Regardless of what’s holding you back from visiting your dentist, keep in mind that there are few things
scarier than the consequences of skipping your annual teeth cleaning. Consider the following health
risks before you decide to forgo that essential dentist appointment!

Gum Disease

With nearly half the adult population of America having some form of gum disease, this might seem like
a common problem that’s not a big deal. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Gum disease happens when plaque from inadequate oral care builds up around your gum tissue and can
cause inflammation, bleeding, and infection. Without treatment, gum disease is one of the leading
causes of tooth loss in older adults.

In addition, the inflammation and bacteria present in gum disease have been linked to many other
health conditions. From heart disease to diabetes to cancer, research is finding more and more that gum
disease could be linked to disease within the body.

Tooth Decay

Without a professional cleaning, it’s highly unlikely you’re reaching all the areas in your mouth that you
need to in order to remain plaque-free. When plaque is allowed to build up, it can turn into tartar, which
can only be removed by a dentist.

Tooth decay is an unfortunate result of unmanaged plaque. By skipping your annual cleaning, plaque is
allowed to harm your tooth enamel, which can lead to cavities that will need professional treatment.
Having cavities isn’t just inconvenient—it’s damaging to your oral health and can be costly as well. With
a simple professional cleaning, you can help prevent cavities and enjoy a smile free of tooth decay.

Teeth Staining

Besides helping to prevent gum disease and tooth decay, regular cleanings help lift surface stains out of
your tooth enamel. Through regularly removing these stains, your smile remains as bright as possible
without additional treatment.

Although your regular oral care habits at home can help remove stains daily as well, a professional
cleaning can more effectively get rid of those stains. In addition, skipping your cleaning can allow stains
to build up, which can make it harder to remove them later on, even with a professional teeth
whitening.

Greater Risk of Unhappiness

Recent research suggests that skipping regular dental appointments could lead to poorer quality of life,
as people who avoided the dentist tended to have cavities, gum disease, and missing teeth, therefore giving them more anxiety and less happiness about life due to their compromised smile.

Instead of being anxious about your smile or depressed about missing teeth, simply schedule a dentist
appointment at least once a year to keep your smile as healthy as possible!

When was the last time you saw the dentist? Your dentist plays a crucial role in keeping your smile
healthy and disease-free—and who doesn’t want that? No matter how long it’s been since you’ve had a
professional teeth cleaning, reach out to your local dentist today to reveal your beautiful smile!

The post The Consequences of Skipping Those Yearly Teeth Cleanings appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Tooth enamel is actually porous. Over time, our teeth can get stained. This happens for a few
reasons, lack of proper dental care and eating habits among them.
What eating habits will lead to tooth discoloration? Here are some foods you might want to
watch out for and what you can do.

The Top Staining Foods

All foods have the potential to contribute to your teeth staining if you aren’t brushing your
teeth. However, there are a few that will cause more staining than others, especially if you’re
not drinking water or brushing afterwards.

These include foods like tomatoes (especially in pasta sauce), berries, and strong spices. Any
berry has the potential to stain your teeth. Particularly potent ones include blueberries,
blackberries, and cranberries. Spices such as curry and turmeric can also cause your teeth to
have a yellow or brownish tinge.

Other foods that could stain include balsamic vinegar and candies that contain food dye.
The Top Beverages That Stain

In addition to eating habits, beverages can stain your teeth just as much if not more than
certain foods do. The biggest culprits are coffee, tea, and red wine. Regular consumption of all
of these beverages can majorly stain your smile over time. Even certain juices can discolor your
teeth—think cranberry or cherry juice.

Although some of these stains will be superficial and can be removed with a toothbrush, others
will go deeper and may need a professional whitening to correct. Your best and safest drink for
your smile is water, so it’s smart to consume all other beverages in moderation!

Getting Your Whitest Smile Possible

You don’t have to totally give up the foods you love to have a smile that you love too. Follow
these tips to get your whitest smile possible:

 Drink water. Drinking water while consuming teeth-staining foods or drinking beverages
that can stain will help. It minimizes the staining damage and rinses your mouth!

 Brush your teeth. It’s a bad idea to brush immediately after eating as it can harm tooth
enamel, so try to wait about a half hour. After this, gently brush your teeth to help
remove surface stains and stop any additional staining from setting in.

 Use a straw. Using a straw for beverages such as coffee and tea can help the drink to
bypass your teeth, therefore helping to cut down on stains.

 Visit your dentist. Your dentist can remove most surface stains through professional
cleanings, especially regular ones! You can also talk with your dentist about getting a
professional whitening to get rid of any deep stains you might have.

It’s easy to have a white smile when you properly care for your teeth!
Tooth staining is embarrassing and can cause people to hide their smiles even if they have
perfectly straight teeth. While there are certain foods and drinks that can cause staining, you
can help protect your smile with the right care. Drinking enough water, brushing your teeth,
and visiting your dentist can help you achieve your brightest smile!

The post What Eating Habits Can Lead to Tooth Discoloration? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

The appearance of dental fluorosis can vary from person to person. Some people may have white lines in their enamel that look subtly different from the rest of their teeth. Other may have white flecks or spots in their enamel. However, dental fluorosis could also be present as brown stains on the teeth. Your enamel may even be grooved and make these dark areas difficult to clean. The good news is that although dental fluorosis isn’t harmful, it can still be treated if you’re self-conscious of your white marks.

Causes of Dental Fluorosis

Dental fluorosis is caused by a lack of minerals in your tooth’s enamel. This usually comes from the excessive consumption of fluoride. Fluoride is naturally present in water, but some cities add additional fluoride to their drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Although fluoride is generally considered a good thing by oral health care professionals, too much fluoride is just as bad as not enough. Between multiple sources of fluoride such as those from drinking water, toothpaste, and mouth rinses, children may be exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride that could lead to dental fluorosis.

How to Prevent It

The interesting thing about dental fluorosis is that it only happens during the formation of teeth in the jaw. This means the only time dental fluorosis can happen is during childhood after the primary teeth fall out and before the permanent teeth come in. In fact, it’s impossible for dental fluorosis to develop after the adult teeth have come in. Talk to your dentist about how much fluoride your kids actually need and what fluoride sources they’re exposed to. Your dentist can advise you if you should cut back on the fluoride. Ensure your kids don’t swallow their fluoride dental products. Some kids swallow because they taste good, but this can increase their fluoride intake and be dangerous!

Treatment Options

Fortunately, dental fluorosis isn’t a disease, just a cosmetic problem. Sometimes the uneven whitening is only noticeable by your dentist. For others, the white areas are more severe. For most people who have dental fluorosis, the whitening isn’t severe enough to warrant treatment as the appearance will be subtle.

Although fluorosis won’t cause other dental health problems, the stains will be permanent. Treatment can help mask the stains and improve the appearance of your smile. Your dentist might suggest professional teeth whitening to even out the white areas, crowns, or veneers to help alleviate the appearance of your dental fluorosis.

Having dental fluorosis can be a nuisance to your physical appearance, but there aren’t any lasting effects of this condition on your oral health. Talk to you dentist if you’re concerned about the look of your dental fluorosis, or if you want to know more about the appropriate amount of fluoride for your children’s teeth!

The post Spotlight on Dental Fluorosis 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.