Tidbit 1 – Whitening toothpastes

There is more and more individuals that seek out to have a whiter smile. With new technology and an understanding, achieving a whiter smile is much easier than before with use of home bleaching, laser bleaching, porcelain veneers, etc.

However, using whitening toothpastes is not something many dentists recommend. The way most of the whitening toothpastes work is the use of abrasive particles in the tooth pastes. The idea is that use of sandpaper like materials can remove the stains. It sounds great but people need to know that the frequent use of these abrasive particles in the whitening toothpaste can also cause severe wear on your enamel which is the most important structure for a healthy smile.

Tidbit 2 – Shorter teeth and worn out teeth

Many adults in their forties and over suffer from tooth wear. Tooth wear problems include a worn-out look but also chipped and thinned. One common misconception out there is that the wear is part of the aging process. The truth is that the enamel wear does occur over the life time of the tooth, but the rate of wear is 1mm per 100 years of normal use of teeth. This is in fact a slow rate to be noticeable in one’s life time.

Much of the tooth wear is due to excessive forces from a mismatch of your bite. Your teeth should fit like a puzzle. When they do not, they undergo excessive bite forces which can lead to tooth wear, chipping and shorter teeth.