Teeth do get stained with living and sadly many healthy foods like white tea and blackcurrants can leave stains. While there are some things you can do to reduce staining, like swishing water after having something staining or using a metal straw, over time stains will build up. The dental industry is full of whitening products – some cause sensitivity, long term damage and even leave your teeth with a blue tinge. So instead of using harsh chemicals try these natural teeth whitening and stain removal methods. All are free of involving fiddly trays or strips. None of them will get your teeth whiter than they are naturally but they will help with stains and removing the yellowing that eating can cause.

We recommend to only try one of these methods at a time and to give each one a few weeks to see how you get on. Let us know in the comments below what results you get. Only clean your teeth at least 30 minutes after you last ate as teeth can be soft after being subjected to acid attacks from food. Don’t use any of these methods first thing in the morning when your teeth are soft from sleeping. If you do have dental issues please do consult your dentist first.

Turmeric

This is a bright orange spice and is usually found as a powder made by grinding up the root of the plant. It’s the spice that gives most curry’s their warm orange glow so it sounds counter intuitive to use it for white teeth but there is merit in using it. Turmeric is abrasive and has astringent qualities so can help with cleaning. To use turmeric wet your brush and dip, then brush your teeth as normal. Rinse you mouth out well and brush with your normal toothpaste. You can brush your teeth everyday with turmeric so we suggest to try for a week.

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Bicarbonate of Soda / Baking soda

These are both the same thing. Bicarbonate of soda is quite abrasive and brushing with it leaves your teeth feeling smooth, clean and shiny. Wet your toothbrush and dip in bicarbonate of soda and brush well. This doesn’t taste great so if you struggle with the taste add a few drops of peppermint oil. Only use this method once or twice a week as its quite abrasive. Try for 4-6 weeks to get results.

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Activated charcoal

Like turmeric this is another one that seems counter intuitive as you will get a very black mouth midway, but like many things in life you make it worse to get better. Don’t use any old charcoal for this – it has to be activated charcoal as this gives a higher surface area and is more absorptive. Activated charcoal is used to treat poisoning as it can trap toxins in its tiny pours and is even used in some emergency situations over stomach pumping. However for dental health it works by adsorbing plaque and other materials that have stained teeth.

You usually buy activated charcoal in a capsule that can be opened and poured into a dish. Then just dip your toothbrush in it and brush as normal for a few minutes. Rinse your mouth out well afterwards. Be very careful as it will stain, clothes, skin and bathroom surfaces (scrubbing the sink afterwords with the residue did get it the cleanest it ever has). You might want to do this outside to save on cleaning. Try this every day for a week. Activated charcoal was very useful for removing shadowing and some stains on my teeth.

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Hydrogen peroxide (food grade 3%)

This sound like a harsh way to whiten your teeth, and the medical bottle doesn’t help, but it really isn’t. Hydrogen peroxide is just H2O2 – water with an extra atom of oxygen. Only ever use food grade hydrogen peroxide and no higher than 3%. You may experience slight sensitivity with this method. Also hydrogen peroxide is useful for a mouth wash as its antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. When I had tooth ache I used hydrogen peroxide twice a day to treat the pathogen causing the infection and it cleared up naturally without resorting to a root canal.

I buy Hydrogen peroxide food grade at 35% and then dilute down to 3%.

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Coconut oil pulling

Please see our full article on coconut oil pulling. It’s not just useful for teeth whiting but also as part of your oral hygiene routine for dental health.

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What method worked for you the best? Let us know below. For me it is activated charcoal and I now brush with it once or twice a month. It seems to leave my teeth whiter, but always leaves my sink needing a clean.