Welcome to West Africa, a part of the African Continent with countries such as The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Togo.
But have you ever wondered why West African villagers have white teeth as compared to other continents?
In the Village, teeth whitening products are not common, unless you move to the city but there are some diets and traditional methods they use even though they don’t care about white teeth.
First of all, is Sugar Cane.
Sugar cane is a sweet grass with no seeds and stores sugar in its stem. Why Sugar cane, based on our research, chewing sugar cane reduces dental issues, improves saliva flow, and also cleans up the teeth or oral cavity. Chewing sugar cane exercises the gums also.
They Chew Raw Carrots.
We know carrots contain potassium, vitamins, and some antioxidants for the body but you never knew chewing raw carrots can help you get white teeth. Yes, they do. Anytime you chew Carrots, it scrubs away plaques in the teeth and contains lots of water content which boosts the salivary gland to produce more saliva to wash away bacteria and promote white teeth in the villagers.
They Chew Unripe papaya.
Unripened papaya can cause you to vomit and might also cause nausea but according to the villagers, unripened papaya can improve digestive health, reduce aging in the skin, improves lactation in new mothers, reduces heart diseases, and can also promote white teeth. How does it promote white teeth then, papaya contains papain which removes the stains on the teeth’ surface anytime you chew them. In some locality, green papaya is used in making salads.
They Don’t Have Toothpaste But Use Chewing Stick.
Take a visit to the village without toothpaste and brush then you will realize what the villagers use to clean their teeth. But most important is that they do not use toothbrushes or toothpaste. Villagers use chewing sticks as their primary method of cleaning their teeth for centuries. Chewing stick is not just any plant but a special herb that contains sulfur, astringent and bactericidal properties that improve the sense of taste and reduces plaque. Trust me, just take a journey to the village and you will know they even have good white teeth than people in the city.
In conclusion, areas that eat kola nuts and coffee have brownish teeth, since they stain the teeth but it is not a problem for the villagers.