Stop Using Lemons to Whiten Teeth

Here at Whitehorse Dental, it has come to our attention that using lemon and bicarb is sometimes marketed at a natural formula for cosmetic teeth whitening.

In our dental experience, we want to try our best to discourage any use of lemon juice directly onto teeth. We’ll explain to you why lemons for teeth whitening is a bad idea.

Lemons have a pH level of 2 – almost the same as stomach acid!

Due to their highly acidic nature, the direct application of lemons or lemon juice will buff away your tooth enamel.

Once the enamel has eroded, this opens the door for many dental problems such as tooth decay and a lifetime of sensitive teeth.

It only takes a few times of using lemons and the enamel will begin to wear down

Teeth are made of two layers:

• Enamel: which is the hard, white, glass like structure around the outside.  
• Dentine: which is soft, full of nerve endings and yellow in colour.  

By using lemon and bicarb soda, you may successfully remove some superficial stains on the teeth, but you will also invariably remove layers of enamel.  Thinner enamel will allow the underlying yellow colour of the dentine to shine through more, making the teeth more yellow in the long term.  

Safe ways to whiten your teeth

If a nice lustrous smile is what you’re after, the lemon juice method is counterproductive. Ideally we want our teeth to look healthy and white, but without our tooth enamel this cannot happen.

The safest and most effective way to whiten your teeth is to have it done professionally. The trusty professionals at Whitehorse Dental offer these services and would love to help you get that smile you’ve always wanted.

So save your lemons!  Read our previous blog post which explains to you how to whiten your teeth affordably and safely.

Image credit: RyanMcGuire.