Whiter Teeth Just At Home

By: May Rostom


We all want a great set of pearly whites. Whiter teeth boosts your confidence, lets you smile more and makes you over completely. Of course visiting the doctor to get them bleached would cost you a considerable amount of money, but trust me it’s worth every penny. Those of you, who hate going to the dentist’s office, try these home remedies today.

1. Baking powder: it’s been there for centuries and people have tried it at least once in their lives, baking soda works wonders with stained teeth. Just add water, brush your teeth, leave it on for 3 minutes, then rinse (tastes really bad though).

2. Salt and lemon: well, lemon and salt should taste better than the soda but be careful getting it on your gums; it might irritate them. Mix equal parts of lemon and salt to make a paste, then rub it on your teeth and leave it over night.

3. Orange peel: polish your teeth three times a day using the white side of the peel for a shiny set of teeth. Just make sure you don’t have any sores or sensitivity against citrus fruits (same goes to the lemon and salt paste.)

4. Strawberries: some people (Catherine Zeta Jones) claim that strawberries give a teeth whitening effect despite being red so give it a try, you can always swallow the strawberries if it doesn’t work.

5. Apple cider vinegar: being a weak acid, this kind of vinegar will whiten your teeth. It doesn’t taste so good so hold your breath while swishing it around your mouth. To go whiter, make a paste out of the vinegar, baking soda and salt (triple attack).

6. Teeth whitening kits: they’re inexpensive, available at major pharmacies and they're effective. Teeth whitening kits are available in many forms such as whitening gels, pens, strips and trays so ask your local pharmacist which would be best for you.

7. Saliva: some foods trigger saliva secretion, for example apples, pears, carrots, and sugar free gum. Saliva helps scrub off stains and neutralizes acids that cause tooth decay, so all in all saliva is good.

8. Prevention: prevention is key, steer clear from stuff like soda, chocolate, coffee, tea, cigarettes, and wine if you want to keep that brilliant glow. If you simply can’t resist, brush your teeth after every meal.

9. Floss: flossing should be part of your daily routine even if you don’t want whiter teeth. Flossing removes small food particles from in between your teeth and also helps remove the stains formed in those gaps.

10. Peroxide: using peroxide on your tooth brush is guaranteed to make your teeth whiter. Just consult your dentist first on the strength of the peroxide that should be used and be careful not to swallow it!

With these inexpensive tips, all you need to do now is SMILE.

Read More

Dental health linked to dementia risk

NEW YORK: People who keep their teeth and gums healthy with regular brushing may have a lower risk of developing dementia later in life, according to a US study.

Researchers at the University of California who followed nearly 5,500 elderly people over an 18-year-period found that those who reported brushing their teeth less than once a day were up to 65 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who brushed daily.'Not only does the state of your mind predict what kind of oral health habits you practice, it may be that your oral health habits influence whether or not you get dementia,' said Annlia Paganini-Hill, who led the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Inflammation stoked by gum disease-related bacteria is implicated in a host of conditions including heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Some studies have also found that people with Alzheimer s disease, the most common form of dementia, have more gum disease-related bacteria in their brains than a person without Alzheimer s, Paganini-Hill said. It s thought that gum disease bacteria might get into the brain, causing inflammation and brain damage, she said. Paganini-Hill and her team followed 5,468 residents of a Californian retirement community from 1992 to 2010.

Most people in the study were white, well-educated and relatively affluent. When the study began, participants ranged in age from 52 to 105,with an average age of 81. All were free of dementia at the outset, when they answered questions about their dental health habits, the condition of their teeth and whether they wore dentures. When the researchers followed up 18 years later, they used interviews, medical records and in some cases death certificates to determine that 1,145 of the original group had been diagnosed with dementia. Of 78 women who said they brushed their teeth less than once a day in 1992, 21 had dementia by 2010, or about one case per 3.7 women.

In comparison, among those who brushed at least once a day, closer to one in every 4.5 women developed dementia which translates to a 65-percent greater chance of dementia among those who brushed less than daily. Among the men, the effect was less pronounced with about one in six irregular brushers developing the disease, making them 22 percent more likely to have dementia than those who brushed daily.

Statistically, however, the effect was so small it could have been due to chance, the researchers said. Paganini-Hill could only speculate on the reasons for the different outcomes among men and women.

Perhaps women wear their dentures more often than men and visit the dentist more frequently. The study has limitation. Paganini-Hill and her team looked at behavior and tooth numbers as a kind of proxy for oral health and gum disease and didn t carry out any dental exams.

While neglecting teeth might be a sign of early vulnerability to dementia, some other factor be having an impact too.

Head injury and malnutrition are also important causes of tooth loss in adults, and either of those might increase the dementia risk, said Amber Watts, who studies dementia at the University of Kansas and wasn t part of the study. 'I would be reluctant to draw the conclusion that brushing your teeth would definitely prevent you from getting Alzheimer s disease,' she said. (Reuters)

Read More