Teeth whitening isn’t just for the rich and famous or for those that have to appear on camera for a living. Many people’s priority when it comes to taking care of their teeth is not dental health, but cosmetic beauty. Whitening your teeth can be a great way to boost the dental hygiene efforts you are already making in order to get your teeth to the color you are hoping for. Your smile is an important part of your personality, and the color and quality of your teeth have a big effect on your smile. But teeth whitening isn’t for everyone.
For some, it is just too extreme of a treatment for too minor of a problem. For others, your type of teeth may not be cut out for a teeth whitening procedure. The best way to determine whether whitening your teeth is the right move for you is to talk to your dentist. Your dentist knows your teeth better than anyone, and also knows the effects that whitening could have on your mouth. But until you can get an appointment with your dentist, you can check out this guide to get a rundown on teeth whitening.
How Do Teeth Get Discolored in the First Place?
A good way to identify if you need to whiten your teeth is to figure out if you are doing anything that is discoloring and staining your teeth at an abnormal rate. Teeth do discolor naturally, but as long as you are taking good care of your teeth, they shouldn’t discolor quickly or severely enough that whitening is required regularly. Here are some things you can avoid to keep your teeth from discoloring abnormally fast.
Smoking Cigarettes
The various chemicals in cigarettes, as well as the tobacco smoke itself, lead to quick discoloration of teeth. You can add this to the massive list of reasons to quit smoking.
Drinking Coffee
Coffee is maybe the most common contributor to the discoloration of teeth. If you are developing brown or yellow stains on your front teeth despite regular brushing and flossing, coffee is likely the reason why.
Consuming Food Dye
Food dye is in a lot of food and drinks popularly consumed by Americans, but some are worse than others. Any brightly colored sodas or juices, or unnaturally colored candies will lead to rapid discoloration.
Brightly colored foods
Even foods that grow in nature that are untouched by food dye can lead to teeth discoloration, depending what color they are. Have you ever washed a beet while cooking? The bright purple water that runs off should give you an idea of the effect it is having on your mouth. Same goes for tomatoes, or any tomato based foods. These foods might be a little harder to cut out given that they, unlike the rest of these things, are actually healthy. But it’s necessary if white teeth are important to you.
Who can Benefit from Teeth Whitening?
Teeth whitening is a good option for people with good dental health and permanent teeth; people who are looking to boost the good dental hygiene they already have by getting rid of some of the more pesky yellow or brown stains they have found their teeth stuck with.
Who is Not a Good Candidate for Teeth Whitening?
Though it is a safe process, teeth whitening does contain some harsh or acidic chemicals. People with extremely sensitive teeth would not be wise to pursue teeth whitening. The same goes for people with receding gums, sensitive gums, or gum disease of any kind. Those suffering from multiple cavities or beginning to experience tooth loss should likely focus their dental health concerns elsewhere as well.
Whitening Alternatives
There are a number of reasons teeth whitening procedures may not be right for you. In addition to the ones I have mentioned before, there is also this: there are numerous cheaper and faster ways to remove minor stains from your teeth. There are products like whitening strips which will not offer the same deep clean as a full whitening procedure, but will still help with minor stains. There are also a number of natural remedies that can be researched and considered. Talk to your about the different ways you can make your teeth look better.