Archives for November 2019

Teeth Whitening and Tea

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I just got my teeth whitened today and absolutely love how they look. I want them to stay this way forever. My dentist warned me that drinks such as coffee and tea will stain my teeth again so I want to make sure I brush carefully to keep them nice and white. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I do love a good cup of tea. I read that you shouldn’t brush before you drink tea because it opens the tubules in your teeth and will then cause the staining to absorb faster. However, I’ve also read not to brush after drinking tea because of its acidic nature. So, if you can’t brush before or after, when should you brush when it comes to tea?

Mindy

Dear Mindy,

tea in a white cup and saucer

How does tea affect your teeth whitening?

I’m glad you are loving your new whiter teeth. It is one of the most affordable ways to give your smile a dramatic makeover and look years younger at the same time. Taking care of it will help the results last longer. It sounds like that’s exactly what you plan to do.

Brushing Your Teeth Before Drinking Tea

Your dentist is correct that beverages like tea and coffee will add stains to teeth. Brushing your teeth before drinking will not cause your teeth to absorb the tea more. The exception to that is after having dental work done. While your toothpaste won’t open the tubules on your teeth, the teeth whitening procedure will. They will stay open for a few days and then the plugs will redevelop and close them. This is also why some people find their teeth a little more sensitive after having their teeth professional whitened.

Since you’ve just had your procedure done, I’d ease up on the tea for a couple of days.

Brushing your Teeth After Drinking Tea

There are some places on the internet where blogs have warned about brushing your teeth immediately after drinking coffee or tea. They reason that tea is acidic, which softens the enamel and so if you brush while your enamel is softer you will wear away enamel. However, tea isn’t really that acidic and if you are brushing with a soft brush, I can’t see this being a problem. Enamel is extremely hard and the small amount of softening that occurs from drinking a mild acid like tea is not going to make it wear away with simple toothbrushing. Besides, your saliva has buffering agents.

The Colgate website, while it recommends waiting 30 minutes after drinking orange juice before you brush to avoid damaging your enamel, actually recommends brushing right after drinking tea to reduce the staining effects of tea. The reason is that the pH of citrus juices can be around 2.0 while the pH of tea is around 4.9 to 5.5, much closer to a neutral 7.0. That would be what I would recommend also. If you can’t do that, rinsing with water right after could help. You can also minimize the staining of the tea by just drinking it rather than slowly sipping or worse, holding or swishing it around in your mouth.

Keeping that Bright White Smile

Because you said you had your whitening done today, I’m guessing you had Zoom Whitening done, which allows you to get your teeth whitened in just one appointment. Your dentist should have supplied you with some at-home trays for follow up treatment. Keep those. Then, in a couple of years, you can ask your dentist for some teeth whitening gel and use that in your tray for a quick touch up. This will allow you to keep that stunning smile for a fraction of the cost.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Are Dental Implants Possible After Years of Dentures?

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I’ve had dentures for a little over twelve years. I’m finally in a financial place where I can get dental implants. Is it too late for me or is it still a possibility? Are there any extra steps I need to take to make it possible?

Aimee

Dear Aimee,

Before and After Facial Collapse

You can get dental implants regardless of how long you have had dentures. However, as you suspected, there is a procedure you’ll likely need before that is able to move forward.

When your teeth were removed, your body recognized that. In an effort to be as efficient as possible, it begins to resorb the minerals from your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. After ten or so years, you are dealing with facial collapse and will start to find it difficult to even keep your dentures in place.

What you’ll need to do in order for this to work for you is to have a bone grafting procedure done. This will build back up the missing bone structure. Once that happens, you are ready to start your dental implant procedure. In your case, because you have complete removable dentures, you’ll get what is known as implant overdentures. This will place four to six dental implants and then anchor your dentures to them.

One thing to be sure of is that your dentist is experienced in placing dental implants. They’ll need to have had adequate post-doctoral training in this procedure. Don’t just go to any dentist. One other thing to be careful with is dentist/oral surgeon relationship. In Dr. Cheeks’ case, she works with a periodontist and oral surgeon on-site.

What you don’t want to do is go to the oral surgeon first without consulting with the implant dentist. If you do, it is possible the implants will be placed in the wrong place and you’ll end up with a dental implant horror story.

The great thing about a new smile procedure is it gives you a chance to obtain a smile you will be proud of for years to come. It will be helpful to take a peek at the smile gallery of whichever dentist you are planning to use, just to make certain they know how to create beautiful smiles.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

If you’re interested in seeing what we could do for you, you might want to take advantage of our free Marietta remote smile consult service.

Dental Flipper for Straight Teeth?

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I have some crooked teeth. One of them sticks out more than the others as well. I don’t want to spend years in painful and ugly braces. I’d be happy if they just looked straight. Would a dental flipper work for me in that case?

Danae

Dear Danae,

In your situation, you have two good options and one so-so option; however, a dental flipper isn’t one of them. This is used as a temporary tooth replacement. It won’t make any of your other teeth look different.

Options for Straight Teeth Without Traditional Braces

Option One: Snap-on Smile

image of snap-on smile

This is the so-so option I mentioned above. It may be what you were thinking of when you said a dental flipper. Snap-on Smile fits over your teeth and will make them look straight. They are not going to be a stunning smile, though. They’ll just be okay. Also, because they fit over your teeth, they can look a bit bulky. This will especially be an issue for you because you have a tooth which you said sticks out.

Option Two: Porcelain Veneers

A single porcelain Veneer being placed on a tooth

Porcelain veneers will also cause your teeth to look straight without actually straightening them. When done by a skilled cosmetic dentist, they can provide you with a stunning smile makeover.

This is the go-to procedure for celebrities who want that Hollywood smile. They’re quite versatile and can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously.

Option Three: Invisalign

a side by side comparison of traditional braces and Invisalign on someone's teeth

Braces compared to Invisalign

These will actually straighten your teeth. Using a sophisticated software program that carefully plans out your treatment, they can work in about half the time as traditional braces. Another benefit is their comfort. You won’t have to wear any painful metal wires and brackets.

Plus, they use clear aligners which are invisible even at a conversational distance. Because of that, some people call them invisible braces. Unlike porcelain veneers, you won’t need an expert cosmetic dentist. Any dentist who has invested in the technology can provide them for you.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.