Coconut oil just left a weird film for me too... didn’t notice any whitening.
Same here—coconut oil just made my mouth feel greasy, and I couldn’t tell if it did anything. I’m in braces right now, so I’m extra paranoid about staining. Has anyone found something gentle that actually works, especially with brackets?
I’m in braces right now, so I’m extra paranoid about staining. Has anyone found something gentle that actually works, especially with brackets?
Honestly, coconut oil seems hit or miss—some people swear by it, but I’ve seen more complaints than success stories. With braces, I’d be careful with anything abrasive like baking soda since it can scratch the brackets and enamel if you go overboard. Have you tried using a fluoride rinse or just sticking to a gentle whitening toothpaste? Those are usually safe with orthodontic appliances and don’t leave that weird oily feeling. If you’re really worried about stains, water flossers help a lot for getting around the brackets too.
I get where you're coming from, but I actually had a pretty different experience with coconut oil. I used it for a while when I had braces, and while it didn’t make my teeth dramatically whiter, it did seem to help with plaque around the brackets. The taste grew on me too, weirdly enough. I do agree that baking soda can get gritty fast, though. I tried it once and felt like it was just too harsh with all the metal in my mouth... didn’t want to risk scratching anything. Whitening toothpaste was gentler, but honestly, nothing really made a huge difference until my braces came off.
Interesting point about coconut oil and plaque—my kid’s ortho actually recommended avoiding anything too abrasive while the braces were on, so we never tried baking soda. I’m curious, did you notice any sensitivity from the coconut oil? My main concern was always enamel wear or irritation, especially with all that hardware. We stuck to a gentle toothpaste, but honestly, I agree—nothing really seemed to make a big visual difference until the braces were off. Maybe it’s just impossible to get a truly “white” look with brackets in the way?
Yeah, getting braces off definitely felt like stepping out of dental jail and finally seeing what your teeth actually look like again. I remember thinking my mouth was a construction zone for two years, so expecting a “white” smile during that time? Not really in the cards. All those brackets just seem to attract every color of spaghetti sauce and hot chocolate.
About coconut oil—never had sensitivity with it, but I’m not sure it did much more than make me feel like I was prepping for a tropical vacation. I’d swish for ten minutes, wonder if my jaw was going to cramp up, then… not notice a huge difference. It’s gentle, sure, but kind of like washing your car with just water: safe, but not exactly dazzling results.
Baking soda is another story. Tried it once when I was younger (pre-braces days), and my gums did NOT appreciate it. Felt gritty, tasted weird, and honestly made me paranoid that I was sanding down my teeth. With braces on? No way I’d risk it—seems like asking for trouble trying to scrub around all that metal.
I will say, after the braces came off, even regular toothpaste seemed to work better. Maybe stuff just gets stuck under the brackets no matter how careful you are. My ortho told me not to stress too much about whitening until everything came off anyway—apparently you can end up with little squares if you bleach while the brackets are still on. Didn’t want checkerboard teeth!
Long story short: gentle toothpaste worked best for me during braces. Anything fancy just seemed like extra work for not much payoff until my teeth were free again. Guess patience is the real secret ingredient... though I wish someone had told my teenage self that at the time!
