Vegan Teeth Whitening

runner0579 · **Joined:** Sun Feb 27, 2011 3:05 pm **Posts:** 2

Dear All,

Do any of you know of any vegan teeth whitening systems? I am thinking of something like Crest white strips, etc. Thanks in advance for any info you can offer!

Best,
S

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

I'm interested in this too, thanks for starting a thread.

I've heard of gargling with hydrogen peroxide, but am unsure of the safety of it.

runner0579 · **Joined:** Sun Feb 27, 2011 3:05 pm **Posts:** 2

Hi Alligatordisco! I have tried the hydrogen peroxide/baking soda method without too much success. Maybe someone here has some other ideas...

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

I just did a google search and see that Kiss My Face has a vegan teeth-whitening thing that is vegan. Not sure if it's toothpaste or what.

teapot · **Posted:** Sun Feb 27, 2011 7:09 pm

I use the kiss my face whitening toothpaste and love it! I'm not super sure how effective it is as a whitener as my teeth were not that bad to begin with though.

chatter710 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 27, 2011 7:19 pm

I swished hydrogen peroxide for a few weeks and I didn't really notice a difference. Also, it tastes terrible. However, it'll kill all the germs left in your mouth after brushing, which is very good!

alligatordisco wrote:

I just did a google search and see that Kiss My Face has a vegan teeth-whitening thing that is vegan. Not sure if it's toothpaste or what.

Yes, but is this vegan thing also vegan? :)

TempestTeapot · **Joined:** Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:01 am **Posts:** 24

If you gargle with peroxide, make sure you dilute it with water. Straight peroxide can kill developing cells and make you more suseptible to infection.

Gulliver · **Posted:** Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:25 am

Or, you know, don't attack your teeth with bleach.

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

chatter710 wrote:

I swished hydrogen peroxide for a few weeks and I didn't really notice a difference. Also, it tastes terrible. However, it'll kill all the germs left in your mouth after brushing, which is very good!

alligatordisco wrote:

I just did a google search and see that Kiss My Face has a vegan teeth-whitening thing that is vegan. Not sure if it's toothpaste or what.

Yes, but is this vegan thing also vegan? :)

Haha, didn't notice I said that! Indeed, that vegan thing is vegan.

Lixa · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:10 am

Getting a Sonicare tooth brush actually helped me a lot. I would be very surprised if that turned out to not be vegan somehow.

Pop! · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:42 am

I use Opalescence, which I hate to admit I'm having trouble finding a complete ingredient list for. It's my understanding that the most common potentially non-vegan ingredient in these gels is glycerin...enlighten me?

I have met people for whom the swishing with hydrogen peroxide (cut with water) worked almost too well, but for me it didn't do anything. Maybe start with that? I think you just have to be really diligent--like twice a day for a couple of months. Careful with the baking soda--I had receding gums and my dentist told me that it could have been caused in part by using abrasive toothpastes.

Gulliver wrote:

Or, you know, don't attack your teeth with bleach.

It's not actually bleach :). Usually a hydrogen peroxide component or something like.

Gulliver · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:29 pm

"Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an oxidizer commonly used as a bleach", first line of the Google search. (Which is completely scientific.)

Anyway, I'm aware that this is a cultural thing to some extent, as British people are less fussy about the colour of their teeth as long as they are not, like, yellow. We do have the healthiest teeth in the world, though! (Because dental healthcare is subsidised a lot, there isn't so much of a "if poor, then black teeth" causal relationship. Poor people get better dental care within the public system because they have access to ways to not pay).

¡gato! · **Joined:** Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:43 am **Posts:** 236

Have you tried brushing your teeth with raw onion? That works really well for me.

Pop! · **Posted:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:57 pm

Gulliver wrote:

"Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an oxidizer commonly used as a bleach", first line of the Google search. (Which is completely scientific.)

Oops, I always think of bleach as NaClO and forget that people count oxygen bleach as bleach, too. I just got this visual of somebody swishing NaClO to whiten his teeth which would, you know, cause some damage.

And yep, Americans sure do like their teeth white and sparkling!

Vegan Candida Diet · **Joined:** Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:03 pm **Posts:** 282

Rumor has it some Romans used their urine for whitening purposes.

CNA · **Posted:** Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:10 pm

That sounds... delicious?

While eating, I rubbed my teeth with strawberries when I was 18, then I brushed my teeth. I noticed my teeth were nice and bright afterward, so I tried it again... and then continued every other day for maybe 2 months? I just made sure to brush my teeth afterward. It made my teeth considerably white, even though I thought strawberries would stain my teeth. I guess brushing 5-10 minutes at most afterward helped keep that from happening. It doesn't work super drastically, but I did notice a difference after the first time I did it, and this is definitely vegan.

I should try this again when strawberries are back in season and see if my 18 year old self was right and not crazy...

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

I just googled the strawberry thing (apparently it's a popular old-wives-tale) and it sounds like the acidity of the fruit buffs away stains, but exposure to the same acidity could damage enamel over a long time. I didn't know strawberries could do that!

mel c · **Posted:** Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:24 pm

Aren't you supposed to avoid brushing teeth after acidic foods because it wears away the softened enamel? Not sure if that's an old wives tale either, but I've always been paranoid because I have sensitive teeth.

Pop! · **Posted:** Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:47 pm

mel c wrote:

Aren't you supposed to avoid brushing teeth after acidic foods because it wears away the softened enamel? Not sure if that's an old wives tale either, but I've always been paranoid because I have sensitive teeth.

I just read this recently...somewhere. That doesn't confirm its veracity, but I'd believe it.

Magpie-Grin · **Posted:** Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:11 pm

Lixa wrote:

Getting a Sonicare tooth brush actually helped me a lot. I would be very surprised if that turned out to not be vegan somehow.

I have one of these and it is amazing how much cleaner my teeth feel. Super smooth. I don't know about the whitening potential because I naturally have fairly white teeth.

CNA wrote:

That sounds... delicious?

While eating, I rubbed my teeth with strawberries when I was 18, then I brushed my teeth. I noticed my teeth were nice and bright afterward, so I tried it again... and then continued every other day for maybe 2 months? I just made sure to brush my teeth afterward. It made my teeth considerably white, even though I thought strawberries would stain my teeth. I guess brushing 5-10 minutes at most afterward helped keep that from happening. It doesn't work super drastically, but I did notice a difference after the first time I did it, and this is definitely vegan.
I should try this again when strawberries are back in season and see if my 18 year old self was right and not crazy...

I wonder if it actually whitened your teeth, or just made your gums more red, which would give the appearance of whiter teeth.

mel c wrote:

Aren't you supposed to avoid brushing teeth after acidic foods because it wears away the softened enamel? Not sure if that's an old wives tale either, but I've always been paranoid because I have sensitive teeth.

Yes, this is true. You should never brush your teeth right after having acidic foods/drinks. It is better to rinse your teeth with water after having acidic foods

Alzbeta5 · **Joined:** Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:17 pm **Posts:** 4

I read something once about ripe strawberries and tooth whitening. I think I saw it on www.ecosalon.com Apparently this writer tried it out and found it worked. Look it up!

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

So far what I'm getting from this thread is rub strawberries on your teeth, but don't brush directly afterwords (swish with water). Sounds delicious.

mollyp0p · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:19 am

One of my friends uses a Q-Tippy with Hydrogen Peroxide and her teeth are literally bleach white.. i wouldn't recommend garglin' it up though :( tehee

lindsey_nicole · **Posted:** Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:04 pm

teapot wrote:

I use the kiss my face whitening toothpaste and love it! I'm not super sure how effective it is as a whitener as my teeth were not that bad to begin with though.

This. I swear by this toothpaste. I didn't have horrible teeth to begin with or anything, but they immediately got whiter when I started using it. It made so much of a difference that I have a few non-veg friends switch to the same toothpaste. :)

mellisa · **Joined:** Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:02 am **Posts:** 4

TempestTeapot wrote:

If you gargle with peroxide, make sure you dilute it with water. Straight peroxide can kill developing cells and make you more suseptible to infection.

Gargling with hydrogen peroxide will not only kill bacteria but also help to whiten your teeth. But you have to be careful because it is an acid and it can damage the tissues in your mouth if you are not careful. For some time, hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening has been used in over-the-counter disinfectants, toothpastes, and mouthwashes as a bleaching agent.

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