Best Ways to Whiten teeth with braces

A diet filled with nutritious fruits and vegetables is not only good for your body as a whole but also for your teeth.

They’re by no means a replacement for brush your teeth, of course. But raw and crunchy fruits and veggies rub the plaque off your teeth when you chew.

In particular, strawberries and pineapple have been popular as teeth-whitening fruits.

Using baking soda when you brush your teeth helps whiten your teeth in a safe way. It helps to clean off yellow stains that may be on your teeth. It's a common ingredient in most toothpastes. This will not whiten your teeth dramatically overnight. You have to keep doing it to see results over a longer period of time. Mix one teaspoon of baking soda with two teaspoons of water. Use this mixture to brush your teeth. You should see an improvement over the next few days.

Toothpaste brands love baking soda because of its natural whitening properties. The mild abrasive is useful for scrubbing the teeth stains away. It also keeps bacteria growth in your mouth under control by creating an alkaline environment.

To use baking soda on your teeth – mix 1tbsp of baking soda and 2tbsp of water. This should give you a paste. Brush the paste on your teeth several times a week to whiten your teeth.

However, this is not an immediate teeth-whitener. To see noticeable whitening, you’ll need to use baking soda consistently over a period of time. That being said, science has not yet been able to back the claims of baking soda whitening the teeth. But a toothpaste containing baking soda does seem to have a considerable whitening effect.

This procedure is often called "in-office whitening" and typically only requires one or two office visits. A strong whitening agent is applied to the teeth, along with a special light to accelerate the effect, as appropriate.

Given the strength of office whitening, patients may notice a two-tone effect after traditional metal braces are removed, in which the exposed parts of the teeth are whiter than the covered parts. Therefore, this procedure may show a more beautiful result if it is done after removing the braces.

Hydrogen peroxide can be very effective for killing bacteria in your mouth that may be causing bad breath and staining. However, you must be careful with the concentration of your hydrogen peroxide to avoid tooth sensitivity. Use a 1.5-3% solution as a mouthwash before brushing your teeth. You can also combine hydrogen peroxide with baking soda to create your own toothpaste. However, use the paste sparingly as it can damage your tooth enamel.

Oil pulling is a traditional remedy that has been used for hundred of years. Oil pulling involves swishing oil in your mouth for 10 - 15 minutes a day to extract any bacteria from your mouth that can cause discoloration, gingivitis and plaque build up. A lot of people use coconut oil as it does not taste as bad as other oils, and it has more natural health benefits like reducing inflammation in your gums.

All toothpaste help remove surface stains through the action of mild abrasives. Whitening toothpaste has fluoride that strengthens the enamel and chemical agents or special brighteners that remove stains further. Unlike whiteners, these products do not change the teeth' color because they only remove superficial stains. However, there are several whitening toothpaste that you can choose from, such as Colgate Total Advanced Whitening, which removes 80% of surface stains to whiten teeth despite the presence of braces.