Would you like to know a cheap and effective way to whiten your teeth at home without purchasing a $40 whitening kit at the store? I know that, as a college student and mother, I personally do not have a lot of money to throw around and probably many of you do not as well. In this article, I will show you how to safely whiten your teeth for under $10 using products you likely have at home now.
First, let’s examine the commercial method. While many over-the-counter whitening products are safe and work well, the list of the ingredients reveals that customers may be over-paying.
Here are the ingredients in Crest White Strips, a popular whitening system that can cost up to $40 dollars: PVP, PEG-8, Water, Hydrogen Peroxide, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, and Sodium Saccharin.
So what do these things do? Three of them are to keep the strip in place (PVP, PEG-8, and Acrylates Copolymer), one is for flavor (sodium saccharin), and one balances PH (sodium hydroxide; not essential because the body naturally balances its PH), leaving just water and the active ingredient: hydrogen peroxide. In case you didn’t know, hydrogen peroxide is available at your local drugstore for less than a dollar in most places.
Instead of paying a bundle for what is essentially glorified hydrogen peroxide, here’s how to whiten your teeth on your own. You need baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and an optional flavor. I use Vanilla extract, but you can pick extract you’d like.
1. Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with enough hydrogen peroxide to create a paste. 2. Add a drop of flavor. 3. Scoop up with toothbrush and brush normally. 4. Rinse with water
Be sure to use the 3% hydrogen peroxide solution from the first aid aisle in the store. Other higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide are available, but could be harmful. Crest White Strips use a 5% solution, and anything over 6% is considered dangerous for oral use.
If you’re sensitive to hydrogen peroxide or you notice your gums hurting because of it, you can mix it with an equal amount of water before adding it to the baking soda. If you still can’t handle the mixture, just forget the hydrogen peroxide altogether and use water. Baking soda alone can whiten you teeth, but it will take longer to see a result.
This is an optional mouth rinse recipe that helps with the whitening and removes the Baking Soda taste from your mouth.
1. Mix 75% lemon juice and 25% salt. If this is too harsh, dilute with water as needed. 2. Shake it up, put it in your mouth, swish and spit.
A quick word of caution: If you’re on a low-sodium diet, try not to swallow either the mouth rinse or the paste. Baking Soda is high in sodium, and recall that salt is used in the after rinse. Aside from that, everything here is safe if accidently swallowed and together cost under $10.
In conclusion, you do not need to purchase a whitening kit like Crest White Strips to whiten your teeth. Sure, the method I just showed you may not get results in two days, but after a week or so, you will notice a clear difference. By using these safe, common, and very cheap household items you can have a dazzling smile without breaking your bank.
Sources:
Crest 3D Whitening. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Crest 3D White. 2010. http://www.3dwhite.com/teeth- whitening/3d-white-faq.aspx (accessed July 26,2011).
Scientific Community of Consumer Products. ” Hydrogen peroxide, in its free form or when released, in oral hygiene products and tooth whitening products” Health and Consumer Protection. 18 Dec. 2007. http://ec.europa.eu/health/ ph_risk/committees/04_sccp/ docs/sccp_o_122.pdf (accessed July 26,2011).
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