Dental Expert Tips on Yellowing Teeth
56% of dental patients are unhappy with the colour of their teeth, and whitening is the treatment they want most. To get there, most follow advice that, if done incorrectly, can wear away enamel, which is the white layer that gives teeth their colour in the first place.
Arif Al-Suwaidi, Co-Founder and CEO of Zental dental clinic, has flagged the five whitening habits that leave teeth more yellow when applied wrong, with a dentist’s tip for each.
1. Using Whitening Toothpaste Can Leave Your Teeth Yellower
Whitening toothpaste scrubs the stain off; it does not bleach the tooth. Toothpastes are scored for roughness out of 250, and whitening ones often top 200, up to six times harsher than a gentle paste. Despite this, 17.6 million Brits use one twice a day.
Dentist’s tip: Buy 2 tubes. Use fluoride paste morning and night, whitening paste Sundays only. If the roughness number is not on the box, assume it is high and do not buy.
2. Rinsing Daily With Antibacterial Mouthwash Wears Down The White
Strong mouthwash, the kind your dentist gives you for sore gums, can safely be used for 2 weeks only. Past that, it browns the front teeth, with 56% of users showing visible stains by 6 months, but 1 in 4 adults rinse with some kind of strong mouthwash every day.
Dentist’s tip: Put an end date in your phone the day you open the bottle and bin it then. For daily use, pick a fluoride mouthwash with no chlorhexidine.
3. Swapping Cigarettes for a Vape Does Nothing for Whiter Teeth
Vapes promise “no yellow teeth,” and this marketing claim is a big reason 3 million Brits have switched. Yet studies show sweet-flavoured vapour leaves 4 times more bacteria on the tooth and softens enamel by up to 27%, so your teeth pick up colour from everything else you drink.
Dentist’s tip: Swish a mouthful of water after every vape session and wait 30 minutes before brushing. Book the hygienist every 4 months, not 6.
4. Ignoring a Dry Mouth Can Worsen Teeth Yellowing
Spit is nature’s whitening product, washing colour off the teeth before it settles. Over 400 everyday medicines dry it up, taking dry mouth from 17% of people on none to 67% of those on 7 or more. Despite this, 1 in 4 adults has it, and most never mention it to a dentist.
Dentist’s tip: Chew sugar-free gum for 10 minutes after every meal. On 3 or more daily medicines, ask your pharmacist for a free medicines review and say dry mouth by name.
Arif adds: “The question I get is always which product to buy next. It is the wrong question. Nobody asks how to properly use what you already have at home. For example, chlorhexidine is a 2-week prescription, and I see people on it for years. Whitening paste is a 1-a-week product, and it is sitting on the sink being used twice a day. None of these boxes carry a stop date, so people assume there is not one. But there most times is.”
This article was created at the WHN News Desk in collaboration with Zental Dental, an award-winning private dental clinic in the U.K. that is dedicated to providing exceptional dental care in a tranquil environment.
As with anything you read on the internet, this dental article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN neither agrees nor disagrees with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement.
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