Over time, your teeth can change their natural color, affecting the beauty of your smile. While tooth enamel can vary from one person to another, specific environmental factors may accelerate the process. To prevent this, you should stay on top of your dental and oral health by maintaining an excellent oral care routine and visiting your dentist regularly.
However, if you have stained or discolored teeth that make you feel self-conscious about your smile, chances are you want them whiter and brighter. Sometimes the color of your tooth may be due to underlying dental health that you cannot detect with the naked eye. That is why scheduling regular dental check-ups and exam appointments with your dentist is crucial.
In addition to checking and examining your teeth for possible dental issues, your dentist will give you valuable tips on how to keep them pearly white for as long as possible.
What is the Natural Color of the Teeth?
As mentioned in the previous sentence, the color of tooth enamel can vary from one person to another. The color of your teeth does not necessarily have to appear radiant white. The enamel of the teeth could appear slightly yellow, gray, or brown, and be healthier or less healthy than the whitest enamel.
Generally speaking, a person’s genes determine the color of his/her tooth enamel. In reality, your teeth's dentin (the inner layer of your teeth) determines the shade of your teeth, because the enamel is a translucent tissue. That means you should be able to see what is underneath the enamel. If your dentin is pinker, redder, or any other color, that is what will appear on your teeth's surface.
Other factors that could influence the color appearance of your teeth include the following:
- Presence of superficial stains, which are treatable, depending on the cause and your oral care habits
- Your enamel thickness, which reduces due to age and wear and tear, leaving more of the color of your dentin exposed and visible
Regardless of the cause of your tooth discoloration or stain, you should consult your dentist if you are unhappy with the aesthetics of your smile to learn about available remedies.
Helpful Tips That Can Help Keep Your Teeth Pearly White
When we say your teeth are pearly white, it means they are healthy and aesthetically appealing. Teeth can be lighter or darker for each person, but that is not an issue to worry about as long as they are healthy. However, if the cause of your teeth discoloration or stains is cavities or smoking, consulting with a cosmetic dentist could help.
In addition to affecting the appearance of your smile, a discolored or stained tooth can affect your self-esteem and confidence when speaking or smiling in public. However, you do not have to live with a discolored or stained tooth for the rest of your life.
Nowadays, you can improve your tooth color with various teeth-whitening treatments. The specific type of teeth whitening your dentist will recommend will depend on the severity of your unique problem and your preferences. Explained below are a few top-notch tips that can help keep your teeth pearly white and healthy:
Maintain a Proper Oral Care Routine
Tooth discoloration among many people is mainly due to plaque buildup on the tooth enamel. However, you can prevent that by maintaining an excellent oral care routine. Brushing your teeth at least twice daily, or after every meal, can help prevent plaque buildup and keep your teeth white.
While many people assume aggressive tooth brushing equals a brighter smile, that is untrue. In addition to accelerating the wear and tear of your teeth, aggressive teeth brushing could injure your gums and put you at risk of gum disease. Instead, you should practice gently brushing your teeth in circular motions for at least 3 minutes, using fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash.
In addition to brushing your teeth, flossing daily can also go a long way toward keeping them white and healthy. Scheduling regular dental cleaning appointments with your dentist can also help complement your dental and oral hygiene. During your routine dental cleaning, the dentist can scrape off stubborn stains on your tooth enamel that your toothbrush cannot reach, keeping your teeth pearly white.
If the cause of your teeth discoloration is poor teeth brushing habits, your dentist will also guide you on how to perform this crucial daily routine effectively for a bright smile that you deserve. Also, do not forget to replace your toothbrush after at least three months if its bristles have become weak.
Limit or Avoid Foods and Drinks That Could Discolor Your Teeth
Consuming certain foods and drinks regularly could gradually stain and discolor your tooth enamel, including coffee, wine, tea, soy sauce, ketchup, and dark berries. While it is not a dental emergency, you should consult with your dentist as soon as possible if your discoloration of teeth is due to the consumption of these foods and drinks.
When you allow stains to remain on your tooth surface for a prolonged period, they will become more difficult to remove through home-based oral care routines and deep cleaning procedures. If that is the case, your dentist will recommend a teeth whitening procedure, including bleaching, to restore the aesthetics of your smile.
While it could be challenging to give up your morning cup of coffee or that evening glass of wine after work, you should strive to do so to protect your teeth's aesthetics. You can begin by swapping the beverages that discolor your teeth enamel with those that do not, including white wine. Since coffee can be hard to avoid, you can start by limiting how much and how often you drink it.
Another way you can reduce the impact of coffee and red wine on your teeth is to drink them through a straw, which reduces or prevents direct contact with your tooth enamel. Brushing and rinsing your teeth with clean water about 60 minutes after drinking these beverages can also help reduce their staining effect on your tooth enamel.
Avoid Smoking Cigarette and Cigars
In addition to contributing to heart disease and lung cancer, smoking cigarettes can also make your tooth enamel appear yellow. Cigarettes contain nicotine and tar, which create tenacious stains on your tooth enamel, which could be challenging to remove without a dentist's intervention. You want to maintain a bright smile, consider giving up smoking.
Your dentist could recommend certain chewing gums to help you kick this harmful habit. Once your smoking habit goes away, even teeth whitening treatments will last longer.
Eat Calcium-rich and “Detergent Foods”
A few foods have a natural teeth-whitening effect. They either strengthen your enamel or scrub your teeth while you chew. Some discoloration of teeth is due to enamel erosion, which exposes your yellow dentin. Therefore, any step you take to strengthen your teeth's enamel can help lessen this effect.
Some foods your cosmetic dentist could recommend to help keep your tooth enamel strong include dairy products, such as cheese, which contain calcium. Chewing firm and crisp foods can also help scrub away food particles and plaque buildup from the surface of your teeth. Examples of “detergent foods” that give your teeth enamel an excellent scrubbing include raw vegetables, celery, apples, and carrots.
Practice Oil Pulling
While the effectiveness of this practice is questioned, oil pulling is gaining tremendous popularity for its effects on the appearance of your teeth. While the practice of oil pulling is old, it originated in India. To perform the oil pulling procedure, you must swish oil around in your mouth for about 10 to 15 minutes to remove plaque-causing bacteria that can make your teeth appear yellow.
Coconut oil is a common choice for many people because of its many healthy benefits and pleasant taste. Unlike other teeth-whitening products, coconut oil does not expose your teeth to acids or other substances that can erode them, making it safe to use daily.
Brush Your Teeth Using Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda Paste
Many store-bought toothpastes contain baking soda for a reason. Baking soda has natural teeth-whitening properties, which can help keep your teeth pearly white. Additionally, its mild abrasive properties can help scrub away plaque from the surface of your teeth. If you mix this substance with hydrogen peroxide, you can make your own toothpaste.
While brushing your teeth with this paste will not whiten your teeth overnight, you will notice a difference in your tooth shade over time. Research shows that toothpaste containing baking soda is more effective at reducing gum inflammation, bleeding, and plaque than regular toothpaste.
Use Teeth Whitening Strips
While they will not give you dramatic results like those you would expect from an in-office appointment, using teeth whitening strips can be a cost-effective way to improve and brighten your smile. Since there are many options, you should consult your dentist to recommend teeth whitening strips that are compatible with your teeth and safe to use.
Use Custom Teeth Whitening Trays
Custom teeth whitening trays offer a more intensive, customized treatment than whitening strips. Since they are custom-made, these trays will fit your teeth perfectly, ensuring the whitening gel is evenly distributed for even, consistent results. Unlike generic strips, teeth whitening trays reduce the risk of gel contact with your gums, which can make them sensitive to various stimuli.
In addition to regular teeth brushing, using teeth whitening trays in between your regular dental appointments would be an excellent way to keep your teeth bright at home.
Limit Your Consumption of Sugary Foods and Drinks
Like the staining foods discussed above, limiting sugary foods is crucial if you want to keep your teeth as bright as possible for as long as possible. Sugary foods and drinks, including sodas and juices, boost the growth of Streptococcus mutans, which is the main bacterium responsible for plaque buildup on your teeth.
In addition to affecting the appearance of your teeth, the plaque buildup could also cause gingivitis and cavities.
Schedule an Appointment With a Cosmetic Dentist
If none of the above remedies works for you and your teeth are deteriorating over time, schedule an appointment with a cosmetic dentist for in-office whitening. A cosmetic dentist can help restore the appearance of your discolored or stained teeth, giving you the brighter smile you deserve.
Depending on the severity of your unique condition and the cause, the cosmetic dentist could recommend any of the following cosmetic treatments:
- Dental implants — These are metallic posts that your dentist surgically implants in your jawbone to act as tooth roots for holding an artificial tooth
- Veneers — Veneers are custom-made shells that your dentist attaches to the front surface of your teeth permanently to mask various imperfections, including minor cracks
- Teeth bleaching — During teeth bleaching, your dentist will apply a solid solution, mainly hydrogen peroxide, on the surface of your teeth and cure it using UV light. Your dentist will repeat this procedure several times during a single appointment to achieve your desired shade of teeth whiteness
If you have a family dentist, you do not have to worry because he/she has the expertise and skills to offer various types of dental treatments, including cosmetic teeth whitening procedures. Additionally, he/she will continuously monitor your dental health and give you tailored tips that can help you maintain the aesthetic appearance of your smile.
Find a Cosmetic Dentist Near Me
Undoubtedly, a bright smile can do wonders in your life. If you are unhappy with the appearance of your smile due to teeth stains or discoloration, a cosmetic dentist could help. Whether it is time for a dental checkup or you are interested in whitening your teeth to keep your smile bright, our cosmetic dentists at Los Angeles Advanced Dentistry are here to help.
We understand the importance of keeping your teeth white, and we are ready to walk with you on this journey to achieve your desired shade of teeth whiteness. Call us at 310-361-2080 to schedule your first obligation-free consultation with us today.
