7 Day Teeth Whitening Guide

teeth_whitening_guide_picWe all want whiter teeth. It helps your smile look better, shows you have healthy teeth, and it can help you feel more confident about your appearance. Make no mistakes, getting a bright white smile is a long term deal that takes consistent upkeep. But with a little effort and the right techniques, you can start seeing great results in just 7 days!

1: Baking Soda & Peroxide Enhanced Toothpaste

The very first step you can take in getting whiter teeth in a week is actually very simple. Switch to a toothpaste with baking soda and peroxide in it. These two ingredients have been proven to help whiten teeth for decades, and they will continue to do so.

Baking soda “bleaches” your teeth, which helps remove yellow stains and other discoloration you may have. It penetrates your tooth’s enamel and makes the stains lighter and much less visible. So not only is it removing the lighter stains, but it’s lightening the heavier ones as well. The peroxide has a similar effect, and is great for removing stains.

You may have seen recipes for “at-home” toothpastes before. You’ll notice that baking soda and peroxide are almost always used as key ingredients. That should give you an idea of how effective and efficient baking soda and peroxide are for cleaning teeth.

Most name brand toothpastes offer products with both of these ingredients. Check your local drugstore or grocery store and pick up a tube or two. You can see a pretty dramatic change fairly quickly, which is what makes it great for people looking for fast results.

2: Start Using Crest Whitestrips – Intensive Professional Effects

There are plenty of whitening strips being sold right now. Some are more effective than others, but one that has been shown to have great results are the intensive professional effects from Crest. I’ve been using these since last year and they work very well.

For smokers and frequent coffee drinkers, generic or weaker whitening strips probably won’t have enough of an effect. Smoking and drinking a lot of coffee leaves dark, deep stains on your teeth that are hard to get off.

According to Crest, these strips are as effective as a visit to the dentist. I’m not telling you to forgo your dentist appointment, but if you need results fast, these strips can definitely help.

The instructions say to use them for 2 hours a day, for 7 days. That’s another reason I recommend them for this guide. Sure, a lot of other strips don’t require you to leave them on for as long, but then they require you to use them for weeks before you see results. We’re trying to get quick results here, so it’s worth the measly 2 hours a day.

3: Avoid Known Teeth Staining Foods (and cigarettes)

Like I mentioned above, coffee and cigarettes are known for staining teeth. I know it’s going to be difficult, but if you want those pearly whites to shine, you’re going to have to avoid, or at least minimize your consumption.

These aren’t the only two culprits though. You also have to worry about candy, artificially colored juices, and other foods that can easily stain your teeth.

If you’re putting all of these other steps into practice, eating the wrong foods can ruin it all. So during these 7 days, try not to eat or drink things that could leave unsightly stains on your teeth.

4: Teeth Whitening Mouthwash

A lot of people think that mouthwash is all about killing germs on your tongue and between your gums to get fresher breath. But great mouthwashes can also help whiten your teeth as well. For instance, Listerine makes a Total Care Plus Whitening product that has the ability to remove teeth stains.

I will warn you ahead of time that this mouthwash is very intense. You are supposed to rinse with it for approximately 1 minute. What happens for a lot of people is that they stop before the minute is up so they don’t get the full impact of the mouthwash. You have to fight the urge to spit it out and swish it around vigorously for the full minute for the best results. If you cannot do 1 minute straight, try doing two 30 second rinses instead.

Rinsing with it for a minute gives it time to attack and fight the stains. It also shouldn’t surprise you to know that one of the leading ingredients in this product is peroxide, which is one of the reasons it’s so effective.

If you follow all of these tips, you should have no problem getting whiter teeth in just 7 days. But in order to keep your great bright smile, make regular trips to the dentist as well. This is especially important for young children. Take your child to a pediatric dentist in Fairfax VA or nearby wherever you live at least once every 6 months to ensure white, healthy teeth.

Bio:

Dominique is a blogger and health nut who enjoys writing about practical tips anyone can use to live a healthier and fit lifestyle.