On a recent Dr. Oz blog, there was some very disturbing misinformation. He was talking about ways to get your teeth white using home remedies. One suggestion was to eat strawberries because they contain Vitamin C which clears away plaque. Plaque is a very sticky substance and the best way to remove it is using your toothbrush and floss. (And it’s much less expensive and alot more practical than eating strawberries!)
Another Dr. Oz suggestion was to eat raisins because they increase saliva flow. This is about as practical as the first suggestion. In fact, raisins are sticky and sugary. They are hard to remove from your teeth and the sugar feeds the bacteria that cause teeth to decay. Hey, a double whammy! Now your teeth are at more risk for cavities.
Can it get any worse? Yes. His third suggestion was to mix baking soda with lemon juice and put it on your teeth for a minute before rinsing it off. Lemon juice? ph of about 2.3….just a little less acidic than stomach acid and car battery acid. (Enamel dissolves away around ph 5.5) Great, now your enamel will not only be attacked by the acid, which will cause it to dissolve away AND you encourage those nasty decay causing bacteria to flourish because they love and thrive in an acidic mouth.
So….I recommend Dr. Oz stick to cardiothoracic surgery and leave teeth whitening up to dental professionals.
Janice Frederick, DDSMendota Dental
720 Main Street, Suite 213
Mendota Heights, MN 55118
651-209-9219 www.MendotaFamilyDental.com
