Can You Whiten Teeth With Peppermint Vodka? And Other Dental Myths Unraveled

During this holiday season, you may want your smile to sparkle and shine in all of those fun holiday photos. However, if your smile is not as white as the new-fallen snow outside, you may feel inclined to hide it. You may also be inclined to try some crazy home remedies for whitening teeth, some of which are complete myths and/or are downright dangerous. Here are just a few of the crazy dental myths about teeth whitening that may be circling and why they are nothing in comparison to a professional teeth whitening in a dentist's office.

Peppermint Vodka

Peppermint vodka is a popular holiday beverage for adults because it leaves your breath smelling more like crushed candy cane than the usual vodka/alcohol rub that is common with regular vodka. As such, some people may think that it does wonders for whitening your teeth, since it is similar in taste and tingly sensations as mouthwash. The truth is, it does less to whiten teeth than just brushing alone. The alcohol content can kill bacteria that cause bad breath and mild gingivitis, so there is that, but peppermint vodka is far from a teeth whitening agent.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

While it is true that strawberries are natural tooth-scrubbers, noshing on chocolate-dipped strawberries this holiday season is quite counter-productive to getting your teeth white. The chocolate and the sugar alone is counter-productive to anything the strawberries could do. Even if you eat nothing but straight-up strawberries for a month before Christmas, the best you can hope for is cleaner teeth, not whiter ones.

Chlorine Bleach and Cotton Swabs

Why anyone would ever attempt to put chlorine bleach anywhere near their mouths is a mystery. The fact that some people think that chlorine bleach on cotton swabs (i.e., Q-tips) is the answer to a very quickly-whitened smile is terrifying. While it may whiten your teeth, it will poison you, destroy the enamel on your teeth, and make you violently ill—if you do not die from it first. The bleaching agents used in a dentist's office are not chlorine and do not contain chlorine bleach, which is why the whitening process in a dental chair is so much safer and healthier.

If you are down to the wire with getting your teeth whitened in time for Christmas, avoid the chlorine bleach. Go to your dentist and ask for laser teeth whitening. This is by far the most rapid and safest way to get your teeth whitened for the holidays.

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