An 80-Year-Old’s Secret to Naturally Brightening Teeth

A forgotten tool for natural dental care

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I was 11 when my father noticed that two of my molars had turned black. He reacted as if I’d swallowed a ticking time bomb, while I was too young and naïve to care.

Little did I know, it would soon become a nightmare for me.

One day I came home from school excited to watch cartoons. My excitement quickly gave way to dread when my mother informed me that Dad had scheduled a dentist appointment for me.

I felt a knot in my stomach because, as far as I knew, dentists were basically trained professionals who poked around in your mouth with medieval torture devices — an experience I was certain wouldn’t be as pleasant as watching cartoons.

I wanted to rebel, but no one could dare to defy a direct order from my dad. Everyone in our house was afraid of his abusive nature.

So, we went to the dentist, and I repeatedly begged the lady dentist to only check my teeth and not do anything else. But it looked like I was her only customer in years. She kept calling me back — it felt like I was single-handedly keeping her practice afloat.

Every visit involved what felt like extensive drilling; I was starting to think she was trying to tunnel to the…