Yikes!  My teeth look stained and look darker.  What can I do?

White, sparkling teeth are an outward sign of health and cleanliness. Unfortunately, even those who have perfect dental hygiene can have teeth that look discolored, due to coffee, wine, chocolate, dark protein drinks, smoking, dark juices, and tea stains. Are there any safe, effective ways to remove these stains from your teeth at home, thus improving your self-image, confidence, and smile? Yes, but it is not a guarantee or 100% effective especially if you continuously use coffee, wine, chocolate, dark protein drinks, smoking, dark juices, and tea and do not brush soon after ingesting.

The first, and possibly the safest, method for lifting stains from teeth at home is to brush them with baking soda, possibly mixed with a little hydrogen peroxide at most once a week with a soft toothbrush. It sounds odd, but baking soda is incredibly powerful, breaking up the stains in each tooth at a molecular level and scrubbing them away. It also polishes the surface of teeth, leaving them shiny and bright, and neutralizes bacteria and odors. What's more, baking soda is very safe, and it won't wear away protective enamel unless you use it every day and/or use a hard toothbrush, have gum recession. So brush for a longer period of time gently with a soft brush. The latest studied recommendation is two full minutes.

To brush with baking soda, simply wet your toothbrush and lightly dip the brush into a new box of baking soda or make a paste mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. When the bristles have a light coating of powder, brush gently in very small circles! As you brush, make sure you reach every available surface of your teeth AND GUMS, and brush for at least two minutes to make sure the baking soda reaches every little space. It won't taste very good, but the strong salty flavor is worth it for the results you'll get unless the stain especially smoke has permeated the enamel of the teeth. Only use this at most once a week because it can cause grooves in your teeth because it is abrasive. Adding hydrogen peroxide and making a mixture which also works.  This is not 100% remedy especially if you continue to regularly use the mentioned items.

Another good way to remove stains is to bleach them out of the teeth if the teeth are clean and the stain has not permeated the enamel. Bleaching has been studied and reported as safe but can cause tooth sensitivity. There are many options out there if you want to bleach your teeth. An easy household method is to simply rinse your mouth with peroxide once a week or so, which will brighten teeth without weakening the enamel.

Over-the-counter whitening strips are another way to bleach teeth. Whitening strips are strips of plastic coated in bleaching gel, which you press to the surface of your teeth and leave in place for fifteen to thirty minutes at a time. These strips are not as effective as custom dentist-made bleaching trays and patients report the strips taste bad and slip around have mixed results, depending on how badly stained the teeth are. They only cover a few teeth so they end up being more expensive in the long run than custom made clear trays from moulds of your teeth.

The dentist-dispensed bleach comes in different strengths up to 35% where the patient wears the trays for half an hour. This is a big change from the old days of bleaching and much more convenient than the old way of sleeping with the trays in. Prices within the dental profession range from free with other services to $675+. Use of the Zoom technique brings the price up and quite frankly in my own personal experience I found it overpriced and still have to wear the trays anyway. Some people love it. That just was not my experience and my teeth became extremely sensitive. Ask first before deciding.  Your teeth should have been recently cleaned by a professional for the results to be effective.

Again, if coffee, wine, chocolate, dark protein drinks, smoking, dark juices, and tea continue to be used and brushing does not occur after use, disappointment and discouragement may result. To help remove stains and prevent new stains from forming, brush your teeth soon after you have finished your cup of to coffee, wine, chocolate, dark protein drinks, dark juice, or smoking. If you have no access to a sink or time to brush your teeth after every use, at least swish a few sips of water around your mouth or chew some sugarless gum. This will help wash away residue. Always use a soft brush and make gentle circles bushing your gums as well. The suggested time is at least two minutes, one on the top and one on the bottom....and do not forget the back inside.

Finally, I would like to briefly address a few myths related to removing stains from teeth. There's a lot of information circulating about rubbing strawberries on your teeth, or rinsing with lemon juice, to make your teeth whiter. Do not try these techniques, because not only do they not work, they can be harmful. The acidity in strawberries and lemon juice can wear away enamel, and worn enamel not only holds on to bacteria longer and becomes discolored faster, but causes tooth sensitivity and makes teeth more susceptible to cavities.

You are now armed with all the information you need to be on your way to a bright, beautiful, confident smile if you are willing to do the work and not be obsessive in your use of coffee, wine, chocolate, dark protein drinks, dark juices, tea, or smoking (this includes both tobacco and marijuana.) J

Substantially modified but full credit for original given to Rhea Wood from online article.