However, there are some great new teeth whitening chewing gums that are out on the market, and some people like to use them instead of regular chewing gum because they believe that it helps their teeth keep that white look, and helps to bar stains from happening to the teeth. I’ve tried Trident whitening gum, and I really liked the somewhat baking soda flavor (trust me, it’s not overpowering) it had, because it added freshness to my breath. Not just minty freshness, but I felt like it was actually “deodorizing” my mouth as well.

I do notice when I chew it also, that my teeth kind of feel squeaky clean when I run my tongue over them.  This is common after you whiten or polish your teeth too, because they are ultra clean and you can literally feel them squeak when you run your tongue over them.  I can’t say I noticed much of a whitening, but I thought it would be good measure to pop one of these tooth whitening gums in your mouth after you drink a cup of coffee or tea.

Not only could it get rid of your coffee breath, but the polishers and bleachers could definitely help to remove stains before they happen. I think it could be terrific as a preventative measure against staining your teeth.

I do notice here and there that my gums get a bit sensitive if the gel gets on them, and they sting a bit.  Apparently you have to be careful with this. Why? Because apparently your whitening agent can contain some heavy oxidation agents.

Which means that it may whiten the teeth very effectively, but over time and with excessive use, you can actually wear away your tooth enamel, and also you can damage the soft tissue in you mouth – your gums. This can often be painful, and damaging the enamel on your teeth can take years to undo, or even may take some sophisticated dental treatments to restore it.

You can use Pronamel, the toothpaste that is supposed to help strengthen and fortify your tooth enamel if you are worried about this as well.  Even better, you should use the most gentle teeth whiteners you can, so that you still get the teeth whitening you desire, but you’re not damaging the enamel or putting yourself in unnecessary pain.

I’ve always been a little worried about my enamel, so I do use Pronamel here and there, but it’s a product you can’t use for weeks on end anyways. I do feel like it sort of helps to build up a protective barrier that helps my enamel be preserved.  If you are concerned, I’d highly recommend you buy this toothpaste to replace your current one and use it for a few weeks, or whatever the recommendations on the back say.

Over whitening your teeth has also been reported to cause excess sensitivity in the teeth and gums of it’s abusers, so this is another reason to be mindful that you are not over whitening your teeth.  However, there are plenty of safe ways to whiten and fend off those brown/yellow stains that look so unsightly, so take heart!

One thing you may not know about this delicious and nutritious fruit is, that beside the fact that it is actually an excellent anti inflammatory for things like pain and inflammation cause by arthritis, but strawberries are also a great teeth whitener.

You’d think logically that the opposite would be true, because of their color, and that they might stain the teeth, sort of like blueberries have been known to do, especially if they are in concentrated form, like in a jam of a pie, or a juice, but actually strawberries – and whole strawberries, not in juice or jam form or any other form where they are altered.

Apparently the malic acid in the strawberries is the culprit behind their dual purpose of whitening the teeth. It helps to remove the surface stains by basically eating away at them, but beware, you should never use this solution every day (rub your strawberries with teeth every day, that is), because the acid, when used too much, can actually start to wear away at the enamel on your teeth.

You may have heard this about people who eat lots of lemons or citrus, or favor lemon water every day, because the acids, although beneficial to your body, can actuall wear away at your teeth if they are exposed too much.

My favorite natural remedy for whitening the teeth is probably baking soda though. Although it’s not a dramatic teeth whitener, and you may need a more powerful, commercial teeth whitener to get extreme results if your teeth are very stained, you can definitely gain some benefit from using this daily with your toothpaste as a whitener and gentle polisher of your teeth.

Not only that, baking soda does a great job of getting rid of bad breath and keeping it fresher, longer, because baking soda is a known odor neutralizer.  It’s also a dirt cheap teeth polisher and breath freshener, still only priced at under a buck for a container of it.  Hey, it’s multi purpose too, you can use it for baking and cooking, and you can use it in your freezer and fridge to keep everything fresh tasting.

What’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander, so to speak, so me liking darkly and vibrantly colored foods and drinks isn’t in the best interest of keeping gleaming white teeth. Everyone wants whiter teeth. It seems time doesn’t go by without a new whitening product coming out. In fact, the Kardashian girls just released one that’s supposed to be pretty good from what I understand actually.

Whitening your teeth definitely adds a new dimension of beauty to your face. You don’t even realize it until your teeth are white, how much better your smile looks when they’re bright and white. You can over do it however, so don’t go over whitening your teeth either. I’ve seen some celebrities whose teeth look like they could glow in the dark, and that’s not what you’re going for (anyone recall a great Friends episode where Ross whitens his teeth to impress a girl, yeah, that’s what you want to avoid!)

So, find yourself a good teeth whitening kit or gel that’s gentle enough you can use it fairly often. You don’t want anything that wears the enamel away, so you can use it over and over again without it actually doing any damage to your precious teeth. I’m not a fan of the whitening strips. They tend to leave your teeth yellow in the crevaces they can’t reach, so get something that maybe uses a tray, or a formula that just sticks to the teeth pretty well and foams up that you can spit out in five or ten minutes. Also, you might benefit from a more expensive, polishing toothbrush that is geared toward whitening. They have them at Wal-mart and Target, just look for the ones that claim they help whiten teeth.

Trust me, white teeth do get noticed. Even your dentist will notice if you’re using a good, quality whitening product. And keep up with it. Don’t do it once and then expect the results to stay. Keeping your teeth white is like keeping cellulite away, you’ve gotta have a good maintenance program, and good products to get the job done.

Try drinking staining beverages through a straw.  This way, the drink passes by the teeth and goes straight down the throat, minimizing contact and therefore also minimizing it’s potential to stain the teeth.

The reason that teeth absorb deeply colored foods and beverages is that they have a degree of porosity to them, just like every bone in the body, and because of their porous quality, they do absorb and take on deep colors, making them appear brown or yellow instead of their natural white.

As we age, you see this process compound, since our teeth have absorbed thousands of staining foods and beverages as we get older and consume more and more over time.  Plus, the aging process alone can leave teeth duller and tinted.  Drinking damaging beverages through a straw will help with the introduction of these substances that speed the staining process up.

The problem is that the stronger you drink your tea or coffee, the more staining potential it has since it takes on a deeper “stain”, and has more ability to stain your teeth because it is more concentrated.  Similarly if you eat darkly colors fruits, esepecially blueberries or grape juice or lots of dark wines, you will notice that they have strong staining factors that sometimes are almost immediately visible. 

If you are a smoker, you really can’t avoid the tar that emits from smoke from clinging to your teeth and sinking in to create a darker appearance, but there are some products you can try that help to take the tar off, but they must be used once every night at least, especially after a day of smoking.

One is a mouthwash called Targon which is used prior to brushing the teeth.  It helps to pull tar stains out of the teeth, and loosening them up so that when you brush your teeth you are actually brushing tar stains out.  Many smokers swear by this one.

Strawberries are actually a natural tooth whitener, especially when eaten raw and by themselves.  Not only are they a natural teeth whitener, but they are also high in antioxidants and tasty, so noshing on strawberries daily can help to whiten teeth naturally.

There are several tooth whitening chewing gums available now that claim to help combat stains and keep teeth white and bright.  If you pop a piece of this gum after you’re eaten a meal with staining foods or a beverages that is dark in color, this may help to offset the effects of the food or beverage consumed.

Also there are some quality teeth whitening toothpastes that can be purchased at your local drugstore that have teeth whitening capabilities, especially if they’re used right after consuming something that may stain the teeth and take away the whiteness even more. 

So this Colgate Simply White toothpaste that is supposed to dramatically brighten and whiten teeth pretty quickly according to the advertisement looked like a genuine bargain at two for five bucks at Giant Eagle, undoubtedly a promotional price to get the newer teeth whitening product off the ground.  I only bought one tube though, just in case I didn’t like it or my teeth were made too sensitive by using it, which has been known to happen with my finicky teeth.

The problem with a lot of the whitening products is that they do create teeth sensitivity.  While I can say this Colgate Simply White doesn’t promote sensitivity, it doesn’t really seem to be doing much of a job at whitening or getting the stains out after about one week of use.  And, I’m not sure what the deal is with the tube, but it’s built so that it comes out of two chambers, one if a blue gel and the other is a white paste, which I think is the “whitening” part of the concoction. 

Problem is, I’m not sure if I got a defective tube or not, but hardly any of the white paste comes out and all I get is a big glob of the blue gel pretty much.  This might mean I’m totally missing out on the whitening action of the paste, but every time I squeeze it’s barely any paste. 

I’m hoping that as the tube dwindles in size, the paste will come out naturally more on its own and I will get more whitening action.  As for right now, Colgate Simply White seems to be just an ordinary toothpaste, it does not appear to be whitening my teeth any more than any other run of the mill “whitening” toothpaste.  My money’s on the treatments at this point, like Crest White Strips or the trays – you just have to be really careful with the trays because they do create a sensitivity sometimes in those with sensitive teeth or gums. 

It is a natural toothpaste, as I said, and it’s so natural in fact, that it comes out a light brown color.  Admittedly not the most appetizing or appealing color, but if something has no artificial colorings, then that is how it’s bound to look.  There is no sodium laureth or lauryl sulfate, which has gotten tons of negative press for being corosive to the skin, hair, and mouth, so it doesn’t froth up like other toothpastes do, which may throw some people off.

As far as whitening, I can’t say that I’ve seen a huge difference.  I’m still an advocate of whitening treatments for the purposed of whitening, as I don’t believe that a toothpaste itself can whiten to most people’s liking.  I love the toothpaste though because my mouth does not seem to dry out as easily since I’ve been using it, and my gums indeed are not as sensitive.  The taste of the paste could be better, but I’m not complaining too bad as I think some regular toothpastes are a little too flavored for my taste.