The Truth About Whitening Teeth With Baking Soda

Written by Whitney DiFoggio BS, RDH Medically reviewed by Dr. Matthew Hannan DDS 🔬 Evidence Based

First of all, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is still a bit controversial when it comes to using it on your teeth! It’s still being talked about in the dental world with lots of different views… Some dental professionals will tell you to never use baking soda on your teeth because it’s too abrasive. However, the more updated frame of thought (with new abrasivity charts) is that it’s actually not that abrasive and it actually might be safe on your teeth!

However, according to the American Dental Association[1], it is still not approved to brush with baking soda straight from the container (which I agree with their reasoning, and we’ll discuss more about WHY in just a bit).[2]

Hydrogen Peroxide Whitens Teeth Not Baking Soda

But, first, if we’re talking about baking soda for teeth whitening, it’s important to understand that baking soda can’t WHITEN teeth because peroxide is what whitens teeth. Many whitening products use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide to whiten teeth. Baking soda may help reduce the formation of tooth stains, but it can’t actually whiten teeth (the same goes for whitening toothpastes).

To effectively whiten your teeth, you’d need to use actual teeth whitening products (such as whitening strips, whitening trays, professional whitening gels, etc) because they are formulated with peroxide to penetrate and oxidize the stain particles inside of your tooth, physically making your teeth shades whiter.

Baking soda can’t oxidize and penetrate teeth to whiten them. It can only help reduce surface stains. But, it won’t physically make your teeth shades whiter like peroxide does. And although lots of our parents and grandparents grew up in a day when it was totally normal to brush their teeth with baking soda straight from the container …Nowadays we have access to MUCH better brightening and whitening resources (such as the whitening strips, trays, and gels mentioned above).[3]

Related: Best Teeth Whitening Products

Baking Soda Toothpaste

Also, there are a ton of articles online promoting how to make baking soda toothpaste at home with things like lemon juice. DO NOT make homemade baking soda with lemon juice. Lemon juice is super acidic and will damage tooth enamel.

I know the argument is that baking soda straight from the baking soda container is cheaper than using a baking soda formulated toothpaste. But, it’s only cheaper because it’s not toothpaste! The homemade baking soda paste is not formulated for the purpose of brushing your teeth with it!

But even more importantly, baking soda straight from the baking soda container does not have any anti-cavity properties. Preventing cavities is the #1 reason we brush our teeth with toothpaste; the purpose of regular toothpaste is to prevent cavities. And since anticavity ingredients (like fluoride or hydroxyapatite) are not found in a baking soda container, of course the American Dental Association is not going to approve it, since it doesn’t protect against tooth decay like a fluoride toothpaste would.[4]

To prevent cavities, you can’t just brush with baking soda straight from the container. You also need to brush with a cavity prevention toothpaste, as well. So, my argument is…if you want to use baking soda, why not just use a toothpaste where it’s already formulated with both cavity-prevention AND baking soda? Or any type of whitening toothpaste?! They even make whitening toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

Does Baking Soda Whiten Teeth?

In all, if you are eager to use baking soda, it’s recommended to find a baking soda toothpaste (so it’s also formulated with the anti-cavity ingredients). Also, don’t forget that baking soda can’t whiten teeth – it can only help reduce stains from forming.

Whether or not you’re using a baking soda toothpaste, it’s more important to make sure that (1) you’re using proper brushing techniques to remove plaque and debris from your teeth twice each day and (2) you’re using a cavity prevention toothpaste with fluoride or hydroxyapatite twice each day for cavity prevention.

Whitney is a registered dental hygienist who is also known as the "Teeth Talk Girl" on social media. Whitney’s journey of spreading dental health awareness began on the YouTube platform — where she continues to create educational videos for the public. She is extremely passionate about sharing information regarding the importance of dental health. Published on 2022-11-17 Medically reviewed on 2023-02-02 by Dr. Matthew Hannan DDS

Dr. Matthew Hannan is a board-certified dentist and graduate of UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry. He has clinical practice experience and believes everyone should access educational resources to improve their oral health. Dr. Hannan is the founder of MyDentalAdvocate.com, which offers the ability to consult a dentist from the comfort of your own home.

Sources

teethtalkgirl content is medically reviewed and fact-checked by a licensed dentist or medical doctor to ensure the information is factual, current, and relevant.

Our medical affairs team works hard to ensure the accuracy and integrity by cite from current scientific research, such as scholarly articles, dentistry textbooks, government agencies, and medical journals. This also includes information provided by the American Dental Association (ADA), the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Dentistry Journal. A Critical Review of Modern Concepts for Teeth Whitening. Dentistry Journal. 2019 Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6784469/. November 17, 2022 American Association of Endodontists. Baking soda dentifrices and oral health. American Association of Endodontists. 2017 Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2017.09.009. November 17, 2022 The Journal of clinical dentistry. Enhancement of plaque removal efficacy by tooth brushing with baking soda dentifrices: results of five clinical studies. The Journal of clinical dentistry. 2008 Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19278079/. November 17, 2022 Prev Nutr Food Sci. The Fluoride Debate: The Pros and Cons of Fluoridation. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2018 Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6195894/. November 17, 2022