DENTAL CARE

Jeffrey Gross, DDS, FAGD

Q: How Can I Pass The Tissue Test? A: That was asked to me this week by a lovely patient. I had to think for a minute to understand the question. Then, all of a sudden, it dawned on me. My patient was referring to a TV commercial that was selling a whitening product. The commercial wanted you to take a facial tissue and hold it near your teeth. If your teeth were as white as the tissue then you were great. If you failed the tissue test, then you were in need of the whitening product that was being marketed.

Let’s take a moment to discuss my patient’s request and desire for her teeth to be as white and pure as her personality. We first have to understand that in relation to our skin tone, our teeth are white. It doesn’t matter what our genetic background is. That is a fact. Teeth are white when we compare them to our skin. They are also white when we compare them our gums. Any woman knows that the redder the lipstick that is used, the whiter the teeth appear. In fact, there used to be a toothpaste on the market which was known to cause gum inflammation. Inflamed gums are redder than healthy gums. Healthy gums are usually more pink than red. So when the toothpaste irritated the gums, the teeth looked whiter. This toothpaste was marketed as a whitening toothpaste.

All that being said, teeth are not intrinsically white. To compare them with pure white of facial tissue is not real life. We have all seen sparkling white teeth on someone and our first reaction is that they look fake. True, when one’s teeth first appear they are whiter than an teeth in the ensuing decades of life. Let’s just say that bright white teeth, not tissue white, can be seen on a teenager. However as we get out of those very young years we start to lose that bright and snow whiteness. And guess what? That is okay! As we age, the teeth will not look like teenage teeth. We don’t look like teenagers any more so why do we expect our teeth to look so white? The other mistake that we make is that whiteness connotes health. That could not be further from the truth. I have many patients with bleached white teeth that are far from the epitome of health. They have many cavities and inflamed gums. They are on their way to a full set of dentures as they will lose all of their teeth. Our teeth need to appear harmonious with the rest of our facial features. All of my readers know that while esthetics is very important, health tops the list in desirable characteristics.

Now that I have told you that facial tissue white is not where we need to be with our tooth color, what do we do to improve on our whiteness? We all want whiter teeth. Even I like to have white teeth. However, we need to create realistic expectations. So what can we do to create the whitest possible teeth that are also healthy? First of all, we have to brush. We have to brush often and ideally every time we eat. Twice a day does not cut it for white teeth. Foods which stain our teeth do their job the longer they are in contact with our teeth. Next, (here it comes again), we need to floss frequently to get those areas that our toothbrush misses. The more that you floss, the faster that you will get and it won’t seem like such a chore. Next, I recommend using an electric toothbrush. It does a much better job than a manual brush in removing food stains that have not deeply penetrated the tooth surface. Your teeth will always appear brighter after using an electric brush than a manual brush. Coffee, dark wine, chocolate and colas are all favorites of ours. However they can do a number on our teeth when it comes to staining. Minimize the exposure to these types of foods and your teeth may brighten a couple of shades. That alone is impressive. If you can’t cut down on the consumption of these foods, then at least rinse( if brushing is not practical at that time) your mouth afterwords until the water that you spit out is no longer stained with a dark tinge.

Lastly, you can seek professional help in jump starting this process with professional whitening and bleaching. This will really make you feel good, but you need all the rest of my suggestions to make sure that the look lasts. I could go on about this subject, but I need to bring this column to a close. Please feel free to call me and discuss any cosmetic dental or health concerns that you may have. I can be reached at 440.951.7856 I look forward to hearing from you and have a great Memorial Day!