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Turmeric as a teeth whitener? Really?

zorba990's Photo zorba990 29 Sep 2012

This works?



Anyone know the mechanism of action? Is it abrasive?
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Luminosity's Photo Luminosity 29 Sep 2012

Wow. Thanks for the tip. I know that there is also a mustard toothpaste sold by Lehman's Non Electric catalog, I think. I wondered about that too.

Pure turmeric doesn't seem abrasive. It is a ground root spice, like ginger. Its texture is similar to ground cinnamon. When taken orally turmeric can dissolve fatty and waxy substances in your body, like cholesterol or congestion causing deafness. If you have the wrong constitution it might attack the myelin sheaths of your nerves or other essential tissues (again, if taken orally). Not sure how it works here.
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noos's Photo noos 07 Nov 2012

I didn't know turmeric can affect myelin. How do you notice?
Turmeric stains but whitens teeth?
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Luminosity's Photo Luminosity 11 Nov 2012

The myelin, I can tell by the aches and pains in my body.

Haven't used it on my teeth but turmeric and mustard which contains it, stain a lot of things.
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Turnbuckle's Photo Turnbuckle 11 Nov 2012

I didn't have any turmeric so I tried curcumin. Worked great! Except that it is extremely messy. It took me twice as long to clean my sink as it did to whiten my teeth. Next time I'll brush in the shower. And I might try mixing it with a little fumed silica to make a gel.

Edit: In fact, why brush with it? Why not use it as a mouthwash? I just made up some but I can't tell if it did anything because my teeth were already white. Perhaps someone else will try it and report back. It's a lot less messy.
Edited by Turnbuckle, 11 November 2012 - 02:01 AM.
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sthira's Photo sthira 18 Nov 2012

Edit: In fact, why brush with it? Why not use it as a mouthwash?


Try just chewing the root; chewing works even better at whitening than brushing with powder.
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Turnbuckle's Photo Turnbuckle 18 Nov 2012

Edit: In fact, why brush with it? Why not use it as a mouthwash?


Try just chewing the root; chewing works even better at whitening than brushing with powder.



Brushing in the shower works well. Using it as a mouthwash does not.
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Luminosity's Photo Luminosity 19 Nov 2012

hmmm. I sometimes see the root for sale where I live. Does it damage your teeth like peroxide bleaching?

Turnbuckle sounds like a chemist. Good to know someone who knows stuff like that.
Edited by Luminosity, 19 November 2012 - 01:52 AM.
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Turnbuckle's Photo Turnbuckle 19 Nov 2012

hmmm. I sometimes see the root for sale where I live. Does it damage your teeth like peroxide bleaching?

Turnbuckle sounds like a chemist. Good to know someone who knows stuff like that.


I'm not a chemist, but I have long experience with brushing.

As for chewing the stuff rather than brushing with the extract, that ought to work, judging by the teeth of Indians.

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Luminosity's Photo Luminosity 19 Nov 2012

That probably wasn't cosmetic dentistry. Thanks for the info. If anyone has stained teeth uses this, let us know how it goes and if you think it weakens you teeth at all.
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Pirate's Photo Pirate 19 Nov 2012

Can you just use Turmeric powder sold from the supermarket? How much of it?
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Luminosity's Photo Luminosity 21 Nov 2012

Jesus, I wish I could correct the typos in my previous posting. I use computers in a noisy environment.
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sthira's Photo sthira 21 Nov 2012

Yep you can use turmeric powder sold in the grocery store. Sprinkle some on your toothpaste. But again, try chewing the root. No mess, and it whitens all your teeth and down into the cracks between them. :-)
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JLL's Photo JLL 21 Nov 2012

Damn, I have to try this.
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Luminosity's Photo Luminosity 22 Nov 2012

sthira, does it weaken you teeth at all? Do they tend to get stained more easily after you use turmeric?
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killshot's Photo killshot 22 Nov 2012

What about chlorine bitrartate. Taste so bad you brush your teeth longer :lol:

Sent from my HTC rezound using tapatalk

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sapentia's Photo sapentia 28 Nov 2012

Tried this the other night; it works! Thanks for the tip.
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JBForrester's Photo JBForrester 03 Dec 2012

Yes, but I want to know why and chemically how turmeric whitens the teeth. Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's gentle.
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Adaptogen's Photo Adaptogen 04 Dec 2012

i agree. i couldn't find to much about this but i don't see how turmeric could be bad. natural antibacterial and anti inflammatory can't be any worse than toothpaste
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JBForrester's Photo JBForrester 04 Dec 2012

How do we know it's not something that strips the enamel? Or is too abrasive?
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Adaptogen's Photo Adaptogen 04 Dec 2012

i don't for sure but i think people have been doing it for a while..i read that chewing the fresh root was the most effective method to whiten teeth, more effective than brushing with the powder..."turmeric relieves pain and inflammation linked with gum disease by preventing the action of a gene that creates gum-irritating chemicals, according to certified nutritional consultant Phyllis A. Balch. This deprives bacteria of a site to grow, aiding in the relief of bad breath and periodontal disease."
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JBForrester's Photo JBForrester 04 Dec 2012

Huh. Well thank you for the information, seems more promising now. What is your reference source, by the way?
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trance's Photo trance 04 Dec 2012

It does seem to work at first glance, but I'm not sure it's not just an optical illusion of sorts. I took before and after photos, and afterwards about an hour later, and they still look like the original photo after an hour or so -- not a real noticable change actually, but I thought I saw whiter teeth at the time.

I think seeing your mouth and teeth the bright turmeric-yellow while brushing, and then white again afterwards enhances the illusion. My teeth do feel cleaner though. But it's hard getting the yellow out of your sink. ;)
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Adaptogen's Photo Adaptogen 04 Dec 2012

Huh. Well thank you for the information, seems more promising now. What is your reference source, by the way?

livestrong.com ... lol
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JBForrester's Photo JBForrester 04 Dec 2012

Lol better than the dailymail... (*cough* guilty as charged)
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Luminosity's Photo Luminosity 04 Dec 2012

I've never tried this but you might consider doing this outside, using a hose to rinse your mouth. Wear old clothes and I'm not responsible for what happens to the plants. Less than a teaspoon of dried turmeric can dye a whole pot of rice yellow.
Edited by Luminosity, 04 December 2012 - 06:18 AM.
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Logic's Photo Logic 04 Dec 2012

How do you all handle the taste!?
Stomach acid from throwing up is sure to whiten teath! :-D
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trance's Photo trance 04 Dec 2012

I bought a small bottle of organic ground turmeric spice from my local grocery store. It has a slight root herbal earthy taste -- a mild off-ginger kind of taste ... nothing bad, but nothing great, about it. You won't throw up. Rinse out with your mouthwash or use your regular toothpaste afterwards, and all the taste is gone.
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JLL's Photo JLL 04 Dec 2012

Tried this twice and I'm not convinced it works. Definitely not a huge improvement in any case.
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Logic's Photo Logic 04 Dec 2012

I tasted Turmeric. Maybe its just me and maybe there's something besides Turmeric in the bag full I bought, but I hate the taste!
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