Have you ever watched Eat Pray Love and wondered how Julia Roberts got her teeth so white and bright? We’ll let you in on a secret. — you don’t need to be a Hollywood actor to flaunt a white, healthy smile. There are plenty of ways to strengthen your enamel and create a smile everyone around you will admire. Read on to learn how to keep your teeth healthy and strong.
How Can I Keep My Teeth Strong and Healthy Naturally?
Cosmetic tooth whitening is a lucrative industry — a $3.2 billion one according to this market analyst report. Many people look for treatments and chemicals to make their teeth gleam. But did you know you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on costly procedures? There are plenty of ways to achieve results without expensive procedures, and we’re here to teach you how to keep your teeth healthy and strong naturally.
One of the easiest things you can do is ensure you’re using the right toothpaste. Your toothpaste should contain hydrogen peroxide, as it’s a natural bleaching agent that kills bacteria in your mouth. Most commercial whitening products have hydrogen peroxide, but consuming too much of this chemical can have unintended effects. That’s why it’s best to use it in a toothpaste where its concentration is minimal.
Your toothpaste should also contain baking soda. This compound has natural whitening properties, and it’s mildly abrasive to help lift stains away from your teeth’s surface. And baking soda’s presence in your mouth can help promote a cleaner environment, as its alkaline nature prevents bacteria from growing rapidly.
Note that changing your toothpaste won’t produce results overnight. But one study published in the National Library of Medicine found that a person can acquire around 62% whiter teeth when they brush their teeth using a commercial toothpaste containing both hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. The study discovered that results were noticeable in as little as six weeks.
When it comes to learning how to keep your teeth healthy and strong, we cannot underestimate the importance of brushing and flossing. Brushing twice a day and flossing once a day will reduce bacteria in your mouth and prevent the accumulation of plaque.
Are you looking for more information on how to keep your teeth healthy and strong? You should also schedule regular check-ups with your dentist. Ideally, you should go once every six months. When you attend a dental appointment twice a year, you’ll receive a thorough, professional cleaning and receive personalized advice on how to care for your teeth.
What Foods Make Your Teeth Stay Strong?
Believe it or not, your diet can affect how strong your teeth are. If you’re not sure which foods are best, read on for our top suggestions for foods that will make your teeth strong:
Strawberries
Strawberries contain malic acid, which is a natural bleaching agent. This enzyme is also excellent for increasing saliva production (Note: saliva is essential for protecting against germs).
While you can certainly chow down on your strawberries, you can also benefit from the malic acid more directly. Try mashing a few strawberries in a bowl and rubbing them against your teeth. Allow the concoction to rest on your teeth’s surface for five minutes. Then, you can rinse your mouth with water and brush and floss as normal.
Apples, Carrots, & Celery
Are you looking for how to make your teeth strong using fruits and veggies? Consider reaching for some apples, celery, or carrots! These crunchy favorites do an excellent job of increasing saliva production, which is the mouth’s self-cleaning solution. Plus, the “crunch” element works wonders for scrubbing your chompers clean.
Nuts & Seeds
If you want to learn how to keep your teeth healthy and strong with food, try incorporating various nuts and seeds into your diet. Nuts and seeds like cashews, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds work as effective teeth “exfoliants.” Their abrasive textures strip away stains from your teeth with little effort — all you have to do is chew and enjoy! Plus, some seeds like sesame seeds feature calcium, which is a great way to make your teeth strong.
Do Milk, Lemons, or Bananas Whiten Teeth?
When you’re learning how to make your teeth strong with food, you might hear contradictory advice about specific foods. We’re here to clear up any confusion.
So what about milk? Milk is a great way to brighten your teeth. Its lactic acid lightens your enamel and encourages saliva production that can wash away unhealthy bacteria. A protein in milk called casein can prevent stains and invite calcium phosphates to remediate cavities. And the same goes for other dairy foods like yogurt and cheese. Just be careful not to consume too many sugar-heavy dairy products (like ice cream), as the sugar can erode your enamel and leave stains behind.
Now, you might have seen tips spreading around about using banana peels to brighten your teeth. But there isn’t any research that proves banana peels whiten teeth. So stick to eating bananas for their fiber and potassium content — not so much the teeth whitening aspect.
Another food that you might’ve heard people praise for its teeth-whitening abilities is the lemon. Lemons, along with other citrus fruits, are highly acidic by nature. Their acidic properties will not remove stains from your teeth — instead, they’ll wear your enamel away and make you more susceptible to tooth decay.
With this tip in mind for “how to make your teeth strong,” we recommend that you drink lemonade and fruit juices sparingly. If you have a craving for one of these refreshing beverages, rinse your mouth with water after you finish your glass. Swishing water in your mouth can prevent the acidic components from sitting in your mouth for too long, stripping the enamel away, and leaving stains behind.
Can Teeth Repair Themselves?
Yes! While missing teeth can’t grow back, there are certainly other ways teeth can repair themselves.
Each tooth has a thin outer covering known as the enamel. The enamel can repair itself using fluoride from the food you eat, including marine fish. Fluoride can also come from the toothpaste you brush your teeth with. Even if you don’t consume a lot of fluoride via the foods you eat, enamel also uses minerals present in your saliva to restore itself.
Even though your teeth can repair themselves, you shouldn’t use this reality as an excuse to neglect taking care of your teeth. Wise dietary choices and a solid brushing/flossing routine will help you learn how to strengthen your enamel.
Is It Possible to Remove Tooth Decay Myself?
You might be able to remove tooth decay yourself, depending on how serious your case is. For example, you can take the following steps to heal cavities naturally:
- Reduce your sugar intake.
- Eat more calcium-rich foods.
- Avoid soda and other carbonated drinks.
- Use an antibacterial mouthwash.
- Add Vitamins B and D, iron, and magnesium to your diet.
- Eat foods with natural probiotics.
- Avoid drinks that can cause a pH imbalance in your mouth, like coffee and tea.
Another way that you can remove tooth decay yourself and learn how to strengthen your enamel is via oil pulling. Oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil in your mouth to remove harmful, tooth-decaying bacteria. This method is completely natural, and it doesn’t have any known side effects. You can try using coconut oil, sunflower oil, or organic sesame oil.
Can Badly Decayed Teeth Be Saved?
The tips we mentioned above are wise to implement if your tooth decay is mild. But if you have a more serious case, you’ll likely need professional intervention.
A dentist can save a decaying tooth by offering the following treatments:
- Fluoride treatments
- Fillings
- Crowns
- Root canals
When you visit your dentist, he will detect tooth decay by examining your mouth, checking for sensitive areas, and studying X-rays to determine the severity of your decay. Then, he can help you understand how to strengthen your enamel with the right procedure.
In grave cases, you may have to undergo a tooth extraction to remove a tooth that’s in very poor condition. But the removal of a severely decayed tooth will benefit your oral health in the long run, and you can receive a dental implant in its place.
Reasons Why Your Teeth May Feel Weak
Many factors can cause your teeth to feel weak, including:
- A sports injury
- Brushing too vigorously
- Eating acidic foods regularly
- Dry mouth
- Grinding your teeth at night
- A habit of using chewing tobacco or biting your nails
- Frequent vomiting due to bulimia or alcoholism
Even genetics can cause you to be more prone to tooth decay and weaker teeth in general. But if you experience any of these conditions, you must learn how to make your teeth strong to prevent issues down the line.
Achieving Your Movie-Star Smile
Achieving a screen-worthy smile doesn’t have to be complex. As long as you follow the guidance we’ve outlined above, you should learn how to keep your teeth healthy and strong in no time. You’ll no longer have to wonder “how to strengthen my enamel” because we’ve covered the basics — eat the right foods, brush and floss regularly, and check in with your dentist at least twice a year.
