You brush twice a day and floss once a day. You attend your biannual dental check-up religiously. You try not to drink coffee after brushing. You don’t smoke or use tobacco. Still, your teeth are not as white as you’d like them to be. Why? And what more can you do?
Many of us follow our dentists’ guidelines closely—your health thanks you—but still have yellow or gray teeth, or a less bright smile than we’d like. While the strength of our teeth and gums is largely environmental rather than genetic, the color, like your hair or eyes, is. This is great news for people who have parents with a naturally bright smile, but not all of us are so lucky.
Still, there’s more you can do, with the help of Drs. Ken and Marnie Collins.
A Dull Smile Isn’t a Reflection of You
If you are checking all of the boxes with your home dental routine and your teeth are still not as bright as you want, don’t worry; it’s likely not your fault. Here are just a few reasons why your teeth might not be as pearly as you want:
- Diet. Food and drink, like coffee, wine, tea, popsicles, and even soy sauce and vinegar, can stain your teeth.
- Age. Unfortunately, our teeth weaken naturally as we age. With weakened enamel, your teeth will stain easier and look naturally less white over time.
- Medications. Certain medications, like doxycycline, antihistamines, and antipsychotic drugs, can cause teeth to yellow, especially if you took them frequently when your teeth were developing.
- Excessive fluoride. While fluoride in healthy doses can brighten teeth and make them less susceptible to dental caries, too much fluoride can actually discolor the teeth. If you live in an area with a high level of fluoride in its drinking water, your teeth may be more discolored.
- Excessive iron. Recently, researchers at the CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia, Spain, found that high iron content in water can stain teeth.
Tooth damage. If you experienced trauma to your tooth as it was developing, it may have damaged the tooth and enamel production, making the tooth appear more yellow.
You Don’t Have to Live With a Subpar Smile
If you are frequently disappointed by how your smile looks, even after taking great care of it, Drs. Ken and Marnie Collins can help improve it.
With a wide range of dental services, we can give you the smile you want, and that will give you the confidence you deserve. At Collins Dentistry and Aesthetics in Spokane, our cosmetic dentists offer a variety of procedures to whiten and brighten your smile, combating the staining effects of coffee, medications and even the natural effects of aging.
With Zoom!, a tooth whitening system, you can leave our office with a dramatically whiter smile in just one visit. Porcelain veneers and dental implants are other, albeit more involved, procedures that can cover stained or dark teeth, or replace missing or dead teeth, respectively.
Experience a Brighter Smile
With Collins Dentistry and Aesthetics, you can experience a whiter and more beautiful smile thanks to our variety of services and procedures.
If you are unhappy with your smile, Drs. Ken and Marnie Collins would love to discuss your options. To schedule an appointment at Collins Dentistry and Aesthetics in Spokane, call (509) 532-1111 or book an appointment online.
