It’s what nearly everyone wants: a dazzling white smile so shiny it can cause a traffic accident. Seen all over the place from TV shows to fashion models, to celebrities and world leaders, it seems that a white smile is an indicator of success, glamour, and prestige. Yet a white smile is notoriously difficult to come by at the best of times, and many people have dedicated a lot of time and effort in finding new ways to secure a whiter, cleaner smile. Tooth whitening is basically the process by which teeth are cleaned and lightened in order to make them appear lighter in colour. It should be pointed out that teeth are naturally yellowish anyway, as a result of the way light reflects off the enamel of your teeth. All whitening treatments are essentially means of bleaching or obscuring the colour of this teeth enamel in order to deliver a whiter smile. This can be achieved through a number of means, …show more content…
Among the simplest methods is the use of whitening toothpaste. This is, as you’d expect, toothpaste especially designed to leave your teeth whiter after brushing, using a variety of ways to do so. Some do it by lifting stains left behind by food and drink, such as coffee or sugar while others coat the teeth with a white layer of residue. If used regularly, you can often see noticeable changes to your teeth’s appearance within a few weeks. Brushing your teeth in general after every meal will help keep your teeth cleaner and healthier, too. Others recommend a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and lemon or orange juice. Baking soda is naturally abrasive, which allows the mixture to scrap away any staining layers sticking to the teeth. The juice is not just for flavour – the acids help balance out the alkaline in the baking soda to keep your mouth’s acidity in check. Lemon juice, coincidentally, helps to bleach tooth