Dazzling
white smiles can be an expensive business, but a host of so-called
‘natural’ teeth-whitening methods has become an internet craze.
Entire
websites are devoted to the unlikely fruit, spices and oils which
apparently promise to give you a Hollywood smile at a fraction of the
price.
But
can natural methods ever really whiten teeth effectively? We asked Dr
Uchenna Okoye, clinical director at London Smiling Dental Group...
CLAIM:
Mash up a ripe strawberry, dip your toothbrush in it and brush
carefully over teeth. Within two weeks, your teeth will be whiter.
DENTIST’S VERDICT: TRUE.
Strawberries contain citric acid, which can weaken the surface hardness
of your teeth. But it also contains the more gentle malic acid, and the
riper the strawberry becomes, the higher the concentration of malic
acid compared to the more harmful citric acid.
So
choose a really ripe strawberry, rub it on your teeth and just like
exfoliating the skin, it does remove superficial debris. The malic acid
won’t actually break down the stain molecules, but the surface clean
gives your teeth a whiter appearance. A gentle and effective natural
whitener.
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