5 simple home remedies to whiten your teeth naturally

There are plenty of products one can choose from to whiten their teeth. But most of these products contain bleach that is used as a whitening agent, which is not good. If you are looking for ways to whiten your teeth with naturally, this article is a must-read.
But before we move to whiten the teeth, first let us discuss what makes your teeth look yellow.

What causes yellow teeth?

There are various factors that can make your teeth look dull and yellow. Certain foods can stain your enamel, which is the outermost layer of your teeth. Also, plaque build-up on your teeth can cause them to look yellow.
The discolouration can be treated with regular cleaning and whitening remedies. Sometimes, the teeth also look yellow because the hard enamel has eroded, revealing the dentin underneath. The dentin is naturally yellow bony tissue that is underneath the enamel.

Here are six simple remedies to whiten your teeth

Practice oil pulling

Oil pulling is a traditional remedy that improves oral hygiene and removes toxins from the body. The practise involves swishing oil in your mouth and removing the bacteria that can turn into plaque and cause your teeth to look yellow.

The most commonly used oil for oil pulling includes sunflower and sesame oil. You can also use coconut oil, which is high in lauric acid and is known for its ability to reduce inflammation and kill bacteria.

Studies show that daily oil pulling reduces bacteria in the mouth along with plaque and gingivitis.

Doing oil pulling with sesame oil reduces Streptococcus mutans bacteria, which is responsible for plaque and gingivitis.

To do oil pulling, put one tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and push and pull the oil through your teeth. Oil pulling is a safe practice and can be done by anyone.

Brush with baking soda

Baking soda has natural whitening properties and thus is an important ingredient used in toothpaste. It's a mild abrasive that can scrub away the stains on teeth.

It also helps create an alkaline environment in the mouth, which prevents bacteria from growing. Science has yet not proven that baking soda can whiten your teeth, but studies have shown that toothpaste that has baking soda has a significant whitening effect.

To make use of this remedy, you can mix one teaspoon of baking soda with 2 teaspoons of water and brush your teeth with it. You can do it 2-3 times a week.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a natural bleaching agent that also kills the bacteria in your mouth. Hydrogen peroxide has been used for ages to clean wounds because of its ability to kill bacteria.

Studies have found that a toothpaste containing baking soda and 1 per cent hydrogen peroxide can lead to significantly whiter teeth.

Another study has found that toothpaste containing baking soda and hydrogen peroxide when used twice a day can lead to 62 per cent whiter teeth in 6 weeks.

It should be noted that there are some questions regarding the safety of hydrogen peroxide. The diluted concentration is safe, string concentration or overuse can cause tooth sensitivity and gum irritation.

If you are planning to use hydrogen peroxide, make sure to 1.5 or 3 per cent solution to avoid any side effects. You can also use it as a mouthwash before brushing your teeth.

You can mix it with baking soda and brush your teeth with the mixture.

Eat fruits and vegetables

A diet high in fruits and vegetables is great for your overall health and teeth. Crunchy, raw fruits and vegetables can help rub the plaque away as you chew them. Though this is no substitute for brushing your teeth. Strawberries and pineapple are two fruits that have been claimed to whiten your teeth.

Prevent tooth stains

While your teeth will turn yellow as you age, you can prevent stains by doing some simple things.

Limit the intake of coffee, red wine, soda and dark berries. These all are infamous for staining teeth. You do not need to avoid these substances completely, but you must limit their intake.

You can also drink beverages that are known to stain your teeth with the help of a straw.

You should brush your teeth sooner after you consume any such beverages.

Avoid chewing tobacco, smoking cigarettes as both can cause tooth discolouration.

Limit your intake of sugar, as too much sugar, can increase the growth of bacteria and cause plaque and gingivitis. Make sure to brush your teeth right after consuming sugary foods.

Have calcium-rich foods like cheese and milk to help protect your teeth from enamel erosion.

Brush and floss regularly

Teeth discolouration is mostly a result of plaque buildup. Regular brushing and flossing can help your teeth stay white and reduce the bacteria in your mouth and prevent plaque build-up.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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14 Great Home Remedies For Tartar-Free Teeth & Gums

It’s a well-known fact that taking care of our teeth requires us to floss and brush them properly every day, as well as visiting the dentist regularly for check-ups. Failing to do these things can wreak havoc on our dental health: in particular, tartar can form when plaque is left unattended on gums and teeth. Here’s how to remove tartar from your teeth and prevent oral diseases:
Why is tartar considered harmful?
Tartar is harmful, hard, and porous. The latter characteristic can result in the build-up of harmful bacteria, which causes gum disease, cavities and the loss of teeth. If tartar is not removed, it keeps on accumulating and calcifying. Furthermore, tartar damages tooth enamel and increases the risk of developing gum disease. It can even lead to severe diseases such as gingivitis, as well as impact bone health, causing bone degeneration.

How do you remove tartar from teeth and gums using home remedies?
In many instances, tartar requires professional help to remove. Dentists remove tartar in a process called scaling. It can be rather painful, and they have to be very careful when undertaking the process. Nevertheless, there are various home remedies you can try in order to remove tartar.
1. Brush your teeth correctly

Use a soft-bristle toothbrush for brushing and brush your teeth at all angles over all tooth surfaces so that your teeth are thoroughly cleaned. Always hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums and brush after each meal.
2. Use fluoridated toothpaste
Fluoridated toothpaste is great for increasing the concentration of fluoride in the teeth, and this results in strengthened teeth and a decreased risk of developing dental cavities. Teeth with strong enamel are less likely to suffer from your consumption of acidic foods and drinks. Fluoridated toothpaste is great for re-mineralizing areas affected by decay and protects them from the bacteria responsible for tartar formation.
 3. Use tartar control toothpaste
Dedicated tartar control toothpaste also exists, and they contain numerous chemical ingredients such as pyrophosphates, zinc citrate, fluoride, and others. These ingredients prevent tartar build-up on your teeth. Some of these toothpastes also contain triclosan, an antibiotic that’s responsible for killing certain harmful oral bacteria.
4.  Brush with a baking soda mixture

Combine a tablespoon of baking soda with a pinch of salt. Wet your toothbrush slightly and dip it into the baking soda mixture. Scrub your teeth with the mixture and rinse it off. This will help remove tartar, as well as whiten your teeth.
5. Use aloe vera gel and glycerin scrub

Add half a cup of baking soda to a cup of water, together with 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel, 10 drops of lemon essential oil and 4 teaspoons of vegetable glycerin. Mix all the ingredients together and store the liquid in a suitable container. Use it to scrub your teeth daily to remove tartar.
6. Orange peel
You can also try rubbing orange peels directly onto your teeth. Leave the residue on your teeth overnight without rinsing it off. You can even try making the peels into a paste and applying it onto your teeth. Doing so helps fight tartar from forming microorganisms in the mouth, and is also a cheap way of whitening teeth.
7. Eat fruit and vegetables
To supplement your dental health efforts, you can munch on apples, muskmelon, carrots, or celery sticks. Chew these fruits or vegetables one hour after meals to clean your teeth naturally. Doing this will also strengthen your gums.
8. Chew sesame seeds
Slowly chew a handful of sesame seeds, but don’t swallow them. Brush your teeth with a dry toothbrush with the chewed sesame seeds still in your mouth. Doing this will clean and polish your teeth, as well as help to remove the tartar.
9. Eat figs
Eat three to four figs at once and chew them together slowly. This will stimulate your salivary glands, thus increasing the secretion of saliva, which cleanses your teeth by removing plaque and tartar.
10. Use an electric toothbrush
Electric toothbrushes are better for brushing your teeth than manual ones are. They help to remove tartar and keep your teeth looking bright. In fact, dentists recommend this kind of toothbrush as the best way of keeping teeth clean and tartar-free.
11. Floss regularly
Flossing is essential for ensuring that the gaps between your teeth remain plaque-free. You should floss after gargling to prevent the formation of tartar and maintain good oral hygiene. Remember that flossing also cleans the gums, keeping cavities and diseases away.
12. Gargle with antiseptic oral cleanser or peroxide solution

Combine one tablespoon of antiseptic mouthwash with three tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Gargle with 10ml of the solution for one minute. This will oxygenate the edges of your gums as well as the surface of your teeth, which helps to loosen and remove tartar. Use these liquids to gargle after each meal, or at the very least, once a day.
13. Use a dental pick

Pick up a dental pick at the store to remove hardened tartar from your teeth. Gently scrape the tartar out, spit and rinse your mouth when cleaning. Use a dental pick with care, because if you’re too vigorous with it, you may develop a gum infection.
14. Eat spicy food

Removing tartar can be as simple as eating some spicy food. Salsa, for instance, can increase the secretion of saliva by stimulating the salivary glands. This excess saliva will help to clean your teeth and gums.

Tips for preventing tartar on your teeth

• Go for regular check-ups at the dentist
• Use tartar control toothpaste
• Brush your teeth twice daily and floss regularly
• Brush with a soft-bristled toothbrush
• Consume plenty of vitamin C-rich fruits
• Avoid smoking
• Avoid eating starchy and sugary foods
• Drink plenty of water after each meal to flush out any remaining food particles
• Eat melon or apples after a meal to clean your teeth naturally

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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17 Ridiculously Easy and Smart Uses For Your Old Pill Bottles

Mini Survival Kit

Keep matches and other necessities dry while you brave the wild: camping, boating, or just for a day at the beach.

Mini “Car Kit”

These bottles fit perfectly inside your car’s glove compartment or door cubby, and they’re great for storing change or small amounts of cash for garage parking, toll fare, or the Laundromat.

Mini First Aid Kit

Keep an emergency first-aid kit in your handbag or the glove box of your car “just in case.” Include things like band-Aids, Q-tips, alcohol swabs, packets of antibiotic ointment, etc.

Ear Buds Holder

Prescription bottles work great for small cords and ear buds. Easier to find them in your purse too!

Flosser Holder

I don’t know about you, but I find myself flossing in the car more than any other place! Thanks to these little individual flossers. This is the perfect little holder for them

Emergency Snacks

My son Kell has had Type 1 Diabetes since he was 2 years old and so we have ALWAYS made sure to have some emergency snacks on hand in case of low blood sugars.  These bottles make a handy little storage container for just enough Skittles or M & M’s to bring his blood sugar back up to a normal range.
Caution: Putting candy in a prescription bottle can confuse a child. Please be careful about where you place these reused prescription bottles and your real ones. Children can’t tell the difference between one and the other.

Mini “Sharps” Container

Store used lancets, blood test strips, until they can be disposed of. They are much cheaper than the sharps containers sold at the drug counters; are more compact; easier to store; and easier to dispose of.

NON-Prescription Pill Bottles

Sometimes I buy pain relief, vitamins, etc. in those big bottles from Costco, so I like to fill up a couple empty prescription bottles of these things to keep in a couple of locations. I also keep one in my toiletry bag I take on trips.

Miniature Portable Sewing Kit

Prescription bottles are just the right size and shape for a sewing needle, a small spool or two, a few straight pins, and a few plain buttons. Have one in the car, purse or office drawer. If a button comes loose or a hem unravels the kit is handy and the pins are tucked safely inside where no one can get pricked when not in use.

Seed Keeper

Collect the seeds at the end of the growing season and store them neatly in small pill bottles. Come spring, you’ll be all ready to get your new garden started.

Make Mini Ice Packs

Just fill them with water and freeze. These are perfect for packed lunches.

Cat Toy

Placing a small bell inside makes a great little play toy. The bottle rolls around and is light enough not to cause harm to the kitten, cat or furniture it might be rolled into.

Toothpick Holder

Drill a quarter inch hole in the cap, fill with toothpicks, and keep in your purse or car.

Condiment Containers

Line old prescription bottles with inexpensive baggies and use them for condiment containers for bagged lunches. Lined, they’re great for mayo, granola for yogurt, salad dressings, croutons for soup/salad, etc.

Drawer & Closet Sachets

Drill holes in the bottom and the top of the pill bottles. Add a slice or two of scented soap. Put the cap on and place in a drawer to keep clothes smelling fresh without risking stains on your clothes.

Portable Perfume

If you wear perfume and don’t want to bring the whole bottle with you in your purse but like to freshen up at midday, try this:  soak a cotton ball or two with your favorite cologne or perfume, place them inside a small bottle and close with the cap. By midday the cotton ball will still be wet and can be dabbed to the areas you spritz with perfume.

Donations

Check with your local free clinic or veterinarian’s office to see if they accept used prescription bottles. Some of them will reuse them for filling prescriptions. So, call around in your area to see if vets will take your bottles, or if any free clinics need them.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.      https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations   https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes     https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

10 ways you can prevent dental cavities

Your tooth is one of the hardest parts of your body. But that doesn’t make it resistant to bacterial attack. Cavity causing species of bacteria convert the sugar from the food we eat into acids which demineralise and destruct the enamel of the tooth to create cavities in them. Luckily, preventing tooth cavities is equally easy. Here are ten ways to prevent them:

Brush and floss daily
Preventive measures to any oral health problem begin with good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth at least twice a day. Use toothpaste that contains fluoride. Floss once or twice a day preferably after dinner. Flossing removes plaque from areas that the toothbrush can’t reach i.e. between your teeth and under the gum line.

Drink water or rinse mouth with water after eating
You can’t brush every time you eat. But you sure can drink water or at least rinse your mouth with water every time you do so. Water neutralises the effects of acidic and sugary foods. Rinsing removes food particles left behind on/ between the teeth.

Eat a healthy balanced diet
A healthy balanced diet is a solution to most of our health problems. A diet high in refined carbohydrates like breads, biscuits, etc. puts you at a risk of tooth decay. Avoid sticky foods such as candies, etc. which get stuck in the pits and grooves of your teeth. Sweets and chocolates are not the only ones with sugar. Beware of ‘hidden sugars’ in food which also could cause tooth decay. Increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables.  They remove plaque and food particles from between your teeth and gums.

Avoid frequent snacking
What exposes your teeth to abuse is not how much you eat, but how often you eat. Every time you eat, bacteria convert the carbohydrates in the food into acids that can dissolve your tooth enamel. By snacking throughout the day, you make your teeth susceptible to constant bacterial attack. Hence avoid eating high sugar, high acid foods between meals. Diet soda may have no sugar but the acid in it can be dangerous to your tooth enamel. If you have a sweet tooth, it’s best to have sweets at meal times!

Regular dental visits
Visit your dentist once in six months for regular check-ups. He/she will be able to check for conditions in the mouth that may put you at risk of developing tooth decay. The initial signs of cavity can be reversed if detected early. If advised, get a professional cleaning or scaling done.

Get sealants placed on your teeth
Wouldn’t sealing off the grooves and fissures of teeth from acid and plaque protect them from getting cavities? Yes, it would. And dental sealants do just that. Your dentist may apply protective coating called dental sealants to the biting surfaces of the back teeth.

Fluoride treatment

Drinking fluoridated water reduces the incidence of tooth decay. However, in most parts of India, non-fluoridated water is consumed. Hence it is recommended to use fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride gel may be applied by your dentist if you are very susceptible to cavities.

Use a mouth rinse
Brushing and flossing takes care of all the food debris and plaque in your mouth. But what about the harmful bacteria hiding in inaccessible places? That’s where the mouthwashes play a role. Use antibacterial mouth rinses after brushing to kill the harmful bacteria associated with cavities and reduce plaque in your mouth. If you are more prone to cavities, use a mouth rinse with fluoride.

Chew sugar-free gum
Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after eating or drinking stimulates saliva which washes away food particles and helps to prevent cavities.

Get your dry mouth treated
Dry mouth (Xerostomia) may be caused due to dehydration, anxiety, mouth breathing, smoking, certain medications, etc. It may also be caused by autoimmune diseases like Sjögren’s syndrome which damage the salivary glands. Tooth decay is very common in dry mouth. Identifying the underlying reason of your dry mouth can help in treating it thereby preventing further damage to your teeth from cavities.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement