Take 15 years off your age natural whitening your teeth

There’s one catastrophic anti-aging mistake that even some of my most proactive, skin-savvy clients tend to make. I see it all the time.

People will take all the right steps to look younger—drinking lots of water, taking supplements, sticking to a healthy diet…

And most importantly, they know to nourish their skin each day, with only the most effective anti-aging products

Now, a daily skincare routine is absolutely vital and it’s simply impossible to see anti-aging results without one…

But in focusing only on their skin, people often neglect something which—when not properly cared for—can make even a fresh-faced 20-year-old, look more than a decade older…

Their teeth!

You see, the teeth age just like any other part of the body—and the older you get, the more noticeable these changes become.

I don’t just mean visible cavities or tooth decay (those are the result of poor dental hygiene, not age). The most common culprit is yellowing—a process which inevitably occurs over time, even if you brush and floss every day!

For example, take this public opinion poll conducted several years ago in the U.K:

Half of the participants were shown a photograph of a woman—and asked to guess her age. The average estimate was 31.

 
Meanwhile, the other half saw the exact same photograph, but this time, the woman’s teeth were digitally altered to look just slightly more yellow. Participants guessed her age to be 44.

That’s a 13-year difference—all caused by such seemingly minor pigment change.

So if you aren’t taking measures to keep your teeth from losing their pearly luster, you may adding 13 years to your appearance every time you smile!

Fortunately, it’s neither difficult nor costly to get the youth-boosting effect of brighter, whiter teeth.

Forget expensive laser whitening treatments. There are plenty of cheap, painless, and even all-natural options at your immediate disposal—and they all guarantee great results.

Banana Peel Rub

Rub your teeth with the inside of a banana peel for about 5 minutes. Then let the coat of peel set for 3 minutes, before wiping it off with a paper towel. Fifteen minutes later, brush your teeth and you’re good to go!

Repeat 3-4 times per week.

A lot of people will recommend doing this same process with a lemon rind, but I prefer banana peels, because they are less acidic and won’t eat away at tooth enamel like citrus peels do.

Plus, banana peels are full of potassium and magnesium, which actually help to strengthen tooth enamel—so you get a bonus benefit from every rub!

The Quick Fix: Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is one of the fastest at-home whitening agents around. And odds are you probably already have a bottle in your medicine cabinet (if not, it’s cheap and easy to find in any drug store).

Simple soak a cotton ball in hydrogen peroxide and rub it over your teeth before brushing. Leave it on for a minute or so, then brush like you normally would... But be careful this may cause sensitivity to your teeth so use a tooth paste for sensitive teeth.  

If you do this 3-4 times per week, you will see a significant difference in about 10 days!

Coconut Oil Pull

Every morning, before brushing your teeth, put about a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swish it around the way you would a mouthwash.

Make sure you pull it through every section of your teeth, then rinse and brush.

Your mouth will feel cleaner after the very first treatment, and you should notice a whitening effect after about a week and a half of daily “pulling.”

Coconut oil is also beneficial for your gums and can even freshen your breath—the only catch is, you have to rinse for 10-15 minutes each time to get results.

So if your mornings are usually rushed as it is, you’ll need to plan on waking up a little earlier to accommodate this whitening method.

But as any of my clients that rely on the coconut pull for a younger-looking smile, will tell you—it’s certainly worth it!

Strawberry-Sea Salt “Mask”

Mash up 3-4 strawberries in a dish. Then add a dash sea salt, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and mix together to get an even blend.

After drying your top and bottom teeth with a paper towel, apply this paste directly to them using a toothbrush.

Leave on for 5 minutes, then rinse. Do this treatment twice a week for best results. Or you can leave out the baking soda (as frequent use can damage your enamel) and apply it every night.

BONUS TIP: Snack on strawberries throughout the day for extra whitening. They’re full of vitamin C, which breaks up stains on contact and give your teeth a “polished” look. Eating apples has this effect also!

Now, these at-home remedies are proven to make dull, yellow teeth shades whiter—and your smile, years younger!

But maintaining your new shade will also take some work.

Limit your intake of red wine, coffee, black tea, soy sauce, tomato sauce, and blueberries—all of these foods will stain your teeth and undo the effects of your whitening treatment.

Now, I understand if the idea of passing on your favorite treats sounds absurd—especially since many of these foods and beverages are rich in antioxidants…

So I say, indulge your cravings—just make sure to rinse (or better yet, brush) immediately after!

I also recommend rinsing with one part apple cider vinegar and two parts water, several times a week. This won’t whiten teeth, but will help to preserve their shade post-treatment.

Dazzling teeth are the perfect way to compliment—and accentuate—the beautiful, youthful look of your skin…While a yellow, lackluster smile, can actually undo all the hard work you put into your appearance.

That’s why I urge all of my clients to keep their pearly whites, as white as possible.

I may not be a dentist, but as beauty expert, I can confidently say, that teeth have a shockingly powerful effect on a person’s perceived age.

So I hope you pick a few of the easy, inexpensive remedies I just shared, and make them a regular part of your beauty regimen.

Personally, I’ve been hooked on the coconut oil pull for the past few months, but people’s preferences vary. So, let me know which ones worked best for you!

I will have more valuable tips and ideas for you soon. Until then, have a great day and find lots of reasons to smile—after all, with so many great whitening resources, there’s no reason to hide your happy face!


you can also read this article on the Beverly hills blog...and see the picture for yourself!

Article from Beverly Hills MD
by 
Payman Danielpour M.D.