First, shall we look at what causes teeth discoloration?

“Teeth discoloration can result from several factors, including:

Food and Drink: Coffee, tea, red wine, and certain fruits (such as raspberries, blueberries, etc.).

Tobacco Use: Smoking or chewing tobacco can cause significant staining due to the levels of nicotine and tar naturally present in the plant. Tar will add a brown tinge to the teeth while nicotine reacts with oxygen to cause yellowing.

Poor Dental Hygiene: We know this is the most obvious, but inadequate brushing and flossing can lead to plaque buildup and discoloration.

Medications: Some medications can cause teeth to darken.

Aging: As you age, the outer layer of enamel wears away, revealing the yellow dentin beneath.”

Now let’s talk about types of teeth whitening!

 At-Home Whitening

Over-the-Counter Products:

“Over-the-counter products like whitening strips and gels offer convenience and can be effective for mild staining. Natural remedies such as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide are also popular, though their results may vary.”

– Whitening toothpaste is not something I commonly recommend, as this type of toothpaste can be very abrasive to the enamel layer of the tooth and can weaken your teeth after long term use.

– Whitening gels and pens I personally am not a fan of these products as your saliva tends to washout the material and it does not have the opportunity to do what it is supposed to.  The best way of thinking of this is to imagine you have a rash on your skin and you are given an ointment to apply on the rash.  If you continuously wipe the ointment off the rash, it will never do what it is supposed to in healing that rash.

– Whitening strips are a good (cheaper) option for the folks that would like to maintain a current color or make minor color adjustments, but I’ve personally found the downside to the whitening strips are the low concentration of hydrogen peroxide. This can cause patients to need longer or more often whitening sessions, in comparison to alternative methods.

– Whitening trays that are purchased over the counter are some of the more reliable at-home methods to try! As a side note, I’ve personally  noticed that most complaints with this technique seem to stem from issues regarding unequal application once the trays are actually placed in the mouth. Patients would report the gel would “spill out” from the non-custom tray, leading to unequal bleaching and at times even injure the gums. If possible, consider a custom tray in order to best mitigate the risk of spotty whitening and injuring of the gums.

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Let me explain.  For many years now the biggest issue we as dentists have; is trying to explain to our patients is that their mouth and teeth are not a separate entity from their body.  It all starts in your mouth.  The mouth can contain over 700 species of bacteria that can cause gingivitis and lead to periodontal disease.  Now what is the difference between the two.  Gingivitis is when you have inflammation of your gums.  Periodontal disease is when not only your gums are inflamed, but when you start having deterioration of the bone around your teeth.  So, you may not have a cavity or a broken tooth, but you can still lose teeth when you have periodontal disease.  So why should you care about your gum health.  Simply put because this does not only affect your teeth, but it also affects your overall health.  Constant inflammation of your gums has been proven over the years to be linked to many medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, colorectal cancer, lung and even breast cancer.

Now let’s discuss bacteria that have been found in periodontal disease. The two main ones of concern are Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Porphylomonas gingivalis and its toxins have now been detected in autopsy brain tissues from patients with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Fusobacterium nucleatum results in abnormal proliferation of microglial cells, which are immune cells in the brain that normally remove damaged neurons and infections and help maintain the overall health of the central nervous system. This over-supply of microglial cells also created an increased inflammatory response, the researchers found. Chronic inflammation or infection is believed to be a key determinant in the cognitive decline that occurs as Alzheimer’s disease progresses.

So now you know some facts about these bacteria.  But what does it all mean?  Well now more than ever your regular home care and seeing the dentist for dental cleanings is even more important than ever before.

The conditions of periodontal disease (bacterial infection and chronic inflammation) weaken the blood-brain barrier and pose a risk for cerebrovascular disease. The conditions also cause inflammation in the brain. Therefore, periodontal care is essential for Alzheimer’s and Dementia control. Although it is important to treat periodontitis for the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, it is also necessary to take measures against bacteremia by invasive treatment such as scaling and root planning in the future.  And this is all assessed when you see your dentist for routine check-ups and if recommended 3 months dental cleaning regularly.

You will find links below showing multiple studies of these findings.

Take care of your Oral health to keep a healthy mind for yourself and your loved ones.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7335281/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2018/01/more-evidence-of-link-between-severe-gum-disease-and-cancer-risk#:~:text=They%20found%20a%2024%20percent,cancer%2C%20followed%20by%20colorectal%20cancer.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277255962200027X#:~:text=The%20Bidirectional%20Relationship%20Between%20Periodontitis,must%20break%20through%20the%20BBB.

https://now.tufts.edu/2022/07/11/studying-link-between-gum-disease-and-alzheimers-disease

https://www.alz.org/co/news/oral-health-and-alzheimers-risk#:~:text=Gum%20disease%20(gingivitis)%20has%20been,be%20connected%20to%20Alzheimer’s%20disease.

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