DO YOU feel doomed to have yellow gnashers all your life even though some people have lovely pearly whites?
In a recent survey by the marketing research company Mintel, 46 per cent of adults believed that non-alcoholic drinks like tea, coffee, soda and juice have a negative impact on the appearance of their teeth, while only 24 per cent attributed bad smiles to poor dental hygiene.
Well, just as the people in the survey rightly guessed, dark-coloured foods and drinks – including red wine, colas and dark sauces – all have the potential to stain teeth.
This is because these items are high in chromogens, pigment-producing substances that have a penchant for sticking to tooth enamel.
Tannin, a bitter compound found in wine and tea, actually helps chromogens attach to tooth enamel.
The colour of your teeth depends on your general health as you were growing up. For instance if children take tetracycline antibiotics, their teeth may end up brownish-yellow.
Later on, during adulthood, chlorhexidine mouthwashes or the acne-fighting drugs like minocycline can stain teeth brown.
Fillings can also discolour teeth; the dye from amalgam fillings can seep through the enamel giving a grey-blue hue.
And don't forget to blame your parents, as your genetic make-up influences tooth colour!
Some lucky individuals have naturally brighter or thicker enamel than others.
Inside a tooth is the living tissue called dentin. Since that tissue is alive, it ages, just like skin wrinkles.
When dentin ages, it yellows. So as we grow older teeth naturally darken. The outer layer of a tooth is made of white enamel and underneath it is the yellow dentin.
So if you have thin tooth enamel then your teeth appear yellower. This means that Enamel is King!
The idea is to keep as much enamel as possible for your whole life then any yellow teeth can be whitened much more easily.
It's the tooth enamel that bleaches up with whitening gels.
Maximise your enamel by looking after it before it disappears. The best way to do this is by following a low sugar diet, avoiding acidic foods that will thin the enamel and maintaining an effective home care routine.
Also, try keeping the tooth staining baddies like tea, coffee and smoking to a minimum.
Saliva and fluoride will strengthen your enamel, so brush twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste and keep hydrated.
