
Whitening your teeth at home can be done effectively if you have a little time, patience, and a small amount of money. Arm & Hammer Complete Care Plus Extra Whitening can help get you started and Crest White Strips will do all the major whitening. Removing plaque is very important to maintain your white teeth, brushing many times a day and eating hard fruits such as apples can help remove plaque. Having white teeth is not only a very good self-esteem boost but it can affect the way people think about you as well.
