It’s not just wrinkles that can make you look older: Your smile can age you, too. White teeth are like shiny, thick hair; it is something that many people in our cosmetically driven world desire today.

Men and women, old or young, everyone wants to have a whiter smile. Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you, and a flawlessly bright smile indicates health, vigor and of course, beauty.

Saudis spend a huge amount of money buying teeth whitening products and getting clinical procedures done just to achieve the right and suitable shade of teeth. “Many dentists would recommend not to get these procedures done for they might make your teeth a little sensitive and you might not be able to stand it,” said beauty expert Sabine. “Looking deeper into this issue, you are actually applying chemicals to cook your teeth into a bleached color. We try to avoid this as much as possible,” she added.

This pushed beauty experts and those who are interested in looking younger with a set of pearly teeth to start looking into more natural alternatives. “All you need is a bit of patience because doing things naturally takes a little more time to restore whiteness to your teeth,” said Sabine. “This does not mean teeth will be milky white but they will look as natural as possible and not anything crazy like you have been bleaching them night and day,” she added.

Studies show that with each decade that we age, our teeth can become up to one or two shades darker. “The color pigmentation inside the teeth becomes more noticeable as the dentin structure below the enamel grows,” said Dr. Tariq Abujameel, a cosmetic dentist at Hamra Clinic. “Genetics play a large role in the darkening of our teeth extrinsically and intrinsically, but environmental factors, oral hygiene and nutrition also contribute to the shade of our teeth,” he added.

To find out how to whiten our teeth, you have to know the reasons why they turned yellow in the first place. There are various factors that play a part, including genetics, the types of food and drink you consume and how you exercise oral hygiene. “A normal tooth is made up of four tissues: Enamel, which is the strong white covering that protects the tooth; dentin, which supports the enamel and is a hard yellow material that carries nerves; pulp, which is at the center of the tooth and contains blood and lymph vessels; and cementum, which covers the root of the tooth,” said Sabine.

The enamel and dentin play a big role in teeth color, because certain foods and drinks can directly stain the enamel. “With time, the two biggest causes are the bad food and drink that you consume, which can actually break down the enamel and weaken it as we grow old,” said Dr. Abujameel. “The teeth’s enamel breaks down and reveals the yellow dentin underneath it. Whitening the teeth can help to brighten teeth that have already lost some white enamel, one must also do things to strengthen enamel to keep it from breaking down further,” he added.

The trend of whitening teeth started over ten years ago when toothpaste brands came out with professional whitening products such as toothpastes and stripes, which created a new industry. “The standard for teeth whitening has progressively increased over the past decades and what people called a bright shade 15 years ago is considered yellow today,” Dr. Abujameel said. “To help patients envision their results, aesthetic dentists have created special bleached porcelains to parallel the heightened whitening expectations that the market offers today,” he added.

Here is one of the most effective ways to brighten teeth naturally:

Baking soda and lemon juice paste

This works by gently scrubbing away surface stains to return teeth to a whiter shade. It will reduce the acidity of the lemon juice, which acts as a natural bleach of sorts. It is recommended to use a mixture of baking soda and water on some days, and use lemon juice on others, just don’t overdo it.

You will need: Five teaspoons of baking soda, juice of one whole lemon or water to form a paste and a toothbrush.

“You need to blend several teaspoons of baking soda with enough fresh lemon juice or water to make a thick paste,” said Sabine. “Wipe your teeth clean with a paper towel and put the paste onto the toothbrush and start rubbing. Leave it on for at least a minute, then rinse with warm water to avoid the acid from affecting the enamel,” she added.

—

Email: [email protected]