Baking soda is easy to find, versatile, and inexpensive. Stocked on the baking aisle of most grocery stores, you may rely on baking soda to give cookies and cakes a fluffy rise, freshen up laundry, or soak up odors in your refrigerator. Some people even rely on sodium bicarbonate as a do-it-yourself teeth whitening method. Baking soda may not make your teeth snow white, but as a supplement, you can achieve some slight whitening to your smile with this addition to your oral hygiene routine. Would you like to learn more? Try this quiz from Lincolnshire cosmetic dentist, Dr. Brent Engelberg. .
Questions
Q1. True or false – Baking soda is synonymous with baking powder.
Q2. True or false – Sodium bicarbonate helps with heartburn.
Q3. True or false – Baking soda penetrates tooth enamel for a whitening boost.
Q4. True or false – Brush your teeth with baking soda every day to maintain a brighter smile.
Answers
A1. FALSE – If you like to bake, you already know that baking soda is a key ingredient in many recipes. Sodium bicarbonate combines with acidic ingredients to create gas bubbles which make your culinary creations light and fluffy. Baking powder does contain some sodium bicarbonate as well as cream of tartar, providing a built in acidic reaction. There are times and places for both, but following your recipe is your best bet, as there is a science to the ingredients and measurements in high quality baking.
A2. TRUE –Baking soda works for heartburn as well as soothing the itch of bug bites and the heat of sunburns.
A3. TRUE – Baking soda is alkaline so it becomes abrasive when mixed with water. Therefore, brushing teeth with baking soda will result in tooth enamel penetration. This will break up slight tooth stains which are left behind from colorful food and drinks, making teeth appear slightly whiter and brighter.
A4. FALSE – You should only supplement oral hygiene with baking soda once a week at most. Otherwise, you risk damaging your tooth enamel because sodium bicarbonate is very abrasive.
Teeth Whitening from Lincolnshire Cosmetic Dentist
Dr. Engelberg offers both in-office professional bleaching, and at-home bleaching maintenance kits for truly noticeable, safe teeth whitening. To reach our 60069 dentist office, call 847-259-8030. We are happy to serve patients in Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, Northwest Chicago Suburbs, and Northern Chicago Suburbs.
