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Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you when you meet them for the first time. If you are self-conscious of your smile, this can limit the quality of your engagements. Some people have learned to cope with stained teeth by simply smiling without showing their teeth, but wouldn’t it better to go through life without worrying about the stains and discoloration on your teeth? Wouldn’t it be better to show your smile to the world and feel good about yourself while doing it?

What Causes Stains on your Teeth?

There are a number of things that can cause your teeth to become discolored. We use many of these agents on a regular basis and sometimes forget that they can be the cause of our unhappiness and dissatisfaction when it comes to how our smiles look. Think about how many cups of coffee or tea you drink on a regular basis. Over time, coffee can stain the enamel on your teeth, leaving your teeth looking yellow or brownish in color. In addition, smokers tend to have much more yellow teeth than the average person. Nicotine starts leaving stains from the very first puff - have you ever looked at a smoker’s fingertips? Their teeth are probably just as yellow as those fingertips. If you drink dark soda pop, you may find your teeth become discolored over time as well. Certain foods that we eat or drink can leave discoloration on our teeth as well, including beets, blueberries, and wine. If you find yourself dealing with stains on your teeth, for any reason, consider using at home teeth whitening remedies to brighten that smile. Here are a few things you can try right now to reduce the discoloration you see when you smile in the mirror.

How Can you Get Rid of Teeth Stains?

There are a number of ways to remove discoloration and stains from your teeth naturally. Any number of commercial products can remove stains, but these are costly and can take a long time to produce results. If you are interested in trying to remove stains from your teeth yourself, you can try some of these home remedies. Some of them don’t taste great, but they can work to remove the stains you see on your teeth.

Make Homemade Toothpaste: Mix 1 part baking soda to ½ parts peroxide to form a paste. You can brush your teeth with this homemade paste instead of using store-bought toothpaste. While the taste of baking soda and peroxide is not going to be pleasant, you will find that the bubbling action caused by the chemical reaction will leave your teeth looking much cleaner than they did before you brushed with the homemade paste.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Using apple cider vinegar can provide a whitening effect on your stained teeth; however, it is very strong and acidic, so it should be used minimally. You can expect to see results over time with this home remedy, however you may not notice them immediately. Rather than brushing your teeth with the apple cider vinegar, use it as a mouth rinse. Swoosh for a few seconds and then spit it out like you would commercial mouth rinse.

Fruit: There is some evidence that mixing strawberries with baking soda can produce a whitening effect on your stained teeth. The idea is that the baking soda creates a gentle foaming and cleansing action, while the seeds in the strawberries help to lift away stains. Again, strawberries and baking soda may not taste great, but they are natural and may not do as much harm as commercial cleaners full of chemicals can. Lemon rinds can also help to remove surface stains from your teeth, naturally. Lemon juice can bleach your teeth, and the vitamin C present in the lemon is very good for the enamel on your teeth.

Prevention is Key

While there are lots of ways to try to remove stains from your teeth naturally, as well as commercially, the most important way to treat stains is to try to prevent them in the first place. It seems absurd to tell grown men and women to brush their teeth more often, but we are all so busy that even our oral care is falling by the wayside. We are living in a fast food, fast fry, fast job world, and our oral health is suffering because of it. Stains are not just on the surface: they are an indicator that we are not taking good care of our mouths.

You can prevent stains by increasing the number of times you brush your teeth. You can set a routine for yourself that goes beyond the twice daily recommended amount - remember, recommendations are the minimums! Consider cutting back on the number of coffees, teas, and sodas you consume on a regular basis. Or switch to lighter colored tea or soda. You can also try drinking your liquids from a straw to reduce the amount of penetration they have with your tooth surfaces.

You can also use products that do not dilute the enamel on your teeth. Thus you won’t see the yellowing of the dentin under the enamel. This is important to the overall aspects of your oral health as well: when you start to lose enamel, your teeth become exposed to more risks including cavities and gingivitis.

Before you decide to try any at home tooth whitening remedy, consult with your dentist. If you don’t know what you are doing, you can cause more damage than good. Prevention is the best policy - as with most things in life - and when it comes to your teeth, taking care of them is vital. Be aware of what foods and drinks you consume, and be sure to brush, floss, and rinse your mouth on a regular basis.

Water Tower Dental Care in Chicago offers teeth whitening services for those of you that would rather go through the process under the care of a qualified dentist.

When we think of our health and wellness, we often think about our diets, how much we exercise, what kinds of diseases we have or could get. We don’t give as much thought to our oral health, however, and the state of our oral health (our mouth and teeth) can have a big impact on our overall health. Often times, the reason for poor oral health is because we neglect our teeth. Not the kind of neglect that means skipping brushing and dentist visits, but the kind of neglect that we put our teeth through every day without even realizing it. Here are seven bad teeth habits you need to break right now. Your oral health depends on it!

7 Bad Habits That Are Hurting Your Teeth

Biting Your Nails

Ugh. Biting your nails is terrible for your teeth. Plus, remember the last time you saw someone actually gnawing on their nails from a distance? It looks gross. Stop doing it. Your teeth are meant to chew food and nothing else. Use your fingernail clippers. It only takes a second to clip your nails so that you don’t spend time biting them.

Grinding Your Teeth

Some people don’t even realize they are grinding their teeth; mostly because people tend to do this in their sleep. It’s important that you consult your dentist regularly so that they can help identify if you are a teeth grinder and offer you solutions to help you stop. Things such as a bite guard, which can be worn at night to prevent your teeth from rubbing together, may be one suggestion your dentist offers.

Using Your Teeth as Tools to Open Things

Much like the nail biting, using your teeth for anything other than to chew food is a bad idea. Lots of people have chipped their teeth while trying to twist a bottle cap with their teeth, or tried to pull plastic apart with their teeth. Grab a knife to cut the plastic, and use a proper tool such as a bottle opener to save your teeth the harm of using them as a tool. If you were to chip your tooth deep enough, it might not be able to be saved, so be careful and avoid opening things with your teeth.

Brushing Your Teeth Too Hard

While it is important to brush your teeth a few times a day, it is also important that you have the right tool for the job. Using a brush that is too hard or using a brush in a forceful manner can wear away the enamel on your teeth and cause permanent damage. Imagine the irony of having poor oral health because you were trying too hard!? Use a gentle motion with a brush that is soft. Usually the dentist will give you the exact kind of toothbrush you need, so when you visit them next, ask for recommendations on what kind of brush is right for your teeth.

Drinking Sugary Drinks

Come on, now. You know better than to fill your mouth with soda pop and acidic fruit juices. You’ve seen the television commercials warning against acid erosion right? It’s not just a fluff. It’s real, and drinking too many sugary drinks can cause severe, irreversible damage to your teeth. Once enamel has worn away, it does not ever come back. Limiting your intake of fruit juices and sugary drinks can help reduce the amount of wear and tear your teeth experience.

Smoking

While it goes without saying that smoking brings with it a whole host of medical risks, one often overlooked risk is the risk of mouth cancer, tooth decay and oral hygiene in general. Your teeth can become stained and your enamel can also be weakened. Nicotine can cause a world of hurt for your mouth, not to mention your lungs. Avoid smoking as much as possible. If you are a smoker, ensure you have impeccable oral hygiene routines to ensure as little damage as possible.

Chewing on Things

It’s a habit. We know. We all have them: we chew on our pencils while we are deep in thought, we chew on our ice cubes after our cups have been drunk dry, we chew on pen caps and many other things that we don’t even realize! The problem with chewing on anything is the risk we run of breaking our teeth or wearing away the protective coating that keeps our teeth healthy. In addition, whenever you put something in your mouth (even food), there is a scenario in which you could choke. Never ever put anything in your mouth that isn’t food or drink. Aside from the damage you are doing to your teeth, it is an actual safety hazard.

The next time you catch yourself chewing on your nails, grinding your teeth, opening a bottle, or any of the other bad habits mentioned here, stop and think about how those activities are impacting your teeth. Think about how you are impacting your overall health and risk of developing long-term issues associated with your teeth. If you can’t stop these habits altogether, consider trying to alter them in some way. For example, if you can’t quit smoking, maybe you can see your dentist more regularly to ensure your teeth are healthy. If you can’t quit chewing on things, at least stop as soon as you catch yourself chewing on the top of your pencil. Don’t put yourself at any more risk that you already are for developing some kind of lasting oral health issue. You are control these things: you just have to recognize you are doing them and start working toward changing that behavior.

Your dentist may be the first person to see early signs of cardiovascular disease. That's right, the health of your gums and teeth is closely related to the health of your heart. Early signs of concern include bleeding gums, gingivitis, and tooth decay, all of which indicate excess inflammation.

In recent years, the many consequences of inflammation have become clear, ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer to dementia and beyond. Fortunately, there are lab tests that allow for effective measurement and monitoring of inflammation. More importantly, there are very effective natural interventions that address the root cause of inflammation, leading to decreased levels, improved oral health and an associated decreased risk of disease.

What lab tests are recommended to assess inflammation?

Two lab tests commonly used to assess systemic, total body, chronic inflammation are high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and homocysteine. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a third test that may be employed from time to time, but it is a less reliable marker of chronic inflammation than hsCRP and homocysteine.

If my dentist sees signs of inflammation or my inflammatory lab markers are elevated what can I do?

Firstly, heed your dentist's recommendations for oral hygiene! Daily flossing, brushing and regular cleanings are essential to decreasing oral and systemic inflammation. Supplements such as oral probiotics, therapeutic doses of fish oil, and professional grade curcumin may also be prescribed to reverse the inflammatory trend.

Secondly, assess your diet and make appropriate changes. The bad news is that when signs of inflammation are present or lab tests are elevated, diet is inevitably a contributor. The good news is that there are three simple ways to have a tremendously positive impact on inflammation through your diet.

1. Decrease consumption of foods that contribute to inflammation. With sugar, sweets, juice, soda, alcohol and simple carbohydrates (such as white rice, white potatoes, pasta and breads) topping the list of pro-inflammatory foods, your dentist will be fully supportive of these changes!

2. Increase consumption of foods that decrease inflammation. These include spices such as turmeric and ginger, colorful vegetables, colorful fruits and healthy fats such as fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, avocado, and coconut. An easy way to put this into practice is to 11eat the rainbow" in vegetables, with up to two colors coming from fruit every day.

3. For maximum benefits, take on both decreasing consumption of pro-inflammatory foods and increasing consumption of anti-inflammatory foods.

Inflammation - and its associated disease states - is not an inevitable outcome of aging. Ask your dentist if they see any warning signs, and if they do, spring into action to restore your health!

As a Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine Specialist, Dr. Hehmeyer seeks to identify and address the root cause of health concerns, and through a collaborative relationship with patients, works to restore health and optimize wellness.

Teeth are an important part of the human body. We need them to chew our food, which enables us to survive, and if we take care of them, they can also give us a beautiful smile. But did you know that our teeth also affect how we talk? And if we don’t take care of them our overall health suffers? Teeth play a major role in our lives outside of just eating, which is why it is important that we take care of them, and taking care of them starts with being educated on what makes up the teeth in our mouths.

Stages of Teeth

Natal Teeth

One in every 2000-3000 births, Natal teeth are present when the baby comes to term. The teeth, usually appearing in the lower gum, are also called fetal teeth. Natal teeth tend no roots, or weak roots, so they often fall out fairly quickly. Doctors usually remove them so that they do not interfere with natural nursing, or risk injuring the baby’s soft lips.

Baby Teeth

We, humans, have two sets of teeth during our lives. Our baby teeth — called our primary teeth — develop in infancy. Usually there are 20 of them, which are buried beneath our gums at birth. They should erupt entirely by our third birthday, and can begin to appear as early as when we are six months old. They start erupting in the front and center of the mouth first, on the top and the bottom. After that they spread out sideways, filling the mouth towards the back, with the molars coming in last.

An important function of baby teeth, outside of helping children to chew, is to prepare the jaw and the gums for the arrival of the permanent, adult, teeth. The baby teeth push the jaw and gums outward, making more space for the developing adult teeth to have room to erupt as the baby teeth fall out. This eruption begins to happen when the child is about six years old.

Adult Teeth

Permanent teeth — also called adult teeth — number 32 in most people, 16 on the top and 16 on the bottom. As we said, they begin coming in around six years of age, and it takes until about 12 years old until they fully erupt. Adult teeth are larger and stronger than baby teeth and are the last set of teeth humans will have, so it is very important to take care of them as you get older. Proper brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-ups can help ensure that your teeth remain healthy for the rest of your life.

Types of Teeth

There are four different types of teeth in humans: incisors, canines, premolars and molars. In each jawbone, there is a specific number of each type of tooth. In the front and center are four incisors, on each side of the incisors is one canine. Next to each canine are two premolars, and next to those are three molars. The two back molars on each jaw, also known as the wisdom teeth, may not erupt. They are often impacted — sometimes sideways — into the jaw which often requires surgery to remove.

Incisors

The incisors support the lips and help you articulate the words you speak. They are thin and sharp and cut the food you eat into smaller pieces so it can be chewed by the larger, flatter molars. We have four incisors.

Canines

Canines help guide the teeth so that they slide neatly together. They also pierce and cut the food for easier chewing. Dentists call the pointy canines the cuspids. We have four canines.

Premolars

Also called bicuspids, they, along with the molars, are flat on the top and are used for chewing. We have eight premolars.

Molars

The molars are the largest, flattest teeth we’ve got, and do the bulk of the masticating, or chewing. The upper molars have three roots, the lower molars have two. The molars also help to support the height of the face. We have 12 molars.

Supernumerary Teeth

In some cases a person may develop more than 32 teeth, these are known as supernumerary teeth. Most often this is an extra incisor, in between two other incisors. This incisor is known as a mesioden. Another common supernumerary tooth is the paramolar, an additional molar. Extra canine teeth have also been known to occur. These extra teeth can cause issues with spacing within the mouth and are often removed by your dentist.

Anatomy of a Tooth - What Makes up Your Teeth

The Crown and the Root

A tooth is comprised of two major parts: the crown and the root. The crown of a tooth is the white part that you can see, the part that is above the gum line. It is only about 1/3 of the whole tooth. The root is embedded in the gums and the jawbone. It is about 2/3 of the tooth and surrounds the nerve endings, or pulp, of the tooth.

Enamel

The enamel is the shiny white coating on the outside of the tooth. It is also the part that becomes dull and yellow if you don’t brush properly, or eat, drink or smoke things that can stain the enamel. The enamel protects the tooth from wear. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body.

Dentin

Dentin is a yellow, bony material that supports the tooth’s enamel. It also carries some of the nerve fibers that ache when something is wrong with your tooth. Dentin is stronger than bone, but softer than enamel.

Cementum

Cementum is the tooth root’s surface layer. It is a dynamic periodontium entity, meaning that it is not a passive chemical like enamel. It attaches to the bone and the gingiva. Gingivitis can inflame it. Cementum helps repair and regenerate the teeth.

Dental Pulp

In the tooth's center is the pulp, which contains blood, nerves and lymph vessels. The nerves and lymphatic vessels send electrochemical signals to the nervous system and the brain. The blood feeds the tooth, keeping it alive.

Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Once our adult teeth grow in that's it, there's no going back. If your adult teeth fall out or become diseased, you will have to resort to dental implants or dentures for the rest of your life. Regular brushing, flossing, and check-ups by your dentist are great ways to help prevent tooth decay and other oral health issues. Cutting down on sugary drinks and smoking can also help the longevity of your teeth.

If you're in the Chicagoland area and looking for more information regarding the health of your teeth, or you wish to setup an appointment to see one of our incredible Dentists, contact us today!