Shiny Teeth and Foods For Them

Lots of foods stain your teeth. Some of my favorite foods are, unfortunately, the worst offenders coffee, tea, red wine, soda, even fruits and vegetables like blueberries, blackberries, and beets can dull the white of your teeth.

And to make matters worse, just when you thought you were doing the right thing and listening to your dentists advice, turns out that certain antibacterial mouthwashes that contain chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride can actually stain teeth. But there is good news too! I’ve recommended a few interesting and even surprising ideas that can help fight those pesky stains and actually whiten your teeth.

Foods that whiten teeth:

Lemon Juice – Mix a teaspoon of lemon juice with a pinch of salt or a little baking soda. Rub this mixture on your teeth. You can also eat lemons by themselves if you can tolerate it. But be careful, too much lemon juice on the teeth can cause sensitivity.

Orange Peel – Orange peel is a natural tooth whitener. Use the inside of the orange peel with the white stringy stuff still attached. Rub it directly on your teeth to whiten them. You can also mix the orange peel with crushed bay leaves. Rubbing this mixture on your teeth will also whiten them.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Apple cider vinegar is very effective for getting rid of stains on teeth. You can swish it around your teeth at full strength if you can tolerate it. Using too much too often will cause tooth sensitivity. You can also mix apple cider vinegar with baking soda. This mixture can be rubbed on the teeth like a polish. Apple cider vinegar has the added benefit of relieving symptoms of acid reflux disease. People who suffer from acid reflux disease often get stained teeth.

Strawberries – Strawberries are also useful for polishing teeth. They may make the teeth red to begin with but when you wash the color away, the teeth are whiter. You can also smash up strawberries and add some baking soda. Rub this mixture on your teeth and leave it there for five minutes before brushing your teeth. If you do this a couple of times per week you will notice your teeth getting whiter after a few months.

Raw Vegetables – Eating raw vegetables also whitens teeth. It has to do with the crunchy nature of these foods. When you bite into raw vegetables, they are abrasively scrubbing your teeth. However cooked vegetables do not whiten teeth since they are soft, so if the goal is whiter teeth, keep the carrots and the broccoli away from the steamer!