If your teeth aren’t looking in the best of shape, there could be several reasons as to why they’re yellowing, and it’s all coming from a dentist’s mouth.
We all know that brushing twice a day isn’t enough to protect our teeth.
From flossing to mouthwash, and even things like using straws to protect them from staining, being conscious every day is key.
However, what happens when you follow all of the advice, and your teeth are still not benefitting from bright whiteness?
The dentists at Mawson Dental Care have identified seven reasons why your teeth go yellow, and this information might help you to turn things around.
Aging
Sadly, time isn’t always so gentle to our bodies.
Not only do we grow old and get wrinkles, but our teeth suffer too.
As you get older, your natural layer of enamel on your teeth wears down to show the lower layer of dentin contained beneath, which is naturally pale yellow.
Smoking
Smoking is a major risk to your teeth, and if you want to keep them pearly white, then giving up the nicotine is essential.
The nicotine, tar, and tobacco in cigarettes can stain your teeth, and it can even stain them brown…
Giving up the smokes can do a lot more for your teeth than you’d think.
Bad oral hygiene
The experts all agree that if you don’t brush your teeth well enough, stains are going to form and stay in place.
Dentists say this causes ‘extrinsic tooth staining’, which is when your food and beverages stain the upper layer of the tooth.
Sadly, this is quite common.
Thankfully, the solution is easy- brush and floss daily.
Dental procedures
Unfortunately, even trying to fix your teeth can make them yellow.
This is because certain materials used in dental procedures such as amalgam restorations can cause a ‘grayish-black tint’.
It’s not ideal, but if you’ve had a procedure, it’s likely an important treatment.
Medication
While this is something that is most common in young children under the age of eight due to their baby teeth, it’s not unheard of for it to happen to adults too.
Certain medicines can result in teeth looking more yellow, but it’s not permanent.
If you find that your medication has taken away your white teeth, there are a number of tooth-whitening procedures which can be done, as well as natural options.
‘Oil pulling’ is often seen on social media, which is when you swirl coconut oil around your mouth for an extended period of time.
Illness
Certain illnesses can make your dentin show, increasing the yellow visible on your teeth.
Genetics
Sadly, it can be inevitable that your teeth will turn yellow.
Depending on your gene pool, you might be born with thicker enamel on your teeth, which makes them look yellow.
While enamel is essential to have as it protects your teeth from wear and tear and damage, there isn’t much that you can do to whiten them- unless you opt for veneers, or composite bonding.
There are things we can do avoid to damaging our teeth and keeping them white, without having to book the next flight to Turkey.
Dr. Shaadi Manouchehri, who goes by @dr.shaadi.manouchehri on social media, revealed the things you should avoid doing to keep your pearly whites healthy.
If you’re the type person of person to reach for a cup of coffee before leaving for work in the morning, make sure you don’t brush your teeth immediately after consuming it.
“Never brush your teeth after you’ve just had coffee,” said Dr. Shaadi.
“Coffee is quite acidic… if you go and brush your teeth straightaway, you’re rubbing the acid onto the tooth and wearing the tooth away.
“Wait at least 30 to 60 minutes – you don’t actually have to brush your teeth, just rinse with some mouthwash or drink water.”
The acidity in drinks like coffee can be spread further round your mouth if you brush your teeth right after drinking it. Meanwhile, these types of beverages weaken your enamel as well.
Similarly, you shouldn’t brush your teeth after vomiting, as the contents of your stomach are extremely acidic.
“When the contents of the stomach have come into the mouth, then the mouth is very acidic,” said the dentist.
“And if you brush straight away, you’re rubbing the acid onto the tooth even more. So, wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before you brush your teeth.”
Dr. Shaadi also urged people to not brush their teeth straight after breakfast. Instead, we should be brushing out teeth beforehand.
Explaining why, the dentist said: “When you first wake up in the morning you have quite a lot of bacteria in the mouth and that needs to be brushed off before you have your breakfast.”
If you avoid these things, in the long run you’ll find that your teeth stay whiter for longer – without having to reach for the teeth whitening strips.
