Using baking soda to whiten teeth may take weeks to months before you see results because it's a very gentle/mild whitening abrasive. That is if you compare it to other types of whitening agents.
Ultimately, baking soda is the fastest teeth whitener and if you want quicker results you should consider alternatives.
Baking soda whitens teeth slowly
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is not the fastest teeth whitener because it's a very mild whitening abrasive and it doesn't contain any peroxide. The combination of these two facts make it work very slowly and it'll take a long time for you to see results, often weeks to months.
Mild whitening abrasive
The way that baking soda whitens your teeth is by using its abrasive properties, which mechanically scrub away extrinsic stains on the surfaces of your teeth. This action is similar to how you "whiten" your dinner plate by scrubbing away stuck food. It's not quite what we think of when we think of whitening our teeth.
Unfortunately, studies have shown that the abrasiveness of baking soda happens to be very mild. As a matter of fact, it is one of the gentlest and safest type of whitening abrasive on the market.
The chart below shows the RDA value of various toothpastes. The higher the RDA value, the more abrasive and faster it'll be at whitening. The inverse is also true in that the lower the RDA value, the less abrasive and slower it'll be.
As you can see in the chart above, plain baking soda has a RDA value of 7. The only thing that is less abrasive than sodium bicarbonate is a toothbrush with plain water.
In summary, don't expect it to whiten your teeth quickly!
Peroxide-free
The second reason why baking teeth doesn't whiten teeth quickly is because it lacks peroxide. That means there is no hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, which are commonly found in professional teeth whitening products.
It is the peroxide which chemically bleaches out the extrinsic and intrinsic stains in your teeth. Essentially it is what we think of when we hear whitening.
As a matter of fact, the potency for various whitening products can be graded based on the peroxide percentage.
The higher the peroxide concentration, the faster and stronger it'll whiten.
The lower the peroxide concentration, the slower and weaker it'll whiten.
The toothpastes shown above from Colgate come in 3 different concentrations of peroxide, 2% 3% 5%. Of course the 5% one is the strongest while the 2% one is the weakest.
Now you can compare that to an in-office whitening product which can go all the way up to 40% peroxide. Yes, it is essentially multiples stronger than OTC whitening toothpaste!
In summary, if you compare baking soda (plain or toothpaste version) all of it is peroxide-free which means it will always be less effective than a peroxide based product.
Baking soda alternatives for faster teeth whitening
If you're not getting the results you want with baking soda teeth whitening, you can try some alternative products that may produce faster results!
More potent teeth whitening alternatives:
More abrasive toothpaste. Sodium bicarbonate is one of the gentlest abrasives that you can use and if you want a stronger one you can try charcoal, silica, or even hydroxyapatite. All of these will scrub away stains more effectively.
Peroxide based toothpaste. Some whitening toothpastes contain peroxide in addition to abrasives. Some commonly found ones would be from Colgate Optic white such as their advanced, renewal, or pro series toothpastes.
OTC peroxide based products. You can use other types of OTC whitening products with peroxide such as strips, mouth rinses, pens, and OTC trays. These don't rely on abrasives and bleach your teeth chemically instead.
PAP based products. A new type of whitening product advertised as "peroxide-free" would be PAP. These can be found in toothpastes, pens, and even strips. The downside is that it does tend to cost a bit more.
Professional whitening. Last but not least, the most costly but also most effective bleaching option would be to have it done at your dentist! This may include ZOOM along with various other brands.
Of course, the absolute fastest way to whiten your teeth would be professionally since dentists have access to the highest concentration of peroxide products.
If you're nearby in Long Island City, NY our dental practice offers a variety of professional teeth whitening services.
