Is Brushing Your Teeth Enough To Whiten Them?

People seem to be under the impression that teeth are naturally white and that brushing and flossing regularly is enough to maintain that perfect color that we were born with. If this is true, then how come there are so many people out there complaining about the color of their teeth even though they are completely disciplined when it comes to oral hygiene? Well, there are quite a few reasons for that.

One of the most common complaints that people have goes something like “my teeth are yellow even when I brush every day” and that complaint is usually followed by a few questions. Why that is so and what can I do in order to change the situation for the better? Let us try and answer those questions one at a time, starting with explaining those reasons I have mentioned in the very beginning. Simply put, let us see why your teeth are yellow even if you brush them every single day.

They Aren’t White To Begin With

Among the most common misconceptions about teeth, this one is definitely high on the list. People believe that our natural teeth are perfectly white and that, my friend, is nothing but a widespread myth. The natural color of your tooth is definitely not white, although it does come really close. The truth is, however, that we all have differently colored teeth from the moment we are born, but none of us have perfectly white ones.

So, this is the number one reason why you cannot maintain that light color you desire even if you brush every single day. Of course, this is definitely not the only reason, meaning that you should read on to find out about the others. I suppose that you can guess a few of those yourself already, but let us not get ahead of ourselves.

There Are A Lot Of Discoloring Agents

I suppose that you don’t live your life without ingesting anything whatsoever. I’m talking about food, drinks and even medicines. Those are only some of the discoloring agents that your teeth frequently come in touch with and the truth is that we simply cannot exclude these agents from the equation. After all, it’s not like you can stop eating, drinking or even breathing in order to ensure that you are keeping that perfect color that you want.

We all already know that smoking is harmful for our health as well as for the color of our teeth in general. However, nobody has ever said that tobacco is the only discoloring agent that you should worry about and that it is the only thing that can stain your enamel. Yet, it almost seems as if people have started blaming it for everything and disregarding all other agents, which is definitely not fair.

Of course, tobacco is definitely one of the substances that can perhaps have the strongest discoloration effects, but we cannot fail to take the other agents into considerations as well. As I have mentioned, a lot of different types of food and beverages come in contact with your enamel and stain it. Brushing simply isn’t enough to get rid of all of those stains, which ultimately leads to discoloration.

Read more about what can cause discoloration: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/tooth-discoloration#1

Ageing Causes Stains

In addition to the discoloration agents that I have mentioned above, you need to understand that ageing plays a crucial role in the color of your teeth. This is because your enamel will get worn down, thus exposing the yellow color beneath. When this will begin depends on how thick or thin your layer of enamel is. In any case, as we get older, it is completely natural for our teeth to get stained. There is almost nothing you can do to prevent this and you especially cannot expect brushing to do the trick.

Brushing Isn’t A Whitening Method

As already explained above, a lot of people seem to be under the impression that brushing is actually a whitening method and that it should be enough to maintain a perfect color. This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth. Brushing is certainly essential, but its primary goal is to get rid of plaque and prevent cavities. In other words, this activity has nothing to do with whitening.

So, let me now answer the question from the very title. No, brushing your teeth certainly isn’t enough to whiten them, partly because your enamel isn’t naturally white to begin with and partly because the very activity of brushing isn’t designed with whitening in mind. It is necessary in order to keep your oral health in check, but it certainly cannot do anything about the color.

What You can Do About It

Once you realize that brushing definitely isn’t going to solve the problem, you will have to start thinking about certain other methods and tricks that you can use in order to get that color you want. It’s completely natural for all of us to wish to have perfectly white teeth and a beautiful smile, but the sooner you understand that this won’t come naturally, the sooner you will start searching for the right solution for you. There are definitely quite a lot of different solutions, which should put your mind at ease, because one of those solutions is bound to work.

This means that you will have to find the solution that is perfect for you, but in order to do that, you will have to get properly acquainted with some of those. As explained by this useful source, there are quite a lot of different products you can try in order to get the results that you want, but this doesn’t mean that you should just randomly pick one of those out and hope for the best. The right thing to do is get as much info as possible about at least some of those products before you decide which one to try.

Of course, you can always resort to some of those natural methods that are frequently talked about, but make sure not to do anything that could actually be harmful. For example, studies have proved that salt can be harmful for your enamel and we all know that a lot of people use salt as a whitening product. So, it might be a good idea to stop doing that and, instead, check out some of the methods and the products that actually work without causing any harm whatsoever.

Try Whitening Toothpaste

I know I have been talking about the ineffectiveness of brushing in regards to whitening, but here’s the thing. I was talking about brushing with regular toothpaste. On the other hand, using the type of toothpaste that is created specifically with whitening purposes in mind is a completely different story. In other words, while regular toothpaste cannot help you in this endeavor, whitening toothpaste definitely can, which is why you might want to give it a shot.

This is definitely one of the easiest methods you can try in order to get rid of discoloration and the stains that are probably annoying you. The best part is, this particular product will be really easy on your wallet. It isn’t much more expensive than regular toothpaste, which means that it will be worth every penny, especially since it certainly can bring some positive results to the table.

Research The Strips

In addition to the toothpaste, there are quite a few more useful and extremely successful products that you can use in order to remove those stains and finally solve the problem of discoloration. Strips are one of those products that I am talking about. In case you have done any research whatsoever on whitening procedures, you must have come across this particular method. If not, however, then I suggest you do some more research on the topic of whitening strips.

These strips, of course, contain peroxide which can definitely remove the stains from your teeth. One of their advantages lies in the fact that they are rather easy to use, meaning that you won’t have to spend your money on products that you won’t be sure you are using correctly. The best part is, you will definitely be able to see the first results rather quickly, which certainly speaks in favor of these strips. On top of all that, these are also rather inexpensive, which makes them even more appealing to the general public.

Go For Trays And Gels

We have already made it clear that there are some natural teeth whitening methods, meaning that the products I am talking about here aren’t put in that particular category. Yet, it is important for you to understand that these are also completely safe and usually extremely effective, meaning that you don’t need to worry about those products causing any harm whatsoever to your enamel. What’s more, we have also explained that some of those natural methods, on the other hand, can be harmful, but also completely ineffective.

If you are looking for a product that is both safe and effective at the same time, then you definitely need to think about opting for those trays with whitening gels inside. These are probably among the safest and the most effective methods out there. Of course, you need to keep in mind that results won’t come over night and that you need to be disciplined and persistent in using this particular product in order to achieve your particular goal regarding the color. Luckily, these trays with gels are definitely extremely easy to use, which will turn the whole process of whitening into a pretty pleasant experience.