How to Keep Your Teeth White
Hydrate | Diet | Brush | Protect | Diseases | Whiten | Action
Evidence-based. Credit goes to all researchers
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Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. To keep your teeth white, doesn’t just mean using a whitening toothpaste. You need to have good oral hygiene and this is done through hydration, diet, brushing, protecting and being mindful of oral diseases.
Hydrating for Whiter Teeth 💦
Drinking water helps flush out food stuck in your mouth and teeth. Water also helps neutralise your mouth and teeth after eating salty, sugary and acidic foods.
There is a strong relationship between water intake and oral diseases. People who consume more water are at lower risk of dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontal disease (Y. R. Kim, 2021).
Aim to drink 2-3 litres daily and drink regularly, especially after meals.
Many Countries in the world add fluoride to tap water to help prevent tooth decay, the World Health Organisation’s current recommended amount is between 0.5 to 1.0 ppm (Stangvaltaite-Mouhat et al., 2021).
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Eating for a Brighter Smile😋
Eat fruits and vegetables, organic/raw if possible and limit sugary, salty and starchy foods (Beaudette et al., 2017).
Your teeth can hurt when you eat sugary foods and do not have good oral hygiene.
Crunchy Fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots help develop jaw muscles and make teeth stronger, try to eat them whole and not cut them (Nowjack-Raymer & Sheiham, 2007).
Coffee, tea and red wine are known to stain teeth which is why you should brush your teeth after drinking. For example, brushing after having your morning breakfast with tea/coffee. When eating or drinking at other times rinse your mouth with water.
Fruits contain natural sugars and a tablespoon of honey can help keep sugar cravings out.
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Nutrients to focus on
A diet rich in Calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and Vitamin D can help maintain good tooth health.
| Nutrients | Best Sources |
| Calcium | Parmesan Cheese, Plain Yogurt, Almonds, Spinach, Kale, Milk |
| Magnesium | Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds, Avocados, Cacao powder, Spinach, Kale, Bananas |
| Phosphorous | Chicken, Salmon, Milk, Cottage Cheese, Plain Yogurt, Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Quinoa, Oats |
| Potassium | Potatoes, Beets, Spinach, Kale, Tomatoes, Salmon, Oranges, Bananas, Avocados, Plain Yogurt |
| Vitamin D | ~20 min of midday sun exposure, Salmon, Tuna, Egg yolks |
Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus
Teeth are made up of Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus (Uwitonze et al., 2020). Daily consumption of these minerals can prevent tooth loss as we age (Adegboye et al., 2010).
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps with the formation of teeth, protecting them against tooth decay and remineralisation of teeth enamel with the release of calcium in saliva (Pratyusha et al., 2021). It also has inflammatory effects and helps in calcium absorption and bone remodelling (Uwitonze et al., 2020).
Potassium
Potassium helps prevent tooth loss as we age (Kim & Lee, 2021).
Brushing for Pearly Whites 🪥
Brush twice a day, morning and night. Have a good morning and night routine.
Brush gently in a circular motion and focus on getting all parts of the teeth. Adults have 32 teeth, give attention to each tooth. Brushing gently also prevents gums from bleeding. Gently brush your gums for a short while, above and below.
Brush for a good 2 mins, many electronic brushes have a 2-minute timer which helps makes tracking time easier they are also better at removing plaque (Hayasaki et al., 2014).
Replace electronic toothbrush heads every 3 months or when the bristles start to splay on the outer tufts, beyond the base of the toothbrush head (Conforti et al., 2003; van Leeuwen et al., 2018).
As an added tip, after brushing holding the paste in the front of your mouth for a further minute before spitting it out may help make your teeth whiter.
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Tongue scraping
Gently brushing your tongue at the end can also make it easier to help remove bacteria and plaque with a tongue scraper after brushing (Winnier et al., 2013).
Using a tongue scraper can help reduce bacteria but won’t inhibit dental plaque formation. Thus it should be used in combination with toothbrushing for good oral health (Matsui et al., 2014).
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Morning/night Routine
If you have good oral hygiene you can wake up with minimal mouth odour and so you can have your breakfast first and then shower and brush this helps you start the day with no breakfast bits stuck to your teeth and a fresher mouth until lunchtime.
For nighttime, dedicate 30 minutes before sleeping to brush early and then spend the rest of your time doing a relaxing activity like reading a book. This will help you sleep easier as you won’t be using any electronic devices emitting blue light and will also make a habit to brush early, meaning you are less likely to forget or skip instead of right before bed.
Brushing both night and morning is essential to keep mouth bacteria which cause odour at bay. Even with a healthy diet you cant avoid plaque that builds up, brushing both morning and night makes it easier to start your day with a fresher mouth.
Protecting Your Teeth from Stains 💪
Chew Xylitol gum
Chewing dental gum containing xylitol can help reduce mouth bacteria and also help produce saliva which can further wash away bacteria and food particles.
A study was done on 24 adults who chewed 10 pieces of xylitol chewing gum a day (6.2g of xylitol/ day). After 2 weeks results showed a 20% reduction in dental plaque. Bacteria associated with caries (tooth decay/cavities) decreased by 10.26% and two other types of bacteria associated with periodontitis decreased by 6.32% and 1.66% (Wu et al., 2022).
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Flossing
You can protect your teeth by flossing if there are bits of food stuck to your teeth that won’t come out and if you notice plaque building up between your teeth. Regularly flossing can reduce gums diseases such as gingivitis by reducing inflammation and stimulating the gums (Worthington et al., 2019). Flossing or using mouthwash is not needed but can help with oral care.
Smoking
Protect your mouth from second-hand smoke, and other forms of smoke like vapes, shisha, cannabis and cigar (Huilgol et al., 2018; Ramôa et al., 2017; Nazir, 2017).
Dental checkups
Go for dental checkups once or twice a year, and don’t delay at all if you suspect tooth decay as nothing can correct it other than treatment. Going as soon as possible will save you money and needing a more invasive treatment in the future (Thomson et al., 2010).
Flouride toothpaste
For toothpaste, fluoride levels between 1000 and 1500 ppm are effective in preventing caries (tooth decay/cavities). Brushing with non-fluoride toothpaste and flossing cannot prevent a person from getting cavities without fluoride (Walsh et al., 2019).
Avoiding Dental Diseases for a White Smile 🤒
Plaque
Not removing plaque regularly will lead to tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath (Porter & Scully, 2006). Plaque is formed from food byproducts, bacteria and saliva that are always in your mouth, it can feel fuzzy on your teeth.
Calculus
Plaque can harden into tartar (calculus) and is found around the gum line. Tartar can cause receding gums and gum disease, it can feel rough on your teeth. Hardened calculus can only be removed from specialised tools at the dentist (Kamath & Umesh Nayak, 2014).
Gingivitis
Gum disease (gingivitis) is the inflammation and irritation of gum tissue at the base of the teeth, this is when your gums are puffy and may bleed when brushing (Intan et al., 2020). Gingivitis can further into periodontitis if left untreated.
Periodontitis
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes pockets to form between your gums and teeth these pockets eventually fill with plaque, tartar and bacteria, and cause bone and tissue loss, eventually making you lose your teeth permanently. Periodontitis can also increase your risk of systemic diseases including cardiovascular, respiratory, arthritis, cancer and kidney disease (Nazir, 2017).
Achieving a Hollywood Smile with Teeth Whitening 😁
To make your teeth whiter, use good quality toothpaste containing fluoride on weekdays and weekends a whitening toothpaste with hydrogen peroxide, a teeth whitening ingredient that dentists use.
Toothpaste even with just 1% hydrogen peroxide has a significant whitening effect, so high values are not needed, it just means it will take more time to whiten teeth compared to 2%, 3% or 5% toothpaste (Epple et al., 2019).
Abrasives are the most important ingredient in toothpaste for stain removal, with whitening toothpaste usually having a stronger and higher amount of abrasives, but some contain fewer abrasives and a higher hydrogen peroxide level which is usually better (Epple et al., 2019).
Toothpaste with RDA (radioactive dentin abrasion) values below 250 are considered safe. The RDA value measures how abrasive toothpaste is which is a needed component of toothpaste to whiten and remove stains.
If you drink coffee or tea Colgate optic white with hydrogen peroxide levels between 1%, 2%, 3% or 5% is recommended (Mehrgan et al., 2021).
- Two 3 oz. tubes of Colgate Optic White Pro Series Teeth Whitening Toothpaste
- Stain removal toothpaste that remove 15 years of stains when brushing twice daily for 2 weeks
- Colgate’s patented 5% hydrogen peroxide formula deeply whitens teeth inside and out
- Hydrogen peroxide toothpaste that fights stains
- Whitening toothpaste is enamel-safe for daily use
- Stain Prevention mint toothpaste helps keep your breath fresh
- Anticavity fluoride toothpaste helps protect against cavities
Action to take ✍️
- Drink water regularly, especially after meals.
- Drink 2-3 litres a day.
- Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, especially whole crunchy ones like apples and carrots.
- Focus on calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and Vitamin D.
- Limit sugary, salty and starchy foods.
- Eat fruits and a tablespoon of honey for sugar cravings.
- When drinking coffee, tea and wine rinse with water after, or brush.
- Gently Brush twice a day with an electronic toothbrush for 2 minutes, focus on each tooth, and brush your gums and tongue at the end gently too.
- Hold in the paste for 1 min before spitting.
- Replace electronic toothbrush heads every 3 months or when the bristles start to splay on the outer tufts.
- Brush after breakfast.
- Have a good morning and nighttime routine.
- Brush 30 minutes before bed.
- Chew (xylitol) dental gum after each meal.
- Floss to remove bits of food and plaque.
- Go for dental checkups once a year.
- Don’t do any form of smoking.
- Use fluoride toothpaste on weekdays and whitening toothpaste on weekends for whiter teeth.
- Use Colgate optic white if you drink coffee or tea regularly.
This may seem like a lot of work for healthy teeth, but it is worth it when you see the results, as a smile is one of the first things people notice about you, not to mention the increased confidence and self-esteem it gives you.
References 🤓
Adegboye, A. R. A., Fiehn, N., Twetman, S., Christensen, L. B., & Heitmann, B. L. (2010). Low Calcium Intake Is Related to Increased Risk of Tooth Loss in Men. The Journal of Nutrition, 140(10), 1864–1868. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.109.117770
Beaudette, J., Fritz, P., Sullivan, P., & Ward, W. (2017). Oral Health, Nutritional Choices, and Dental Fear and Anxiety. Dentistry Journal, 5(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj5010008
Conforti, N. J., Cordero, R. E., Liebman, J., Bowman, J. P., Putt, M. S., Kuebler, D. S., Davidson, K. R., Cugini, M., & Warren, P. R. (2003). An investigation into the effect of three months’ clinical wear on toothbrush efficacy: results from two independent studies. The Journal of clinical dentistry, 14(2), 29–33.
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