A bright smile is essential for success in today’s society. Your smile is often the first thing that people notice about you and having yellow or discoloured teeth can negatively impact their impression. Having yellow or discoloured teeth can hurt your self-perception and decrease your inner confidence, making happiness in your career, romance and social life seem all the more difficult to achieve.
Fortunately, there are many different solutions to whitening your smile. There are many products available in both dentist’s office and over-the-counter that work like magic to make your teeth bright again. Unfortunately, many of these products contain harsh chemicals that can cause sensitivity in the teeth and may even damage the enamel, the tooth’s protective outer covering. However, ToothStars has tested and rated some DIY kits for their safety and effectiveness.
If you want to avoid potentially harmful chemicals, there are many safe and natural remedies that can be used to effectively whiten your teeth. One of the best kept secret remedies to naturally whitening teeth is extra virgin olive oil.
Stains on teeth can be caused by many factors. Because it is a liquid, olive oil can travel between your teeth and gum line, easily removing any leftover food debris missed by your toothbrush. Gums can create toxins that can result in stains on teeth. Olive oil clears and eliminates these toxins, not only leaving your smile beautiful, but also improving the health of your gums. Another benefit is that because olive oil is a fat, it can remove lip soluble stains on the enamel that are not removed by brushing alone.
You will want to use cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil to whiten your teeth, because it is the freshest, least processed and the least likely to contain any harmful chemicals.
How Exactly Can Olive Oil be Used to Brighten Your Smile?
Extra virgin olive oil can be used to whiten teeth before or after you brush. The process of whitening your teeth with olive oil after you brush is fairly simple. You apply the olive oil to either your tooth brush or wash cloth, and it will fight chemicals and stains on your teeth that toothpaste may have missed.
However, if you want to ensure a more thorough job of whitening your teeth with olive oil, you will need to use a procedure called oil pulling before you brush your teeth. Even though this can be more tedious and definitely more time-consuming at first, oil pulling with extra virgin olive oil can gently and effectively remove stains, whiten teeth and improve the health of your mouth and body.
Oil pulling is a natural and effective home remedy that has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine. Not only does it whiten teeth, but it makes them more resistant to accumulating any potential stains in the future.
Oil Pulling Procedure
To effectively whiten your teeth with olive oil, follow the directions as listed below:
- Take one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and swish the liquid in your mouth for approximately 20 minutes. Make sure to perform this procedure slowly in all directions in order to reach the areas between each tooth and gum. This process should be performed each morning on an empty stomach.
- Breathe through your nose and spit the olive oil out in the trash. Do not be surprised if the oil turns white and frothy.
- It is very important not to swallow the oil because it collects bacteria and other toxins and could make you sick if it gets into your digestive system. Try not to gargle to avoid swallowing the olive oil-bacteria cocktail.
- Thoroughly rinse your mouth out with water, and spit again.
- Then make sure to brush your teeth.
There is no pressure, so if you are not able to perform this procedure comfortably at first, just try again the next day.
You should begin to notice a difference in 30 to 60 days.
Other mouth problems that you may be having may improve with oil pulling. Bad breath, cavities, bleeding gums, and tooth pain may be resolved with the practice of olive oil pulling. Because many diseases originate in the mouth, you may find that oil pulling can help relieve chronic conditions such as asthma, arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, and even diabetes!
But how exactly does olive oil keep your mouth clean?
Accumulated food can result in tarter build-up and tooth decay over time. When plaque builds up along the gum line, little pockets form and can breed harmful bacteria. Gingivitis occurs when the bacteria produce toxic chemicals that cause inflammation and bleeding in your gums. Every time you swallow, you ingest these bacteria and their toxins into your system.
Olive oil is a thick, liquid fat and after 20 minutes of exposure, it seeps into the bacteria-filled pockets in the lining of the gums. Its viscosity is what makes olive oil a more effective cleanser than mouthwash. Because it is a liquid, olive oil is able to reach places where a tooth brush and dental floss are unable to go.
Extra virgin olive oil is a natural and effective home remedy that can whiten your teeth, improve the health of your mouth and may even improve your health systemically. Attaining a white and happy smile should not mean exposing yourself to harmful chemicals. Olive oil offers a safe means of brightening not only your teeth, but also your life as well.
