Nature's Way of Whitening Teeth

What is "natural teeth-whitening?"

Natural teeth whitening could probably mean that plants and plant products (as well as animal products) are used as sources of chemicals that whiten the teeth.

Plants and animal products have been a source of chemicals and drugs that have now been developed and produced synthetically in laboratories around the world. Given such, it is possible that some of the plants around us contain teeth whitening substances.

What are some of the natural teeth whitening products?

Since most of the teeth whitening products are synthetic nowadays, most natural teeth whiteners have turned obsolete, some proven to have drawbacks, while others mere hearsay. Below are some of these natural teeth whiteners and commentaries on their supposed activity.

1. Lemon juice and other citrus juices
It is a wide belief and practice that brushing the teeth with lemon and eating a lot of lemon can whiten the teeth.

Comment:
Dentists explain that although whitening can be observed on the teeth, this is due to the removal of calcium from the enamel. In the long run, this is bad for the teeth because acid in lemon juice "eats away" the calcium in the enamel and make the teeth weak.

2. Strawberry
Crushing strawberries to get the juice can be used to whiten the teeth.

Comment:
Similar to lemons, strawberries contain acids. Although it may cause a slight whitening by removing calcium from the enamel, it is not good for the teeth because they actually become weaker and more prone to tooth decay.

3. Lentisk
Lentisk (Pistacia lentiscus) is a red fruit that contains oils. Chewing this fruit is claimed to make gums stronger and teeth whiter. Lentisk or Mastic contains resins that have antiseptic properties. This has documented use in Malta in dental care to fight inflammations of the mouth and gum. Also, it is said to whiten the teeth and freshen breath.

Comment:
Antiseptic use for inflammations of the mouth and gum is plausible since infections arising from bacteria can be killed with a natural antiseptic. This may also account for its use as a breath freshener. But teeth whitening property is also possible since it contains high amounts of mastic acid. Although acids can bleach the teeth thus making them white, they also make the enamel weak.

4. Semperflorens
Fragaria vesca or semperflorens has documented use of being a tooth cleaner. The juice from the fruit is used to clean the teeth and is left for 5 minutes before removing. This action supposedly removes the stain from the teeth. It is also used as a gargle since it as antiseptic properties. It also has skin-whitening properties.

Comment:
There is not much information to infer the effectiveness of semperflorens as a teeth whitener. But since all plant fruits contain acids with varying concentrations, it is probably that acid which accounts for its skin and teeth whitening properties, and tannins which account for its antiseptic use.

5. Lye (from wood ash)
Lye or potassium hydroxide is derived by adding water to wood ash and leaving it for a few days. The reaction between water and ash produces lye. Lye is said to be effective in whitening the teeth.

Comment:
Lye is a strong base thus it can whiten the teeth by reacting with the enamel similar to how an acid reacts with the enamel and removes calcium thereby weakening the teeth. Strong bases can also hurt the gums and other soft tissues and cause cell and tissue death.

Some literatures say that they can be used but should be followed with a fluoride containing solution or calcium-containing synthetic dental product to seal the surface of the tooth’s enamel and provide added protection.

From these entries it can be tentatively generalized that natural teeth whiteners work although only up to a certain extent. Moreover, they also have a disadvantage accompanying their teeth whitening property, which may prove to be a major drawback if they are to be considered as alternatives to their synthetic counterparts.

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