Are Your Teeth Also Losing Shine?

Are Your Teeth Also Losing Shine?

The secret of the beautiful face is not just the shiny hair or skin free from blemishes, but also the white teeth, the smile of your face is also the identity of beauty. When the teeth are yellow, neither you can laugh nor you can smile in front of everyone. The most troublesome thing is that your wrong tooth brushing, eating habits and lifestyle. Wrong eating habits also make the teeth yellow like tea, coffee and excessive consumption of soft drinks also turn the teeth yellow. Apart from this, teeth become yellow due to consumption of tobacco and liquor etc. or due to lack of cleanliness.

                                                    based on discussion with Dr. Akanksha Agarwal

Main cause of lost teeth whitening

Wrong eating habits are the main cause of yellowish teeth. Along with this in order to bring more whitening and shining in the teeth, people get treatment, which make the colour of teeth even more dangerous. Sometimes, a drug called tetracycline also cause yellow spots on the teeth. Due to lack of information, people use many types of chemicals for teeth whitening that’s also a main cause of yellowish teeth. At times with age, the layer of enamel on the teeth becomes yellow due to which the teeth become yellow. Vitamin-D deficiency is also likely to make a difference in whiteness of teeth. Apart from these, some causes are mention below:

• Aggressive and wrong tooth brushing – Some people brush their teeth too harshly. It means they run the risk of eroding away their enamel, which will reveal more of the dentin layer of their teeth and lead to discoloration.
• Wine – Red wine is acidic drink. Pigmented molecules present in it cause tooth discoloration. And on the other hand, although wine is not of dark color, it causes stains due to its sharp acidic nature.
• Tea – Many reasons are behind this problem. According to research, the consumption of black, green and even herbal tea causes tooth enamel to move and stains more than coffee.
• Black coffee - Do you know that coffee can remove your day-to-day tiredness as well as cause spots on teeth. An acid called tanning in coffee that is used to make colour. This acid causes spots in the teeth by damaging the enamel of the teeth. But you should not panic because we are not asking you to give up coffee, but to get milk to lighten the colour of the coffee. This will also provide milk calcium and vitamin-D to your strong teeth and bones.
• Smoking and tobacco -. Due to nicotine present in tobacco, chewing or smoking causes stain in the teeth. Although nicotine is colorless but as soon as it comes in contact with oxygen, its color becomes yellow. Similarly, smoking or chewing tobacco produces a black substance called tar, which causes black spots in the teeth.
•  Curry powder – Curry powder is used in many types of Indian dishes. Although curry powders are not usually dark, but due to the dark color, they can cause teeth stains in the long run.
• Pulp of dark colour – Delicious sauces like soya sauce, tomato sauce, tomato puree, red pasta etc are the causes of stains. Usually, due to weak enamel of teeth, it comes in contact with dark color easily.         
• Many types of fruits like blue berry, cranberries, pomegranate and black grapes are full of rich anti-oxidant and nutrients. We should consume these fruits to a certain extent because when coming in contact with the teeth, the pigment molecules present in it stick to the enamel of the teeth and make the teeth discolored.
• Soft drinks- Bacteria present in dark soda and beverages can cause severe discoloration in teeth. The very cold temperature of soda causes contraction in the teeth and makes them sensitive. In addition, light colored soda also becomes acidic when mixed with other acidic foods and drinks.
• Popsicles (an ice lolly)- In summer season, mostly people want to eat Popsicle. But do you know that the artificial sweetener and coloring chemical present in ice-cream causes stains around your lips and tongue and these stains start coming on the mouth as well as on the teeth. To avoid this problem, you should eat light colored ice cream.
•  Black vinegar – It is used for salad dressing and is a favorite of many people. But this favorite salad dressing of yours can prove to be harmful for your teeth. Excess use of black vinegar can remove the shine of teeth and causes stain in them.
• After the age of 40 – With aging, outer tooth layer of enamel starts to get the destroyed and inner layer which is yellow in colour starts to come out. That’s why yellowing is seen in the teeth of older age people.
• Improper cleanliness – After having the food, some residue remains on the surface of teeth. And due to this, teeth become yellow, dark, black, brown and green in color. It is caused by not cleaning teeth properly and brushing daily.
• Nerve damage – Those who undergo root canal treatment have brown or blurred stains in their teeth. However, not all teeth are affected by this, but only in the teeth whose veins are affected, this problem occurs.
• Mouth bacteria- Due to not cleaning the teeth properly, dirt starts to sit on it and they become sticky. The bacteria and color of the mouth combine to produce green and orange stains on the teeth. Therefore, clean the teeth regularly.
• Tooth decay - If you do not brush well, tooth decay occurs. This causes white, yellow, brown or black spots between the teeth. During tooth decay, colored substances leak from them, causing the tooth to lose its luster.
•  Injured Teeth- Due to injury or peeling of teeth, enamel and teeth veins also become bad due to which the teeth get stained. Not only this, acid present in your food or dental surgery also causes enamel damage. If only one or two teeth have a stain, all else is fine, then understand that these are the symptoms of Teeth Trauma.
• Medicines or disease – Some English medicines are cause of discoloration of teeth. Especially the effect of the medicine can be more on the teeth of children. If this happens, the medicine should be changed immediately after asking the doctor. There is some disease in which the color of the teeth can become bad, such as liver disease, B.P. problem, acidity. Teeth may turn yellow when there is jaundice. During any treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation treatment, etc., the color of teeth can become yellow.
• Trauma to the tooth – During sports and hard food eating, you can get hit in the mouth. If you are younger than 8, the damage can disturb enamel information. Trauma can also discolor adult teeth when a sports injury or other impact causes blood flow to decrease to the tooth or the nerve to die. 
• Less saliva – Some people have a problem of less saliva and due to which mouth remains dry and dry. Also, there is a higher chance of infection due to less of saliva because of teeth may turn yellow, dark brown, black. 

Prevention

• Some changes in eating habits and lifestyle can prevent the discoloration of teeth.
•  Focus on oral cleansing – Everybody should clean their teeth twice a day and floss in the mouth once a day. These things will help you to get rid of stains on teeth.
• Keep your bacteria free – Before going to bed, it is necessary to clean the teeth because bacteria trapped in teeth grow twice as fast and cause spots in the teeth.
• Get regular tooth checkups - Regular dental checkups can help you get rid of long-term stains. Many teeth stains cannot be treated at home, so you should get your teeth checked regularly to get rid of them.
• Rinse salt warm water after every meal - Some food and beverages can damage your teeth by discoloring them, so it is very important to rinse after eating anything, so that nothing remains stuck in your teeth.
• Use proper Oral Material - To clean the mouth and maintain a white tooth, one should buy the necessary material for the teeth. Anti-tar mouthwash is an essential item for teeth. One should buy with whitening toothpaste to use it continuously.

What to Eat

• Fiber- Raisins, figs, bananas, apples, oranges, beans, peanuts, almonds, bran and peas, etc. contain abundant amounts of fiber. Saliva in the mouth is made in full quantity by taking them. Saliva helps protect teeth from cavities and keep them healthy.
• Vitamin-D and D complex- Vitamins D and D complex are present in fruits and vegetables. The nutrients present in it protect the teeth from bacteria. Apart from this, raw vegetables and fruits also make teeth safe by fighting cavities
• Calcium- To make teeth strong and cavity free, it is very important to take calcium. In addition to milk and milk products such as yogurt and cheese, soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds and green vegetables contain high amounts of calcium.
• Onion and Mushroom - This is a good diet to keep teeth strong and cavity free. Onions eliminate bacteria produced in the mouth, while mushrooms prevent bacteria from forming.
• Whole Grains - Whole grains contain a lot of vitamin-B and iron. It helps to keep the gums healthy and protect the teeth from the cavity. 

What should not be eaten:

•  Stay away from cold drinks – Try to avoid cold drinks. Excess consumption of cold drink makes your teeth damage. Actually, cold drinks contain too much sugar. They are made from carbonated water. In this case, they are acidic. Due to acidic and sugar dissolving, it damages the teeth.  
•  Avoid candy, chocolate and toffee – Children like candies and they eat too much which damages teeth. Actually, candy stick to the corners, pits and upper layer of teeth. This causes the teeth to weaken and turn yellow and slowly rot.
• Do not give chips – Chips are also detrimental for teeth. There is so much starch in chips. When you eat chips then this starch sticks on your teeth and invites bacteria. Try to avoid to give chips to children. If necessary, ask the child to rinse after eating the chips.
•  White bread – White bread is not good for your teeth also. White bread is made of Maida. Bread also sticks on the surface of teeth. Bread is a kind of carbohydrate and when eaten with saliva, it turns into sugar. This also damages the teeth.
• Coffee - Many parents get children from the habit of tea and coffee from an early age. This is wrong. Avoid giving coffee to children, it spoils their teeth. Actually, coffee has acidic properties, its intake reduces the pH of the mouth significantly. This causes the teeth to become weak and hollow. Apart from this, coffee is a dark drink, due to its use, a yellow layer is formed on the teeth.
• Do not chew the pan masala and betel nuts - Chewing any kind of pan masala makes your teeth look dirty and you have to feel embarrassed and your teeth are weak as well. So, always keep in mind that any kind of pan masala, gutkha do not chew so that your teeth will be healthy and you will get rest.

Dr. Akanksha Agarwal  (Dental Consultant, BDS, MIDA,PGDHHM,CCCR)

“Tooth discoloration is a very common dental problem which occurs due to damage to the enamel because of any reason like aggressive brushing, trauma to tooth, color food eatable and drinks or infection. The only prevention is maintaining good oral hygiene, proper brushing method with soft braces brush (changed regularly) and regular rinsing after every meal by either dilute mouthwash or salt containing warm water."

-by Chhavi Aggarwal