Just How White Are Your Teeth?

Posted on August 29th, 2008, by ê¿ê

Image by nycgeoff via Flickr

I think I’m becoming a vain person.

I looked back through and I have nearly a dozen posts that have something to do with my body.

Who wants to read that stuff? I mean nothing I said in any of them were uplifting or educational as far as I can tell. I just go on about how buff I’m getting (not very yet), how I’m losing weight (big whoops, all of 8 lbs!). Next I’ll be yammering about how my teeth aren’t white anymore and I need to seek out a charlotte cosmetic dentist or something.

Now won’t that be a big turn off?

Ok, so my teeth AREN’T as white as they used to be - they’re 50+ years old for crying out loud! You show me any ivory that isn’t yellowed after that many years of (hard) use!

No, I don’t smoke (and never have). I guess the staining is coming from the coffee and tea consumed over the course of those years. And I have no intention of giving up either beverage either. A person has to have some vices after all!

And yes Mother, I brush regularly with a good toothpaste — none of that crap from China that has plastic or lead or whatever it was in it. I also go to the dentist twice a year for cleanings. And I switched to one of those toothbrushes with the twirly heads that are supposed to clean better. Per the dentist, those really do the job as I had much less plaque on my last visit.

According to an article I read recently, there are a couple of things you can do to reduce tooth staining. One that’s enjoyable and not what you might expect is to eat raw strawberries. Since I love strawberries, that’s an easy one to comply with. Other tips included drinking coffee and tea with a straw (not something I usually do with hot beverages!) and carrying a whitening toothpaste with you to brush after every meal, snack or beverage — a bit extreme if you ask me. I noticed there are some tooth whitening chewing gums out and I won’t mind having those at hand since I do chew gum (hey! If you’ve got the teeth with no dental work for the gum to stick to, why not??)

Even though they aren’t white anymore, they are all mine and besides that, they don’t have but one filling in any of them either. How many people in their 50s can boast of that I ask you??

ê¿ê