6 ways to whiten your teeth that you can do at home for free

The operation sees 70% of the patient's teeth filed down into small fangs and replaced with crowns, these have a life span of anywhere between 5-15 years.

No one wants yellow teeth, but spending upwards of £2000 is not simply feasible during a cost-of-living crisis.

You could point the blame at shows like Love Island for starting the trend.

It's time for you to play Cupid and choose the first couples of the series! 🏹

Head to the #LoveIsland app now to vote!🗳 https://t.co/gUDfdu5fGF pic.twitter.com/9CxrborJIs

— Love Island (@LoveIsland) June 1, 2023

Parading 'everyday' twenty-somethings around with flawless bodies and sparkling teeth, it is only natural to want to look like that.

Well, in the mouth department at least, you now can.

Dentists at Pleasant Family Dentistry put together a list of the best ways to brighten your smile, at barely any cost.

Here we take a look at those tips:

Back to basics:

This really shouldn't be news to you by now, but brushing your teeth daily is the most important thing to do to keep your teeth shining bright.

If you have not been brushing regularly, it is time to address the bad habit.

To give your smile some extra glamour, try using tooth-whitening toothpaste. 

Use a baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste:

Baking soda helps rub off stains from the tooth surface whilst hydrogen peroxide is a natural bleaching agent which helps in killing bacteria.

Take one tablespoon of baking soda and two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. Mix both the contents, and you’ll end up with a paste.

Use this paste to brush your teeth regularly.

It’s not magic so don't expect super shiny pearls after one session, but use this paste daily, and you’ll eventually start to see the difference. 

Using hydrogen peroxide in high concentrations can cause side effects, including damaging your teeth, so just use a minimum of one tablespoon.

These 6 natural tips to whiten your teeth are recommended by dentists (Image: Getty)

Try oil pulling:

Oil pulling is a traditional teeth whitening remedy used in India.

This technique attests to improving your overall oral health and hygiene. 

To perform oil pulling, you have to squish oil around in your mouth.

Any oil could be used for oil pulling - provided it hasn't just been used on the hob - but sunflower oil and sesame oil are mostly used, as well as coconut.

There’s no scientific evidence supporting the fact that oil pulling is useful for tooth whitening, but the people who use the technique laud it, so why not give it a whirl?

To perform oil pulling take one tablespoon of it and squish it around in your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes.

Rub banana, orange, or lemon peels on your teeth:

Just like oil pulling, this hasn't actually been scientifically proven although yet again, the people who gave it a shot stand by it.

If you think about it, in order to get the peel you have to eat the fruit - fruit is health, which is wealth, so no downside!

Take a banana, orange, or lemon peel and gently rub it on your teeth.

Keep rubbing it for about 2 minutes, then thoroughly wash your mouth and brush your teeth.

The peels of these fruits contain citric acid, which theoretically helps in teeth whitening.

Fruits and vegetables are known to be very useful for your overall health, that’s a win-win for you. (Image: Getty)

Eat more fruits and vegetables:

Crunchy fruits and vegetables are known to rub off plaque from your teeth while you chew them. 

Two of the fruits which have been claimed to whiten your teeth are pineapple and strawberry.

An enzyme named “bromelain” found in pineapple effectively removes stains and is useful in overall tooth whitening.

Go to the dentist:

If none of the above-mentioned remedies seem to work for you then sadly it appears you are a lost cause - that is, of course, a joke.

If your teeth are continuously becoming more and more yellowish, it might be time to let a professional handle this, a dentist in this case.