Are these 13 mouth remedies bad or good? This question explains how some home remedies and trending tooth-cleaning gadgets can do more harm than good in brightening your smile. From baking soda and peroxide to salt water, sugarless gum, and a healthy diet to charcoal, it’s important to know what works and what doesn’t.
Read on to find out answers to the question Are These 13 Mouth Remedies Bad or Good? as explained below:
Baking soda and peroxide
This combination has been used to clean and whiten teeth for decades. However, it’s hard to get the right mixture. Therefore, if the peroxide is too strong, it may irritate your teeth and gums, while the baking soda can be a little harsh and wear down your tooth enamel.
Sugarless gum
It’s a fact that chewing a piece of gum for 20 minutes or so after a meal helps your mouth make saliva which washes away the debris of food. This balances out some acids that germs in your mouth make. So choose a sugarless gum made with sweeteners called xylitol, aspartame, or sorbitol. Also don’t forget you still need to brush and floss.
Salt water
This mixture helps fight germs in your mouth. So if your gums are inflamed, put half a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water. Sloshing it around in your mouth for about 30 seconds, then spit it out. Another use for warm, salty water is for a scratchy throat. Just gargling with it can help reduce the itchiness.
Electric toothbrush
This trendy device can be good for people with disabilities or seniors whose hands and fingers are stiff. However, the normal toothbrush works just as well. Either kind can do what your mouth needs. The gadgets that use jets of water to clean bits of food between your teeth are OK too.
Chewable toothbrush
This is kind of a cross between a toothbrush and gum. It has little bristles that rub against your teeth and gums as you chew. When you finish, you spit it out. These can help clean your teeth, and they may be especially ideal for kids and seniors whose fingers and hands can’t handle a toothbrush.
Teeth whitening products
The OTC whitener type uses peroxide (on strips or brushed onto your teeth) to bleach your teeth. Another type is a toothpaste that uses gentle friction and chemicals to go after surface stains. They can work fairly well for some people, though your best bet may be to start with a treatment by your dentist, then follow up with one of these at home.
Oil pulling
The idea here is to put a spoonful of coconut oil, olive oil, or some other edible oil in your mouth, then slosh it around and suck it between your teeth. It’s been done for centuries in India and South Asia. However, there’s no scientific evidence that it fights cavities, whitens teeth, or boosts oral health.
Turmeric
This spice is a key ingredient in curry powder. Turmeric is used to ease breathing problems, pain, and other ailments. Turmeric is also touted to whiten teeth, but there’s no evidence that it does that.
Charcoal
There’s no evidence that charcoal toothpaste and powders whiten your teeth, or that it’s even safe to use that way. More research needs to be done to know for sure, but charcoal may hurt your teeth by scraping them.
Fruit or vinegar
Home teeth whitening method starts with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar or fruit with chemicals that help with digestion like pineapple or mango. You mix that with something abrasive, like baking soda, and brush with it. The reality however is that if the acid in fruit or vinegar rubs against your teeth, it can eat away at the enamel.
Healthy diet
Nutrients from a healthy diet are good for your mouth, too. For instance, a good supply of calcium and phosphorous strengthens your teeth. Calcium comes from low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and cheese; soy drinks and tofu; canned salmon; almonds; and dark green, leafy vegetables. You can get your phosphorus servings of eggs, fish, lean meat, and dairy products. Vitamin C in citrus fruit, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, and spinach helps a healthy gum.
Green tea
In addition to other possible health benefits, researchers found that green tea can help your gums and teeth stay healthy. That may be thanks to a chemical that helps your body fight inflammation. Hence, favorite drink for good reasons.
Water
Water is healthy for your mouth and teeth. Your local water system probably adds fluoride to water, and that helps fight cavities. Water sloshing through your mouth washes away food particles and thins out the acids that germs make. Besides, your body also turns some of it into saliva, which helps you swallow and supplies calcium to strengthen your teeth.
