Why should I go to the dentist for teeth whitening when I can use lemon juice and baking soda to do the same?

You may have seen this home remedy for teeth whitening on the Internet where they show you how to mix lemon juice and baking soda, and apply the mixture to your teeth as a whitening agent, and gently brushing it off with a toothbrush. They tell you not to leave the mixture on your teeth any longer than one minute to avoid eroding your tooth enamel. While this remedy may work for some people, it’s not recommended. Although your teeth may appear to be whiter afterwards, you may have actually eroded and abraded some enamel from your teeth. Lemon juice is very acidic and will erode your enamel layer. Also, baking soda is abrasive. Once your tooth enamel has eroded, it’s gone forever. Unfortunately, we cannot regrow it at this time.