Keeping Your Pearly Whites White
Keeping Your Pearly Whites Dazzling
After a while, it seems that one's pearly whites aren't so dazzling anymore.
What is causing this change? How can we prevent this? How can we fix it?
Teeth become more of a yellow shade over time. Some factors include:
beverages: (coffee, both red and white wines, berries, and sodas) stain teeth over time
diet: beets and berries stain teeth (but they are excellent for your health)
lack of dental care: skipping a professional cleaning will leave a build-up of surface stains, helping to speed along the process of teeth appearing yellow
antibiotics during tooth formation: tetracycline and doxycycline given to children while their teeth are forming or to a pregnant women second trimester or later will negatively impact the color of teeth.
erosion of enamel: dentin, the layer of tooth under the enamel (the outermost layer of the tooth), becoming more exposed due to the wearing down of enamel, caused by acidic foods, lack of care, and bruxism (grinding of teeth).
Prevention can help: pay attention to what you drink and eat. If you are drinking something acidic--like coffee, follow up with a small glass of water. Drinking water also is beneficial after other staining foods like a bowl of cherries. Brushing your teeth (and flossing) does wonders to keep teeth beautiful. Additionally, schedule two hygiene appointments a year for a professional cleaning and polishing. However, if you feel like a professional whitening is in order to combat the yellowing, we can help by using KöR. Click here to learn more about KöR. If you have any questions, please contact us at 908.236.9650.
