Lemon Juice and Salt: Home Teeth Whitening

The cost of whitening products and treatments has reached an astronomical level in recent years. With more people finding themselves unemployed in this tough economic atmosphere, it should come as no surprise that people have suppressed their desire to purchase whitening products or to visit the dentist's office for a professional treatment. Fortunately, you don't need to put off whitening your smile until finances permit. There are a number of at home tooth whitening remedies that can help you revamp that worn smile. In this post, we will be dealing with an inexpensive regimen consisting of lemon juice and salt that will be sure to rejuvenate the look of a discolored smile.

Tooth discolorations are caused by stains that are either located on the external or internal part of the tooth. Stains that are on the exterior portion of the tooth can be treated with at-home regimens or those available over-the-counter at your local drugstore. However, those stains located in the internal part of the tooth will require a whitening treatment at the dentist's office. To determine what sort of discoloration you have, you will need to speak to a dentist.

The regimen we are about to cover is designed to treat discolorations originating from the surface of the tooth, not it's internal portion. Those of you facing the latter form of tooth discoloration will not greatly benefit from this regimen.

Most of us are familiar with the fact that lemons are acidic. We can use this property to our advantage in respect to tooth whitening. We can use this acidic nature to eat away at tooth discoloration. When we combine salt and lemon juice, we don't only get the potent acidic power of Lemons, but we also add the abrasive nature of salt into the mix. The salt will help to rub away the weakened tooth stains to allow for a brighter surface to make itself present.

To start this regimen, one must first apply the lemon juice to his or her teeth. Thereafter, the salt must be applied to the teeth and moved in a swirling motion. This can be accomplished with the help of a toothbrush. Keep from brushing too hard as you may damage your teeth's enamel. Once you've completed brushing, go ahead and rinse your mouth.

It is important that you limit the amount of time the lemon juice is allowed to sit on the tooth surface. Too long, and it could begin to deteriorate the tooth enamel. Thus exercise caution and keep your eye on the clock. Generally speaking, it is best to leave the juice on the teeth for no more than three minutes.

If you have any concerns about this regimen, it is best to speak to your dentist. Remember, that results won't be seen overnight. You have to continue with this treatment for at least a week before any results can be seen. Don't overdo things as that could result in disaster. Use some common sense when utilizing this regimen.