When it comes to the way we look, there are few things more stressful than a smile we’re not happy with. After all, your smile is meant to show you at your best. When you’re meeting new people, going on a date, interviewing for a job, or even just hanging out with your friends, you rely on your smile to communicate a positive impression of who you are.
Today, the stresses around having a “good smile” have grown as we take and post more pictures of ourselves than ever before. If you’re not happy with your smile, it’s just not pictures at holidays and get togethers where you have to see it looking back at you. There are the day’s selfies, your picture in the top corner of the video call, and the photos your friends share online.
For most people, the biggest anxiety they have around their smile is the color of their teeth. Many of us have a shining white ideal in our heads that may border on the edges of what’s actually attainable without some photo or video editing software. Regardless, with every shade further from white we get, our anxiety grows.
What causes teeth to discolor?
Your teeth are covered by a thin, protective layer known as enamel. Beneath this is another later known as dentin. Dentin is more yellow in color than enamel, and it also absorbs color from foods and beverage more readily. In addition to dentin, plaque and tartar also take on stains more easily than enamel.
By failing to properly care for your teeth, two things happen: Enamel erodes and cracks, and plaque and tarter build up. With that, your teeth are, unfortunately, primed and ready to take on colors other than pearly white. But that’s the underlying cause. What are some of the specific things that stain our teeth?
Sugar
Simply put, sugar eats away at enamel. The more sugary substances your teeth come into contact with, the more your enamel is getting bombarded. A lot of folks point to colorful, sugary drinks like sports drinks or dark soda when listing common culprits of teeth staining. But even lighter drinks like clear soda are full of enamel-attacking sugar.
Just because fruits are healthy doesn’t make the sugars in berries and fruit juices any better for your tooth enamel, so be wary of them as well. Does that mean you should skip that healthy smoothie? Absolutely not. But drinking it through a straw, or following it up with a quick tooth brushing—or even just a rinse with some water—can go a long way toward protecting your teeth.
Acids
Much like sugars, acids wear away at tooth enamel. Again, fruits can be a common culprit here, especially more acidic fruits like lemons. Wine is another acidic beverage that coats the teeth. And again, while red wine may get the bulk of the blame due to its darker color, white wine still contains acid that negatively affects tooth enamel.
Tannins
Tannins are yet another organic compound that erodes enamel. Tannins are in wine, as well as coffee and tea. And you guessed it: Even if they’re lightly colored, they can still do damage to the color of your teeth. While coffee is often thought of as a worse offender than tea when it comes to tooth discoloration, many teas actually have a more severe discoloration effect than coffee.
As we said earlier, frequent brushing and rinsing, as well as drinking through a straw more often, can help cut down on the staining effects of some of our favorite foods and beverages. But if you’re reading this article and saying to yourself, “I wish I’d known this years ago!,” fear not. If your teeth are not as white as you would like, teeth whitening here at Carol E. Follette DDS will have you smiling proudly in selfies in no time. And guess what? If you’re new to our office, download our new patient special for a complimentary teeth whitening kit.