Your smile says a lot about you, whether you like it to or not. People often assess your friendliness, warmth, and trustworthiness through your smile upon meeting you and a winning smile can take you far in life! Americans go to great lengths to achieve straight, near perfect teeth, but even the most diligently oral health minded people will experience yellowing over time. While there are a multitude of options to whiten yellowed teeth, from
dental tooth whitening at your dentist’s office to at home whitening strips to porcelain veneers, many would simply like to avoid yellowing in the first place! While it’s impossible to completely keep the whiteness you were born with, there are many steps you can take to slow down the yellowing process!
1. Quit while you’re ahead.
Smoking and chewing tobacco are disastrous for your health in too many ways to count, but if you need another reason to quit then consider the staining impact tobacco has on your teeth. The tar in tobacco not only has the ability to stain teeth, but according to the American Dental Association, it can also discolor your tongue! Tobacco products are associated with tooth loss, oral cancer, and gum disease which will all wreak havoc on your overall health as well as negatively impacting the appearance of your smile.
2. Switch to white.
While alcohol is not much of a healthier alternative to tobacco, it is a pervasive aspect of many of our lives. There are some noted health benefits to moderate amounts of red wine being consumed, but unfortunately those benefits do not carry over cosmetically. Red wine is notorious for staining lips and teeth as it is being consumed, but these staining qualities do not wash away entirely. To avoid having your teeth permanently stained by wine, consider switching your nightly glass to white wine. If red is truly your favorite, be sure to brush your teeth soon after drinking to help lift stains before they set.
3. Coffee with care.
Wine may end the day for many of us, but coffee starts it for even more. While this morning pick me up is an integral part of a morning routine for millions of Americans, coffee does come with a slight cost: yellowed teeth. The dark nature of coffee has the same impact on your teeth as it does your favorite porcelain coffee mug. Over time, continuous coffee drinking will leave dark stains on your teeth. To avoid this as best as possible, consider drinking your coffee through a straw to bypass contact with your teeth. Alternatively, you could try kicking the habit altogether but this may be much easier said than done!
If you’ve recently caught a glimpse of your smile in the mirror or seen a less than flattering picture that has alerted you to the yellowed state of your teeth, don’t fear! There are many different ways to get the shine back to your smile. To discuss your whitening options, give your dentist in Chicago a call at Downtown Dental in the Loop or River North today!