Cheap tooth-whitening rinse

OK, there's a malady called "bleaching anorexia," and it's the diagnosis for people who think their teeth are never white enough. I hope you aren't one of those people. They usually use far too many products, and sometimes their teeth fall out. Better that you should have teeth the color of Cheetos than to have no teeth at all.

Still, bright white teeth do make you look younger. So here's the rinse I promised yesterday. You can get a bottle at Wal-Mart or just about anywhere else for about 50 cents. It's called hydrogen peroxide.

So you'll pick up the bottle and it's going to have dire warnings about not using it internally. That's OK. I'm not asking you to swallow it. (Ugh). The dirty secret about hydrogen peroxide is that it's the main ingredient in almost all of the expensive whitening mouthwashes. With my way, you get it cheaper, and since it's not flavored, you won't be tempted to rinse all the time. My plan calls for once a day.

What I suggest is this: Take a cup in the bathroom, and put maybe 1/4 inch of hydrogen peroxide in the bottom. Then put maybe another 1/4 inch of water in the cup. Put it in your mouth, and rinse. Spit it out, and then brush, floss, and scrape your tongue. You should begin seeing whitening effects in a week or so.

In some south Asian cultures, folks chew the betel nut, and their teeth look like this:



It's thought to be beautiful. I'll bet whitening strips don't sell well in her town.