Does Brushing With Salt Whiten Your Teeth?

If you're looking to whiten up your smile, you may be investigating home remedies rather than professional treatments. One of the options you probably already have in your kitchen is salt. Can salt whiten your teeth and is this a good option to use?

The Advantages of Using Salt to Clean Your Teeth

When you brush your teeth with toothpaste, the paste cleans your teeth and helps remove plaque and some staining. However, regular toothpastes may not have enough oomph to get rid of entrenched plaque or stains that have already set into your enamel. These issues may make your smile look a little dull and discoloured even if you brush and floss your teeth twice a day.

If you brush your teeth with salt, however, you may notice that you are able to get rid of more stains and plaque. Salt is an abrasive substance. When you use it to clean your teeth, it gives you an extra scrubbing effect. This abrasiveness may clean your teeth more effectively than a smoother toothpaste can. If you can scrub away stains and plaque, your teeth may look a little whiter than they did as you'll be eliminating the yellowing effects of plaque and surface stains that affect the brightness of your smile.

The Disadvantages of Using Salt to Clean Your Teeth

While the abrasive nature of salt has an upside, it also has a downside. While your teeth are naturally strong, their covering enamel can be damaged by some substances. Scrubbing salt on to your teeth may remove surface stains and plaque; however, it may also remove or erode your teeth's enamel. If salt's abrasive qualities and acid content damage or weaken your enamel, you may end up with teeth that look more yellow or are more prone to decay. Plus, once your enamel is gone, it doesn't grow back.

While brushing with salt on a periodic basis, say once a week, may not do any significant damage, you probably shouldn't use salt to clean your teeth every day. You may damage your teeth and may not get the whitening effect you were looking for. Even if salt gives your teeth more of a buff than your regular cleaning routine, you're not likely to see your teeth whiten significantly. What you're doing here is removing surface stains and some plaque.

You may find that a regular clean and polish at your dental surgery gives you better and safer results. If you're looking to significantly change the shades of white on your smile, it may be more effective to talk to your dentist (like those at Revesby Dental Centre) about cosmetic whitening treatments.