If you have discolored teeth, you probably avoid smiling in photos. Not only that, perhaps you also avoid flashing a smile while interacting with other people, even when you want to laugh.
The whiter your teeth are, the more beautiful your smile is. Seeing a dentist or buying over the counter products can sometimes be costly. Thus, many people are always looking for ingenious ways to whiten their teeth. One traditional way of whitening the teeth is using a mixture of strawberry and baking soda.
But is the method really effective? Read on to find out.
Why This Method Is Not Quite Successful
Researchers have proved the strawberry-baking soda homemade toothpaste is not a reliable method of attaining sparkling white teeth. In a past study, researchers from the University of Iowa used 20 human molars to conduct an experiment. The molars were freshly extracted teeth. The researchers rubbed this homemade mixture on the molars for five minutes. After that, they gently brushed the molars. The scientist conducted this procedure for ten consecutive days, each day three times.
They used a measuring instrument called spectrophotometer to test for color changes. This device compares two light radiations wavelength by wavelength.
The results from the instrument showed that a baking soda-strawberry mixture causes no real teeth whitening. In fact, the homemade recipe only eroded the debris on the tooth's surface.
Strawberries are rich in citric and malic acids. Malic acid actually does have teeth whitening properties but it is the citric acid that causes the problem; it erodes and weakens the enamel (the outer surface of your tooth that is hard and white).
And while malic acid has the ability of whitening the teeth, it can't get to the stain molecules that are hidden deep inside the teeth. Baking soda on the other hand increases erosion of the enamel. And in addition to the corrosive nature of the paste, it also fails to maintain a lengthy contact with the teeth. Hence its effects do not last.
So in general, it is not advisable to use this paste as the solution for your discolored teeth because in the end, you may end up doing more bad than good.
The Best Solution For Discolored Teeth
Based on findings from the university's research, procedures such as seeing a dentist, using over-the-counter products and prescription systems are still more effective when it comes to teeth whitening as compared to using a strawberry-baking soda mixture.
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