Health Marker: What The Color Of Teeth Can Tell

A snow-white smile is traditionally considered a sign of wealth. However, it is important to remember that in nature it simply does not exist, because the best dentists in the industry work on the perfect color of celebrity smiles. The head doctor and owner of the clinic, Dr. SHIPKOV dental clinic Vladimir Shipkov.

What determines the natural color of teeth, and why is it different for everyone?

It is believed that enamel plays a key role in this issue, but this is a common misconception. In fact, the shade of teeth primarily depends on the color of the dentin - the hard tissue of the tooth that makes up its main part. Only a few people have it white, while most have a grayish or yellowish tinge of dentin. Shining through the enamel, it forms the color of the tooth.

The enamel itself, despite its phenomenal hardness, is transparent. It can have a bluish or milky white tint, but its contribution to the formation of tooth color is minimal. With age, the enamel layer becomes thinner, so the natural color of teeth in adults is usually darker than in children and adolescents. It also depends on the physiological characteristics of a person, genetic predisposition and race.

Causes of teeth discoloration

There are many factors that negatively affect the appearance of teeth. Let's take a look at the most common causes of browning.

Impact of external factors

Among the main ones are smoking, regular consumption of food and drinks with pronounced coloring properties. Strong black tea and coffee, drunk in large quantities, cause brown stains, and nicotine smoke contributes to the formation of a yellow-brown plaque.

Depulpation

This term is called the process of removing the pulp (connective tissue of a loose structure that fills the cavity of the tooth). When it is deprived of nutrition, the inner tissues turn gray and lose their characteristic luster, becoming dull and lifeless.

The use of certain drugs

Tetracycline has a particularly negative effect on color. If taken during the formation of dental tissues (from the second trimester of pregnancy to the age of eight), the teeth become dark gray or brown. Iodine compounds, nitrates, and a number of other agents also have a bad effect on the visual appeal of enamel.

Fluorosis

This is a chronic disease that develops on the background of prolonged use of water or food that contains high concentrations of fluoride compounds (see also: "Foods that are harmful to dental health"). Especially often children are exposed to it, whose teeth are at the stage of formation. Fluorosis appears as yellow, brown, and even black spots.

Common diseases

These include: hemolytic jaundice, fetal erytoblastosis, enamel hypoplasia, porphyria and a number of other ailments. Most diseases, during which the color of the enamel changes, are extremely rare, so you should not be afraid of darkening of the teeth, but it is always useful to keep in mind the reasons associated with it.

It is important to understand that the influence of external and internal factors on the color of teeth is cumulative: this means that they tend to accumulate and reinforce each other's action.

How to solve the problem?

Modern dentistry has everything necessary for the timely diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the consequence or concomitant factor of which is darkening of the teeth. Moreover, today in the arsenal of dentists there is an extensive set of methods and means with which they can give a snow-white smile to any person, regardless of the nature and scale of his problems.

Laser, intracanal and photo-whitening are some of the most effective measures to combat tooth darkening. For example, the Zoom 4 White Speed Led system is capable of making teeth 6-8 shades whiter in just one session. It is absolutely safe for the enamel and absolutely painless. The effect of such a procedure will last at least two and a half years (subject to the rules of hygiene and the recommendations of the dentist).

Professional hygiene is another effective way to get rid of unwanted tooth discoloration and prevent more serious problems. During brushing, the dentist removes hard deposits and soft plaque in hard-to-reach areas (see also: "Everything you need to know about teeth whitening"). For this purpose, it is necessary to visit the dentist at least once every six months.

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