Old home remedy? Does baking soda act against existing tooth discoloration?

Unsightly tooth discoloration: Help home remedies such as baking soda?
Teeth can rarely be kept white naturally. By the consumption of red wine, coffee, tea or cigarettes discolor the teeth. Some people then try to treat tooth decay with special toothpastes. Others rely on home remedies such as baking soda. But that really helps?

Wishbone should be as white as snow
According to the wishes of many people, teeth should be white as snow. Unfortunately, the reality is often different: red wine, cigarettes or tea discolour the teeth. Allegedly, so-called whitening toothpastes make the teeth whiter by removing such deposits, but according to some experts, the re-coloration effect is even enhanced. But what helps a beautiful white smile?

Almost every person wants bright white teeth. But caffeine, nicotine and nicotine often cause tooth discoloration. Do home remedies help to whiten teeth? (Image: nenetus / fotolia.com)

Help home remedies for tooth discoloration?
In some internet guides is advised to try baking soda, cigar ashtray or lemon juice against discolored teeth. What's up with such tips? In a report of the "Kölnische Rundschau", the dentist practicing at Carree Dental in Cologne said Jochen Schmidt: "These home remedies are anything but optimal natural bleach."

According to the implantologist, the acids and emollients contained in it cause "the opposite of the desired effect". He warned, "They destroy the enamel and let the underlying dentin shine through more and more."

Maintain your teeth well every day
To have radiantly beautiful toes, you have to take good care of them every day. "Regular brushing provides the best protection against tooth decay and ugly discoloration," Dr. Schmidt. It also depends heavily on the right technology. Shaking and brushing is particularly useful, according to dentists.

Nicotine, caffeine and red wine should - if at all - be consumed only in moderation. "Otherwise, these stimulants lead sooner or later to unsightly deposits of dyes on the tooth surface," explained the physician. Since sticky foods such as honey, chocolate snacks or bananas additionally accelerate plaque formation, it should also be less frequently accessed.

No whitening toothpastes with exposed tooth necks
Although special toothpastes, thanks to the active ingredient titanium dioxide, can lighten tooth surfaces when coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco have left their mark, some products rub tooth enamel very hard and should therefore not be used on a daily basis. It is best to ask the dentist for advice first. "If the teeth are naturally yellowish, by the way, whitening toothpastes hardly have an effect," Dr. Schmidt. For exposed tooth necks, they should never be used.

Basic color of the teeth is hereditary
According to the expert, if the discoloration has accumulated in the enamel, bleaching is often helpful: "With this method, a chemical oxidation changes the color pigments in the enamel so that the teeth then appear bright and clean," says the dentist. However, the basic color of the teeth is hereditary and also the enamel gets thinner and thinner in the course of life, so that the underlying dentin shines through increasingly darker. Thorough brushing and bleaching do not help.

In some cases, veneers can help. These so-called veneers are ceramic bowls that are glued to the tooth. The tooth must first be ground down a bit, then the veneer veneers discolored areas.

"Home" or "Power Bleaching"
When bleaching, a distinction is made between different forms. In the so-called "home bleaching", the dentist makes a bleaching tray made of plastic, which is filled with a whitening gel. This is worn by the patient every day for a few hours at home.

In the case of "power or in-office bleaching", on the other hand, according to the report, the dentist uses preparations in a much higher concentration. This procedure is therefore used exclusively in the dental practice. Although there are also various products for the teeth whitening at home in pharmacies and drugstores, but their effect is significantly reduced due to the reduced concentration of bleach. (Ad)