If you have teeth that are not as white as you would like, there are several methods you can use to make them brighter by removing surface stains. These methods can be done in the comfort of your own home using products you most likely already have readily available. Here are some simple ways to brighten teeth using everyday household items.

Check The Kitchen

Baking soda is an excellent resource to use to whiten teeth. It is fast-acting and will lighten your teeth by several shades. Take a quarter-cup of baking soda and add water a teaspoon at a time until the consistency is that of toothpaste. Add a squirt or two of fresh lemon juice to help with flavoring.

Place the mixture on your toothbrush and brush the teeth as you would with toothpaste. Spit it out after a minute, as the properties are very strong and it can wear away at the enamel on your teeth if you leave it on the surface for too long. Limit this method to once a week so it doesn't damage the benefits of enamel.

Try Using Fruit

There are a few different fruits that can help remove discolored areas on the surface of your teeth. Try rubbing the inside of a banana peel directly to your teeth. The potassium in bananas has properties that are known to help fade staining. Strawberries are another fruit that can remove staining simply by applying the fruit to the teeth. Mash a strawberry with a fork, tip your head back and place the pulp on the fronts of your teeth while you grimace. Keep this position for several minutes for the best results.

On To The Bathroom

If you do not have baking soda or fruit in your home, you may have hydrogen peroxide. This is used to remove bacteria from cuts, helping to avoid infection. It is also a wonderful way to remove stains from teeth, while removing bacteria at the same time. Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash so it gets on all surfaces of the teeth. Swish it around for a minute and spit it out.

Change Some Habits

The best way to keep your teeth's whiteness is to avoid staining altogether. After trying some of the above methods to whiten, keep them this color by changing some habits. When the enamel layer on top of the teeth wears, the dentin layer underneath shows instead. This is a yellowish color. The best way to keep white teeth is to avoid losing your enamel.

Change the way your brush your teeth by switching the direction your brush each time. If you brush up and down, switch to back and forth the next day. This can help keep enamel from wearing. Avoid acidic beverages like coffee, tea and wine, as they are known to wear away enamel. Use a straw to reduce the amount of these beverages that get on your teeth.

To learn more, contact a dental office like Nitro Family Dentistry.