Should You Try DIY Teeth Whitening Paste?

When you hear about a healthy smile, what comes to mind? People often associate pink gums and white teeth with good dental health, but as you get older, your teeth might take on a yellowish or brownish cast for reasons beyond poor oral care. Your genes or your diet may be to blame.

If getting a brighter, whiter smile is on your to-do list, you have options, from at-home whitening treatments to those at your dentist's office. You might also think of trying a do-it-yourself teeth whitening paste. There are several homemade concoctions you can try, and they'll all compare differently with the results you'd get from a dentist or over-the-counter (OTC) product.

Coconut Oil

Whether it's conditioning dry and damaged hair or acting as a natural deodorant, it seems there's nothing coconut oil can't do. Another possible benefit of coconut oil is as a tooth whitener. Although it's been around for centuries, the practice of oil-pulling – which involves swishing coconut oil in your mouth for up to 20 minutes – became the talk of the town in 2014. The benefits of oil-pulling range from cleaning and whitening your teeth to improving your overall health, according to those who have tried it.

Mint reports that while oil pulling may improve oral health, there isn’t enough scientific evidence yet to prove its other claimed benefits. . Rinsing your mouth with coconut oil probably won't cause you any harm as long as you keep up a good dental care routine, but it also may not make your teeth any whiter.

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is another ingredient that's gotten a bit of a makeover in recent years. Once it was used primarily to treat poison victims, however you can now find it in a number of skincare products and in supplement form. There are also anecdotal studies of people making a paste out of activated charcoal and water to whiten their teeth.

Nonetheless, the jury is still out on how effective this charcoal is as a teeth whitener. Some people didn't have much luck when they applied it, and it is yet to be approved for use as an official tooth whitener. Give it a try, but as with anything that involves your teeth, it's a good idea to check with your dentist first.