Whiter Teeth : Natural Ways to Whiten Your Teeth

White teeth and a radiant smile – if that’s your goal, you don’t necessarily have to go straight for an expensive bleaching treatment. There are various methods to naturally brighten your teeth.

Here you’ll learn why you should be cautious with home remedies such as baking powder and the like, which toothpaste for whiter teeth can be a gentle alternative to conventional whitening toothpastes, and which options for tooth whitening your dentist can offer.

A classic whitening toothpaste usually contains a higher proportion of abrasive particles than conventional products, and these are often particularly hard. When you brush, they clean the tooth surface by mechanically removing deposits and discolorations. However, this process often also attacks the tooth itself and essentially grinds it down. This is called abrasion. Due to the stronger wear while brushing, the teeth initially appear whiter.

The most important facts at a glance:

• RDA limits: How high the abrasion of a toothpaste is can be seen from its RDA value. RDA is short for radioactive or relative dentin abrasion. According to experts, the value for adults should not exceed 80, because up to this level there is a good balance between abrasion and cleaning performance. Whitening toothpastes or special smoker’s toothpastes, however, often have significantly higher RDA values of 100 or more. In Europe, toothpastes with an RDA value of up to 250 are even approved, but these are not suitable for daily use.
• Risks with long-term use: With permanent use of such products, the tooth substance suffers. With frequent use, it is worn down by the aggressive cleaning action. This can even have the opposite effect: as the mainly white enamel is brushed away, the darker dentin underneath becomes more visible.

It is therefore advisable not to use such products on a permanent basis in order to avoid damaging the teeth.

The reason our teeth appear whitish is our tooth enamel. It consists of around 97% hydroxyapatite – a mineral that is naturally white. Even though enamel is very resistant, it is constantly exposed to acidic food and drinks, bacteria, and mechanical stimuli.

That’s why maintaining healthy enamel is a gentle way to naturally brighten teeth and keep them white.

This is exactly where the Bioniq® White Filler technology comes in:

In-office bleaching refers to professional tooth whitening performed directly by the dentist. A highly concentrated gel containing peroxide (often hydrogen peroxide) is applied to the teeth. Usually only one session is needed. Similar to hair bleaching, the substance removes the color (stored pigments) from the tooth: peroxide breaks down into oxygen radicals, which split color molecules and thus visually lighten the teeth.

For an even stronger effect, there are variants in which the gel is additionally exposed to LED or UV light – this process is called power bleaching. The light intensifies the bleaching. The dentist applies the gel step by step, irradiates it, and then suctions off any residue. This process is repeated until the desired shade is achieved. Individual teeth can also be treated selectively.

After bleaching, patients should follow a so-called “white diet” for several days or weeks. During this time, all staining foods and drinks are avoided, and only products that have no impact on tooth color are consumed – for example pasta or rice.

Bleaching treatments are expensive and often cause temporary pain. However, superficial discolorations can already be removed with a professional dental cleaning. First, the teeth are stained so that deposits become visible. Then the dental plaque is removed – often initially with special devices and then manually with so-called curettes.

The teeth are often additionally cleaned with a powder-water jet device. This removes not only plaque but also external discolorations. Afterwards, the teeth are polished and smoothed. This also contributes to overall dental and oral health.