Can a mix of lemon & baking soda make your teeth sparkling white?

Hyderabad: A Facebook post for a natural tooth whitening solution has gone viral.

The viral post recommends, "Dip a cotton ball into the lemon juice and baking soda solution and apply it to your teeth. Let the lemon and baking soda solution sit on your teeth for around a minute. Brush your teeth to remove the acid. Do this once a week until desired results are achieved."

They are super-effective, it adds.

It is natural for a person's teeth to become less white as they age. Many people turn to home remedies to try to get rid of yellow teeth. Some of these home remedies with natural ingredients may cause more harm than living with yellow teeth.

Let's find out the truth.

Fact Check

We found a study comparing commercial dentifrices containing 20–65% baking soda and commercial dentifrices without baking soda in enhancing plaque removal efficacy of tooth brushing.

There was a recognisable effect on removing plaque from teeth in less than 24 hours.

The study found that baking soda dentifrices "enhanced plaque removal effectiveness of tooth brushing to a significantly greater extent than the non-baking soda dentifrice products."

Another study evaluated the influence of various non-alcoholic drinks, like Coca-Cola, Sprite, apple juice, Red Bull, orange juice, and lemon juice etc., on tooth erosion. It found that of all the drinks tested, lemon juice showed statistically significant higher erosivity than all other drinks except Sprite and apple juice.

Also, baking soda has a pH of about 9, meaning it's basic. Lemon juice has a pH of about 2, meaning it's very acidic. According to Healthline, there's no evidence that baking soda completely neutralises the acidity of lemon juice. "It's also very hard to know whether you have the right ratio of acid to base when making your own paste at home. Given the risk of permanently damaging your tooth enamel, it's best to leave the lemons in the kitchen," it said.

It further said that while there haven't been many studies done on using baking soda and lemon juice together, there are several studies that look at the cosmetic benefits of baking soda and lemon juice individually. "These studies, combined with information about the pH of both baking soda and lemon juice, suggest that each of these ingredients may have benefits on its own. However, you might want to think twice before combining them," it added.

It is evident that baking soda and lemon is not a reliable home remedy for tooth whitening.

Hence, the claim is false.