Lemon juice for a whiter smile?

I read on Facebook that you can use lemon juice to naturally whiten your teeth. The post said I could also do it using lemon essential oil or lemon peels, and that it would be gentler than other ways to get a white smile. Is that true? I read that it’s the bacteria on teeth that make them look dingy, and the lemon juice will kill the bacteria.

Ingrid in Dobson Ranch

Hi Ingrid,

I’m glad you looked for more information before trying lemon juice. That Facebook post is suggesting using the citric acid naturally present in lemons as a whitening agent. You should not do this. It’s not good for your teeth and will leave them looking less white than they did before.

It isn’t true that bacteria causes a dull smile. In any case, ordinary toothbrushing and good oral hygiene will keep your mouth clean of bacteria. To make your smile whiter, you need to dissolve stains that have formed within the teeth. And you’ll want to do it in a safe way that won’t harm your teeth or leave you worse off than you were before.

There are various over-the-counter methods for teeth whitening, none of them as effective as the whitening treatments available from a cosmetic dentist. We can use and prescribe high-strength whitening gels that you can’t get in a drugstore or online.

The Problem with Citric Acid Bleaching

There was once an over-the-counter kit that used a combination of citric acid and titanium. First, the patient rinsed their teeth with a citric acid solution. This created a temporary whitening effect by etching through the tooth’s protective enamel, leaving it rough and frosty looking.

Next, the patient needed to coat their teeth with a paste of titanium dioxide, a brilliant white mineral that’s also used in the manufacture of paints, sunscreen, and printer paper. The titanium paste adhered well to the newly roughened, etched teeth. For a few days, the patient would have a dazzling smile. After that, the titanium paste wore off, leaving a damaged tooth surface that easily absorbed stains from food and drinks, such as coffee, red wine, and berries. Ultimately, the patient’s smile was less attractive than before they tried the citric acid kit. Any whitening method that relies on citric acid will have the same problem.

For in-office teeth bleaching, we use KöR to dramatically and safely whiten teeth in about an hour. Some of our patients prefer a take-home KöR or Venus whitening kit instead, which offers the same efficacy and safety but takes longer. These treatments break down stains that are deep within the tooth without harming the enamel.

This blog brought to you by Mountain View Family Dentistry, an affordable cosmetic dentist in Mesa.