Whether you enjoy a drink a day, a few times a week, or rarely, here’s what you need to know
in regards to alcohol consumption and your dental health.

Increases Damage to Tooth Enamel

Alcohol is very acidic with many drinks containing a pH of around 3-4. With alcohol being so
corrosive, enjoying this beverage can cause your tooth enamel to erode and create weak spots
that are susceptible to tooth decay, discoloration, or tooth sensitivity.

When areas of your tooth enamel are eroded away, your teeth aren’t protected and are more
at risk to experience problems. To keep alcohol from ruining your tooth enamel, be sure to sip
water with your drink and always wait 30 minutes after consuming alcohol to brush your teeth.

More Oral Plaque

Since many forms of alcohol contain sugar, these drinks put you at risk to experience more
plaque on your pearly whites. Plaque is an accumulation of bacteria that feels fuzzy on your
teeth. If left unchecked, this material can harden into tartar, which is impossible to remove at
home.

When drinking alcohol, it’s easy for plaque to build up in your mouth, making tooth decay and
gum disease more likely. In order to keep your mouth plaque-free, it’s imperative to brush
twice a day and visit your dentist for regular cleanings.

Higher Risk of Oral Cancer

Abusing alcohol is the second largest risk factor for getting oral cancer. Oral cancers include
those of the mouth, tongue, throat, lips, and cheeks. Alcohol increases your risk for oral cancer;
in fact, alcohol is a risk factor for many cancers.

The good news is that many oral cancers have a high survival rate of 84% if caught early. Your
dentist can perform an oral cancer screening during your appointment and talk with you about
your risk for oral cancer.

Alcohol Causes Dry Mouth

Since alcohol actually dehydrates your body, it causes dry mouth. Dry mouth has more of an
impact on your oral health than you think. Without proper saliva production, your tooth
enamel is more at risk to be damaged.

Saliva also helps to balance bacteria, so without enough of it, the mouth turns acidic and
bacteria can attack the tooth enamel. This not only increases your risk for tooth decay but can
also cause bad breath.

Alcohol’s dehydrating effect on the mouth can also make oral tissues more susceptible to toxins
and carcinogens, such as those found in cigarette smoke. If you do choose to drink, staying
hydrated with water is important!

No matter how much you drink, it’s important to know how alcohol affects your oral cavity to
understand your risk of health problems such as oral cancer, tooth decay, and dry mouth. Be
sure to follow up with your dentist to ensure your smile is healthy if you enjoy alcohol, even in
moderation!

The post Can Alcohol Affect Your Dental Health? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Trauma to the Tooth

If one of your teeth has experienced any type of trauma, this could be the cause for its
discoloration. This trauma could include getting into an accident whether as a child or as an
adult, such as a car accident or falling and injuring your mouth.

When your tooth is injured, bleeding can happen inside the tooth. Bleeding will often cause a
bluish-gray tinge to the tooth, almost like a bruise. However, bleeding can also cause a tooth to
become brown or yellow. As a result of the trauma, your tooth’s root may die. When the root
dies, this can lead to a brown or gray appearance that sticks out from the other teeth.

Staining from Food or Medicine

We know that certain foods and drinks have the ability to stain our teeth. Whether it’s from
harmful behaviors such as tobacco use or from drinking coffee and wine, some teeth may be
more resistant to staining than others. Enamel is porous and while it can help protect teeth
from staining when it’s strong, it could be the cause for staining when it’s weak.

Medicine could also be the cause of your tooth’s different color. Some people who were given
antibiotics as a child—or people who have a mother that took them while pregnant—may have
a tooth or two that appears gray. This usually happens before the permanent teeth come in and
is something your dentist can help evaluate.

Tooth Decay

It’s not easy to spot cavities if you don’t go to the dentist regularly. Many people don’t realize
they have a cavity until it’s too late. Tooth decay can progress to the point that it eats through
the softer tissues of your teeth and eventually sabotages your tooth’s root. When this happens,
the root dies and an infection can ensue.

People who have a dead tooth root commonly experience discoloration in that tooth. This
discoloration may go away with root canal therapy, in which all the dead tissue is removed and
the tooth is properly sealed up. Your dentist can evaluate if your tooth decay has caused your
discoloration and if a root canal can help fix it!

When it comes to discolored teeth, considering the causes will help you find your best form of
treatment. Although a professional whitening can fix some of these problems, most often the
root cause will need to be fixed. This may mean receiving root canal therapy or fixing the
problem so your tooth color can return to normal. Addressing the cause of your tooth
discoloration can help return your smile to normal!

The post Why Has One of My Teeth Become Discolored? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

E-Cigarettes Can Harm Your Gums

E-cigarettes still deliver nicotine to your body. Nicotine can contribute to receding gums as well as gingivitis and periodontal disease. The symptoms of these problems include receding or bleeding gums, red and swollen gums, and gum tenderness. Nicotine does this by restricting blood flow to your gums, so they aren’t receiving the proper amount of oxygen they need to remain healthy. People who use e-cigarettes often notice that their gums begin to pull back from their teeth, but they also tend to be lacking in other symptoms of gum disease.

Nicotine Masks Symptoms of Gum Disease

Since nicotine causes your blood vessels to constrict and reduce blood flow, it can actually hide many of the symptoms of gum disease. When your gums aren’t getting the oxygen or blood they need, they likely won’t bleed, swell, or be red. This means you could still have gum disease as a result of smoking e-cigarettes but not be experiencing the symptoms. This is dangerous because it can fool not only patients but even oral health care professionals into thinking that your gums are healthy. One symptom it doesn’t mask is gum recession, so if you notice this, schedule to see your dentist right away.

If you do smoke e-cigarettes, be sure to tell your dentist so that he or she can thoroughly examine your gums to ensure you’re not suffering from gum disease. Your dentist can do this by checking for abnormal pockets of space around your teeth.

E-Cigarettes Can Contribute to Dry Mouth and Bruxism

Nicotine is a known stimulant, which can affect the muscles in your body. Your jaw muscles are very powerful and can be easily be affected by nicotine. If you do suffer from teeth grinding (also called bruxism), the delivery of nicotine in the form of e-cigarettes can cause your bruxism to worsen. If you don’t grind your teeth, nicotine can be responsible for the onset of this dangerous and extremely damaging habit.

E-cigarettes can also be responsible for causing dry mouth because nicotine inhibits saliva production. Saliva is very important for fresh breath, preventing tooth decay, and keeping our gums healthy. When your mouth lacks the proper amount of saliva, you’re more at risk to suffer from oral health problems.

Although e-cigarettes are rumored to be not quite as dangerous as traditional cigarettes, scientists are still uncovering the effects of these nicotine vessels. It’s crucial that you research the risks and make an informed decision about e-cigarettes. Talk with your dentist about the risks, and learn more about quitting nicotine for good!

The post Are E-Cigarettes Harmful to Your Smile? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Getting to the heart of the matter, however, is the prevention of tooth discoloration. And that means understanding what causes teeth to change color in the first place, so let’s consider what can affect tooth coloration.

How Do Teeth Change Color?

You may be interested in learning that your tooth enamel is rather translucent. It is, therefore, usually the pigmentation of the dentin (the layer under the enamel) which determines tooth coloration. Of course, if the enamel gets discolored, it doesn’t matter what shade is underneath, so that needs to be considered too.

What can discolor a person’s dentin or enamel?

Aging – Your tooth pulp continues to make dentin to protect itself. Thus, as you age, your teeth may slightly darken due to the thickening of the dentin.

Genes – Some genetic disorders, such as Dentinogenesis Imperfecta, result in darker tooth enamel. These conditions are rare and usually diagnosed in youth.

Tooth Death – After an injury, a tooth may die. This darkens the tooth. A root canal can remove the dead or infected tissue and return the tooth to its normal color.

Medications – Certain medications, such as tetracycline, have been known to darken teeth in infants as a side effect when taken by a pregnant woman.

Fluorosis – When teeth are forming, fluoride levels that are too high in drinking water may result in brown and white spots in the enamel. Cosmetic procedures are needed to fix this discoloration.

Cavities – Cavities erode both enamel and dentin leaving a black stained area on a decaying tooth.

Tobacco – Tobacco can actually stain the enamel of a tooth. This is true whether the user smokes tobacco through cigarettes or a pipe, or if they chew the tobacco.

Drinks – Dark drinks like cola, tea, and coffee can all stain tooth enamel.

The Good New About External Stains

While dentin stains require a dental or cosmetic procedure to fix, enamel stains are often easier to deal with. In fact, your dentist likely offers a safe whitening procedure. Plus, you can help to avoid enamel stains by quitting habits such as tobacco use. You can limit stains from beverages by not over-indulging in dark drinks and by using a straw so that most of the liquid bypasses the teeth.

Yes, the appearance of your smile matters. Whether you want to look your best for a job interview or simply want to be able to smile proudly when pictures are being taken, avoiding and correcting tooth discoloration is important.

The post The Most Common Causes of Tooth Discoloration appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Why May a Damaged Tooth Turn Black or Gray?

Much like other parts of your body, your teeth can bleed internally after an injury. The blood leaks in through the dental nerves and discolors the pulp of the tooth. The cause of tooth discoloration is usually due to blood getting into the pulp of the tooth. Darkening can continue over several days, weeks, or even months if allowed unchecked. A damaged tooth, however, doesn’t need to end up becoming a dead tooth. Here is a way that your dentist can help.

Pulp Removal Can Recover Your Tooth

Pulp removal, or a root canal, may actually reverse the color change. Since the pulp of the tooth has become stained, leading to the change in color, removing the dead or damaged pulp can restore your natural brightness. You will want an experienced dentist to carry out this process so that the stained dentin can be carefully removed.

Does My Child Need a Root Canal?

Most of the time, the color will return to a child’s tooth within a few days. If this does not occur, it is a good idea to see an endodontist. If the tooth is not one of the child’s permanent teeth, consideration will be given to whether or not the damage will affect the tooth falling out naturally. If your child already has his or her permanent teeth, a root canal may save them from the embarrassment of a dead tooth.

Pearly Whites Despite an Injury

Anyone can fall, get into an accident, or in some other way end up with a discolored tooth. The secret is not to allow time for the damage to continue and spread. Your dentist can help you to restore your tooth back to its natural color using a root canal.

While a scar may be considered a good conversation piece, a black tooth is not something that anyone wants to have. If you’ve been injured, see if your dentist can fix the problem with a root canal. Before long, you’ll be back to smiling widely for the camera.

The post Tooth Discoloration After Trauma: What’s Next? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Teeth whitening procedures are effective at removing stains that are caused by food and beverages like coffee or wine, and stains that are caused by smoking. Our teeth get darker naturally as we get older, and older patients can often get good results from teeth whitening too. The most problematic stains are the ones that are caused by internal factors and stain the teeth’s inner layer, the dentin, because these do not respond well to whitening products. The exterior layer of our teeth, the enamel, is translucent, which means that light passes through it. The dentin and any stains on it can be seen through the enamel and appear to be on the surface. Removing stains that are actually on the enamel, like food stains, is easy with bleaching products, but these products cannot get through to the dentin to remove intrinsic stains. When you have intrinsic discoloration or stains, whitening your teeth may require bonding or veneers to replace or conceal the discolored portion of the teeth.

Intrinsic tooth discoloration is often caused by things that may have happened to you as a child or even before you were born. Some causes of intrinsic tooth discoloration include excessive exposure to fluoride in childhood, taking antibiotics before you were about 8 years old and antibiotic use by your mother when she was pregnant. Intrinsic discoloration can also be called by trauma or injury to the tooth, especially if there was internal bleeding.

If you have stubborn stains or dark spots on your teeth that do not improve with teeth whitening procedures, they may be intrinsic. You can discuss whitening options with the dentist. Sometimes a combination of teeth whitening and cosmetic procedures like veneers or bonding can result in a completely white and beautiful smile.

The post What Is Intrinsic Tooth Discoloration? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.