How to whiten teeth with baking soda and lemon

Q: Is baking soda and lemon safe for teeth whitening?

Its a myth that you can safely whiten teeth with lemon juice and baking soda. Unlike toothpaste, baking soda is abrasive and will wear away your tooth enamel over time. Likewise, lemon juice is too acidic to sit on the surface of your teeth.

First of all, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is still a bit controversial when it comes to using it on your teeth! It’s still being talked about in the dental world with lots of different views… Some dental professionals will tell you to never use baking soda on your teeth because it’s too abrasive. However, the more updated frame of thought (with new abrasivity charts) is that it’s actually not that abrasive and it actually might be safe on your teeth!

Table of Contents Show

Hydrogen Peroxide Whitens Teeth Not Baking Soda
Baking Soda Toothpaste
Does Baking Soda Whiten Teeth?
Is baking soda and lemon safe for teeth whitening?
How long does baking soda takes to whiten teeth?
How can I whiten my teeth fast?
Will lemon whiten teeth?

However, according to the American Dental Association[1], it is still not approved to brush with baking soda straight from the container (which I agree with their reasoning, and we’ll discuss more about WHY in just a bit).[2]

Hydrogen Peroxide Whitens Teeth Not Baking Soda

But, first, if we’re talking about baking soda for teeth whitening, it’s important to understand that baking soda can’t WHITEN teeth because peroxide is what whitens teeth. Many whitening products use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide to whiten teeth. Baking soda may help reduce the formation of tooth stains, but it can’t actually whiten teeth (the same goes for whitening toothpastes).

To effectively whiten your teeth, you’d need to use actual teeth whitening products (such as whitening strips, whitening trays, professional whitening gels, etc) because they are formulated with peroxide to penetrate and oxidize the stain particles inside of your tooth, physically making your teeth shades whiter.

Baking soda can’t oxidize and penetrate teeth to whiten them. It can only help reduce surface stains. But, it won’t physically make your teeth shades whiter like peroxide does. And although lots of our parents and grandparents grew up in a day when it was totally normal to brush their teeth with baking soda straight from the container …Nowadays we have access to MUCH better brightening and whitening resources (such as the whitening strips, trays, and gels mentioned above).[3]

Related: Best Teeth Whitening Products

Baking Soda Toothpaste

One thing baking soda can help with is to reduce surface stains from forming (stains from coffee, tea, etc) just like any whitening toothpaste, which brings me back to why the American Dental Association doesn’t approve baking soda straight from the container.[4]

Also, there are a ton of articles online promoting how to make baking soda toothpaste at home with things like lemon juice. DO NOT make homemade baking soda with lemon juice. Lemon juice is super acidic and will damage tooth enamel.

I know the argument is that baking soda straight from the baking soda container is cheaper than using a baking soda formulated toothpaste. But, it’s only cheaper because it’s not toothpaste! The homemade baking soda paste is not formulated for the purpose of brushing your teeth with it!

But even more importantly, baking soda straight from the baking soda container does not have any anti-cavity properties. Preventing cavities is the #1 reason we brush our teeth with toothpaste; the purpose of regular toothpaste is to prevent cavities. And since anticavity ingredients (like fluoride or hydroxyapatite) are not found in a baking soda container, of course the American Dental Association is not going to approve it, since it doesn’t protect against tooth decay like a fluoride toothpaste would.[5]

To prevent cavities, you can’t just brush with baking soda straight from the container. You also need to brush with a cavity prevention toothpaste, as well. So, my argument is…if you want to use baking soda, why not just use a toothpaste where it’s already formulated with both cavity-prevention AND baking soda? Or any type of whitening toothpaste?! They even make whitening toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

Related: Best Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth

Does Baking Soda Whiten Teeth?

In all, if you are eager to use baking soda, it’s recommended to find a baking soda toothpaste (so it’s also formulated with the anti-cavity ingredients). Also, don’t forget that baking soda can’t whiten teeth – it can only help reduce stains from forming.

Whether or not you’re using a baking soda toothpaste, it’s more important to make sure that (1) you’re using proper brushing techniques to remove plaque and debris from your teeth twice each day and (2) you’re using a cavity prevention toothpaste with fluoride or hydroxyapatite twice each day for cavity prevention.

Whitney is a registered dental hygienist who is also known as the "Teeth Talk Girl" on social media. Whitney’s journey of spreading dental health awareness began on the YouTube platform — where she continues to create educational videos for the public. She is extremely passionate about sharing information regarding the importance of dental health. Published on November 17, 2022

Sources

teethtalkgirl content is medically reviewed and fact-checked by a licensed dentist or medical doctor to ensure the information is factual, current, and relevant.

Dentistry Journal. A Critical Review of Modern Concepts for Teeth Whitening. Dentistry Journal. 2019 Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6784469/. November 17, 2022 American Association of Endodontists. Baking soda dentifrices and oral health. American Association of Endodontists. 2017 Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2017.09.009. November 17, 2022 The Journal of clinical dentistry. Enhancement of plaque removal efficacy by tooth brushing with baking soda dentifrices: results of five clinical studies. The Journal of clinical dentistry. 2008 Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19278079/. November 17, 2022 The Journal of clinical dentistry. Effectiveness of a new dentifrice with baking soda and peroxide in removing extrinsic stain and whitening teeth. The Journal of clinical dentistry. 2012 Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23210419/. November 17, 2022 Prev Nutr Food Sci. The Fluoride Debate: The Pros and Cons of Fluoridation. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2018 Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6195894/. November 17, 2022

Is baking soda and lemon safe for teeth whitening?

It's a myth that you can safely whiten teeth with lemon juice and baking soda. Unlike toothpaste, baking soda is abrasive and will wear away your tooth enamel over time. Likewise, lemon juice is too acidic to sit on the surface of your teeth.

How long does baking soda takes to whiten teeth?

Because baking soda removes discoloration from the surface of your teeth, it won't remove deeper stains. According to the Mayo Clinic, toothpaste containing baking soda can help coffee and smoking stains, and it could take between two to six weeks for you to notice a difference.

How can I whiten my teeth fast?

Use Hydrogen Peroxide Studies have shown that toothpaste that contains 1% hydrogen peroxide and baking soda which can whiten teeth significantly. Further studies also show that brushing with toothpaste that contains hydrogen peroxide and baking soda twice in a day can whiten your teeth by 62% in just six weeks.

Will lemon whiten teeth?

Yet another great fruit that works also as a great teeth whitener is lemon. Lemons contain high acid level in the peel, which is a great whitener or even bleaching agent. You can use the lemon in two different ways; use the lemon peel to rub on your teeth or squirt the lemon juice on your teeth.