Whitening Teeth & Healing Gums – Experiment Update

Drinking coffee and keeping teeth sparkling white can be a challenge. (Photo by karpov)

This is an update on my oral health experiment, the one where I look for safe and effective ways to whiten teeth and keep gums healthy.

For the past months, I've been using a toothpaste called Beverly Hills Formula Natural White. It has several interesting ingredients such as coenzyme Q10 and green tea extract, both of which have been shown to have oral health benefits. The manufacturer's website also claims it's more effective in whitening teeth than other toothpastes.

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the reasons I decided to take on this experiment was to prevent discoloration of teeth from coffee and tea – two beverages I've grown increasingly fond of. I've noticed that my teeth aren't as white as they used to be, and I assume tea and coffee have something to do with it. However, I enjoy both of them way too much to just drinking them, so I'd much rather experiment with toothpastes and various other things.

So what have the results been? Compared to when I started this experiment, there hasn't been any whitening or darkening in color. You could argue that this counts as a success, since I've drank coffee and tea throughout this time, but I argue otherwise. What I want to see is a whitening effect despite drinking coffee and tea, which Beverly Hills Formula Natural White failed to deliver.

That's something of a disappointment, since I think that a lot of the stuff in this toothpaste actually is good for teeth and gums – perhaps there's just not enough of the active ingredients to make a real difference. One pleasant outcome has been the lack of mouth ulcers during the past several months, though that might be due to something else entirely. In any case, it's time to move on.

My next toothpaste is Colgate's Sensation White. The magic behind this product are apparently its "micro-cleaning crystals", which may or may not be pure marketing nonsense. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Apart from the crystals, the rest of the ingredients look like they could be found in any average toothpaste.

I have to give credit to Colgate for including a color scale with the tube, though. Very handy for tracking success in teeth whitening.

For more information on dental health, see these posts:

Whitening Teeth & Healing Gums: In Search of the Perfect Toothpaste
Dental Health Effects of Green and Black Tea
The Role of Coenzyme Q10 in Oral Health
Preventing Mouth Ulcers with Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste - Results after Two Months