How to whiten your teeth: never use lemons or strawberries

A doctor has revealed how dangerous it is for people to use lemons or strawberries to try and whiten their teeth.  Dr David Cocker, working with Rapid White, told Express.co.uk the acid in

the fruits will damage the enamel surface of your teeth.  He said: "You definitely shouldn’t use lemons to whiten your teeth, as like strawberries, the fruit acid will damage the enamel

surface.  "You only have so much enamel on your teeth, and this has to last a life-time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone." Dr Cocker also warned against using household bleach - which

is extremely dangerous and covered in warnings on the bottle not to ingest.  He explained this too will damage the enamel surface, "and if swallowed, may even kill you".  The most

natural way to whiten your teeth is by having good oral hygiene, it was revealed.  He said: "It’s not sexy, or ‘rocket science’, but by removing the plaque and surface stains it will

allow the natural whiteness of your teeth to shine through.  "Also, using a dark lipstick will make your teeth appear whiter." The news comes after it was revealed sales of oral

hygiene products including electric toothbrushes are soaring. Old-style manual toothbrushes are being ditched in favour of electric versions, now used by one in three Britons, according to

figures from analysts Kantar Worldpanel. There has also been a big rise in demand for cosmetic dental treatment with people spending thousands of pounds in order to get a winning smile.

Private dentists have a total turnover of more than £1 billion a year from cosmetic treatments such as teeth whitening, invisible braces, smile analysis and sonic polishing.