2 Reasons Why You Should Not Use Lemon Juice To Whiten Your Teeth

Posted on: 5 June 2019

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If you are tired of having a dull smile but do not want to use the teeth whitening kits that you can find in most department and grocery stores, you may have read that you can whiten your teeth naturally by using lemon juice. However, there are a couple of reasons why you should not attempt to use lemon juice to whiten your teeth.

1.  Lemon Juice Will Erode Your Tooth Enamel

While researching how to use lemon juice to whiten your teeth, you may have found that you can either apply it directly to your teeth or swish it in your mouth. No matter which method that you try, the lemon juice will be in direct contact with your teeth. And, while it may eat away at the stains on your teeth, the juice will also eat away at your teeth's enamel.

Because the citric acid in lemon juice is highly concentrated, even diluted the juice will still result in the loss of surface tooth enamel, especially if you use the juice more than once or twice a week. Eventually, the thinning enamel will make your teeth appear duller.

If you are not aware of this fact, you may decide to use the juice more frequently, which will only erode the enamel even more. The thinning, eroding enamel will also leave your teeth vulnerable to cavities and tooth decay.

2.  Lemon Juice Will Irritate and Damage Your Gums

Your teeth are not the only parts of your mouth that will suffer from using lemon juice as a homemade teeth whitener. Even if you are careful about applying the juice only onto the surface of your teeth, it will still come into contact with the delicate tissues of your gums.

At first, you may only notice some burning or irritation. However, with repeated use of the juice, the top tissue layers of your gums will start to break down. When this happens, you will not only feel intense irritation whenever you use the juice, but you will also provide an entryway for bacteria into your gums. Because of the easy access, the bacteria may grow and spread, possibly causing an infection or leading to gum disease. 

Instead of trying to whiten your teeth at home using lemon juice and possibly wrecking your teeth and gums, you should consider the safer route of having them professionally whitened. Contact a dentist who offers teeth whitening services to discuss your options.