As we get older suddenly we realised many things we didn't appreciate about being young - being fit, having smooth skin and having all your own teeth. As our loose teeth (and bridges) struggle to deal with chewier food we start eating bland mush and, there is no easy way to say this, OLD PEOPLE FOOD. I'm determined not to let that happen to me and I'm doing everything I can to keep my own teeth as long as possible, and when that's not possible to get the best possible teeth replacement. If you are like me and want to keep on eating whatever you want, I think you'll like my site. It's all about dental health and teeth replacement & maintenance.
Keeping your teeth young
Can Nuts Really Whiten Your Teeth?
Mabel Hicks
Some foods can naturally whiten your teeth, giving you a quick and easy way of brightening up your smile. For example, nuts are considered by some to be a useful whitening food from a dental perspective. But will your teeth really look whiter if you snack on nuts?
How Nuts Whiten Your Teeth
Nuts don't contain teeth whiteners; however, they have the ability to help you polish up your teeth in a way that may remove some surface stains and substances. If these substances are left on your teeth, they may make your teeth look less bright and white than they actually are.
Perhaps the main advantage of eating nuts to whiten teeth is their hardness. This makes them slightly abrasive. When you chew on a nut and break it up, its pieces scrape against your teeth. This scraping may help remove some surface staining and filmy plaque. If your teeth were looking a little stained or grey, this may have a natural whitening effect.
Chewing nuts also makes you produce more saliva. Your mouth uses saliva as a natural mouthwash to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Whenever you chew on something hard to break it down, you put more saliva in the mouth. This extra liquid may help wash debris and surface grime that builds up on your teeth between brushing sessions. Again, this may whiten your teeth up a little.
How Effectively Can Nuts Whiten Your Teeth?
Eating a few nuts during the day between your regular brushing times may help keep your smile brighter by cleaning off the substances that hide the underlying whiteness of your teeth. However, you should remember that nuts give more of an exfoliating clean than a true whitening.
Nuts may be able to take your teeth back to their natural colour but aren't likely to boost your natural shade of white beyond that. If you want the natural colour of your teeth to go up a few whiteness shades, it's worth talking to your dentist about having a teeth whitening treatment.
Warning: While nuts are seen as a tooth-friendly food, giving you positive cleaning effects without exposing your teeth to harmful sugars, you do need to be careful when you eat them. If pieces of nuts get stuck between your teeth and you don't remove them effectively, the pieces may turn into plaque. Plaque may lead to dental problems such as decay or gum disease. To avoid problems, it's worth flossing after eating nuts to make sure that pieces don't get stuck between your teeth.
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