The first thing people notice when we smile is our teeth. With so many unnatural food products these days with preservatives and colouring, most people's teeth today are stained. Some people have their teeth so badly stained that they hesitate to smile. I have yet to meet a person who smiles but is not beautiful.

Drinking tea, coffee and any other drink that contains colouring can stain your teeth. Smoking can also turn your teeth yellow. These are stubborn stains that can be very difficult to remove just by normal day-to-day brushing.

It is very common today for the rich and famous to pay their dentists thousands of dollars just to bleach their teeth for the perfect smile. To get that beautiful smile, people resort to the use of chemicals to whiten their teeth, unaware that these harsh abrasives can corrode and damage the enamel that protects the teeth along the way. But what about the people who cannot afford to pay the dentists? What about those who would like to have whiter teeth but are not willing to pay the price of having a sensitive set of teeth in return? There are many natural ways to whiten the teeth, but we will be focusing on "banana peels" in this article.

Since the time of our ancestors, banana peels have been used to whiten teeth naturally. We can avoid using harsh abrasives from whitening chemicals available in the market today if we use banana peels to whiten our teeth. Bananas are a great source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Their whitening power is derived from its rich content of potassium manganese and magnesium.



Here is how we use banana peels to whiten our teeth:

What do you need?
1 ripe banana (the riper it is, the better)



Method:
1)  Wash the outer skin of the banana thoroughly to remove any trace of pesticide and dirt. (Like every other fruit, it is advisable to wash it first before consuming it because you never know where they come from!)

2)  Dry the banana with a clean towel.

3)  Peel the banana to expose the fruit. You can either eat the fruit or store it aside for later consumption.

4)  Cut one side of the peel into half with a knife so that its size is comfortable to be held in your hands.

5)  Brush your teeth normally with your preferred toothpaste.

6)  Give a big smile and rub the inner skin of the banana over your teeth for around 2 to 4 minutes.

7)  ***If you cannot stand the double-coat 'feeling' in your mouth after rubbing the banana peel on your teeth, wait for 10 to 30 minutes before brushing your teeth for the second time. During this waiting period, the nutrients in the banana peel will be transferred from the banana peel to your teeth.

(NOTE: During the waiting period, remember not to eat or drink anything as well. Although you can leave the coating on during the day time, it is best to brush your teeth the second time before you go to bed.)

8)  Repeat the steps above twice a day. You should see results after two weeks of disciplined practice.



Additional tips:

*  Since it can take days for bananas to ripen, hang your bananas to promote free air-flow that can prevent rotting.

**  Banana peels (after exposing the fruit) have to be used within the first few hours because the effectiveness of the mineral content will fade as time passes.

*** REMINDER: This method is effective for unnatural stains. Some people are born with natural yellow teeth. Banana peels can only reveal the true colour of your teeth that has been masked by modern contaminants.