Yellow teeth

Yellow teeth can significantly hurt a person's self-esteem and it may cost them a job. Since your smile is one of the first things people notice, you need to practice good oral health to have clean, white teeth. Having yellow teeth is not always from drinking too much soda or coffee or smoking, it is actually a natural condition for most people.

Some people are born with naturally white teeth while others are born with yellowish teeth. Teeth whitening treatments may help to reduce the appearance of yellow teeth, but they may never be as white and everyone else's teeth.

The reason many people have yellow teeth is because of the dentin which is the layer below the enamel. If your teeth are translucent in color, the color of the dentin will shine through brighter. The only way to fix this is to undergo tooth whitening treatments from your dentist or to have crowns or veneers placed over the tooth.

One of the best ways to improve the color of your teeth is to practice good oral hygiene. Always brush and floss twice daily and drink plenty of water versus soda, fruit juice, and coffee. Poor oral hygiene almost always causes the teeth to yellow and it also causes them to rot, costing you hundreds to thousands of dollars to fix the teeth. Again, smoking can cause the teeth to yellow because nicotine will deposit on the teeth and slowly eat away at the enamel, causing the whiteness to fade to yellow.

Even with good oral hygiene, tooth decay and yellowing teeth is part of the ageing process. Many people in their older years will start to notice that their teeth are not as white as they were 10 years ago, this is just part of getting older and the different foods taking their toll on your teeth. As we age, the enamel on our teeth will wear down, causing more of the dentin to be seen.

 Cut down on the amount of candy and sugary foods you consume. When you eat more sugars, they deposit on the teeth and start eating away at the teeth enamel. If you do consume sugary foods, always make sure you rinse the mouth out with water if you are unable to brush the teeth. Consider chewing sugar free gum instead of sucking on mints or candy, this is a great way to protect the enamel on your teeth.

Besides teeth whitening treatments, veneers are a popular way to have white teeth. Veneers are made from porcelain and they are designed to attach to the front of the tooth, giving it a white, luminous color. They are often used to shape the teeth and improve the smile of a person. Veneers are often used on teeth that have had a root canal as the tooth will naturally start to turn grey. The best option for a root canal tooth is to have a crown placed over it, which can also improve your smile since the crown can be whiter than the tooth that was removed. A veneer works by removing a small portion from the front of the tooth and then bonding the veneer to the front of the tooth. Like crowns, veneers need to be properly cleaned each day and you may need to have them replaced every 5-10 years.

Teeth whitening is a cheaper alternative if you want to reduce the appearance of your yellow teeth. You can purchase over-the-counter teeth whitening products that you need to use for a week or two before you see results. Most of these products work well although they may not make darker yellow teeth turn lighter, only professional teeth whitening treatments will do this.