When you have a big occasion coming up, especially one like a wedding where the pictures taken will
be saved for a lifetime, it is only natural that you would want to look your best. For a lot of people this
includes having white teeth and a beautiful smile. So you may ask yourself, how to whiten teeth at
home, without expensive dentist work? You are in luck, there is a wide range of options available that
can all be used in the comfort of your own home and won’t break the bank.
One of the first options for how to whiten your teeth at home is to use a teeth whitening toothpaste.
These tend not to cost much more than a regular toothpaste but should contain an active ingredient
that will whiten your teeth without you changing your normal routine. The active ingredients you want
to look out for in a good tooth whitening toothpaste are hydrogen peroxide or baking soda, ideally both!
There are some slightly newer active ingredients that the main brand toothpastes such as Colgate and
Aquafresh put in their toothpastes, but hydrogen peroxide and baking soda are a sure thing!
If you want to make your own teeth whitening toothpaste you can mix baking soda with your regular
toothpaste, while this won’t taste very pleasant, it is a cheap and effective way to get good teeth
whitening results at home.
The next option for how to whiten teeth at home comes in the form of purchasing some low
concentration hydrogen peroxide solution and using it as a mouthwash after brushing. You ideally need
to be looking for 2-3% solution which can be bought at your local pharmacy for a whole range of things.
One side effect to be aware of is potential soreness of gums, however at such low concentrations this
will be temporary and you should start seeing results in the color of your teeth within a few weeks.
The next step up price wise for how to whiten teeth at home comes in the form of teeth whitening kits
than can be bought both from pharmacies and online at a range of price points. These can range from
strips that you wear for a few hours or overnight, to mouth pieces that can be worn for a length of time
to hold gels and other products against your teeth. Most of these products are hydrogen peroxide
based and work on the principle of holding the hydrogen peroxide against your teeth directly, unlike
with a mouthwash in order to speed up the results. As the treatment is more targeted it can also be
used in higher concentrations which also speeds up the process. These kits can get quite expensive and
are intended for a rapid teeth whitening solution rather than a long term fix to the underlying problems.
Before embarking on any teeth whitening regime from home, always ask yourself what has caused
the discoloration in the first place. If it is a lack of brushing then you may simply be able to get results
by using your normal toothpaste more often and rigorously. If you are a heavy smoker or coffee
drinker then you are likely to notice the discoloration come back to your teeth as soon as you stop the
treatments.
There are other ways in which you can get whiter teeth from home that fall into the category of home
remedies from such as rubbing strawberries on your teeth to mixing vinegar and salt as a mouthwash,
which would be a very unpleasant experience indeed! Overall the best long term solution to getting
whiter teeth at home is to find a teeth whitening toothpaste that works well for you, so you don’t have
to build in anything new into your daily routines. Arm & Hammer make a toothpaste that can be bought
in all major stores that contains both hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, and still contains the cavity
fighting fluoride that is needed from a regular toothpaste, without the vile taste from mixing your own
baking soda toothpaste. Considering this costs no more than a regular brand name toothpaste it is
a great long term solution and a much better option than cosmetic dentistry or a one off whitening
kit, where the results will not last more than a few days before you have to spend money to purchase
another kit.
Should you have any adverse reactions to any teeth whitening product you are using at home it is
recommended that you seek medical attention immediately to ensure no lasting damage, as when you
are using any self medicating product. How to whiten teeth at home doesn’t need to be difficult or
expensive, but with the right knowledge you can build it into your daily routine and not even know you
are doing it.