Can vinegar whiten teeth? What are the contraindications of using vinegar to whiten teeth?

Vinegar is the most common condiment in people's lives. In addition to being used as a condiment, vinegar can play its role in many other places in life. Since vinegar has many wonderful uses in life, can it whiten teeth?

Can vinegar whiten teeth?

There is a very popular method of self-whitening teeth on the Internet. It says to hold a mouthful of vinegar in your mouth for 2 to 3 minutes, spit it out, and then brush your teeth quickly. This will be more effective in removing tooth stains. After reading this, many friends tried it privately and found that the effect was actually visible. More and more people began to use this "magic trick". Little do we know that as our teeth become whiter, danger is also slowly approaching. According to experts, brushing your teeth with vinegar to remove stains is very dangerous. Experts described an experiment like this: soak a raw egg in vinegar overnight, and when you observe it the next day, you will find that the eggshell has become soft. Here we remind everyone that when looking for ways to whiten teeth, do not blindly follow misunderstandings!

Contraindications of using vinegar to whiten teeth

1. People who are taking certain Western medicines should not eat vinegar

Acetic acid can change the acidity and alkalinity of the local environment of the human body, which will make certain drugs being taken for treatment ineffective and even cause adverse consequences. Sulfonamide drugs can easily form crystals in the kidneys in an acidic environment and damage the renal tubules, so it is not advisable to consume vinegar when taking such drugs. When taking alkaline drugs such as sodium bicarbonate, magnesium oxide, and stomach soothing drugs, you should not eat vinegar because acetic acid can neutralize the alkalinity and make the drugs ineffective. It is also not advisable to eat vinegar when using antibiotics such as gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, erythromycin, etc., because the effectiveness of these antibiotics will be reduced in an acidic environment, affecting the efficacy.

2. Don’t eat vinegar when taking Chinese medicine for “dispelling exterior pathogens and inducing sweating”

Vinegar has astringent properties. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that vinegar can be astringent. When Chinese herbal medicines for dispelling exterior pathogens and inducing sweat, such as Compound Yinqiao, enter the human body, they promote the opening of sweat pores to promote sweating and detoxification. However, things will change when they come into contact with vinegar, as vinegar will cause the contraction of sweat pores and also destroy the normal therapeutic effects of effective ingredients such as bioalkaloids in Chinese herbal medicines, thereby interfering with the dispelling exterior pathogens and inducing sweating effects of Chinese herbal medicines.

3. Patients with gastric ulcers and excessive gastric acid should not eat vinegar

Vinegar is rich in organic acids. After entering the human body, it will promote the increase of gastric juice and enhance the digestive function of gastric acid. However, because it contains rich organic acids, after entering the human stomach, it will corrode the gastrointestinal mucosa and aggravate the development of ulcers. It can also cause the digestive organs to secrete a large amount of digestive fluid, increase the digestive effect of gastric acid, increase gastric acid, and aggravate ulcers. Therefore, this type of patients should have taboos on the consumption of vinegar.