Just when we thought that it’s only our wrinkles and love handles which show our age, dentists like Dr. Lari at Creative Smiles in Tucson, AZ are now giving more detailed explanations of how our smile could also deteriorate with age. If you want to keep the spark in your smile for longer, it’s a good thing to know about how your teeth could be affected as the years wear on:
1. Staining naturally happens as you age.
All of the glasses of wine that you’ve consumed for all those years could actually give you more than just a headache or two; darkly pigmented drinks such as red wine can pass through the microscopic pores of your tooth enamel and give you a more off-putting yellow smile than the ideal brightly, white one. Creative Smiles isn’t suggesting that you totally ban wine, coffee and cola, among other drinks, from your diet, but they do recommend that you swish water inside your mouth in between sips. This will cut the contact time of your enamel to these staining materials and minimize the damage caused.
2. Keep your saliva flowing.
As gross as it may seem, people actually have a diminished ability to secrete saliva as they age. One factor for this could be because of the shrinkage of the salivary glands and the interference of these glands’ function because of the intake of certain anti-hypertensive medications. What’s wrong about this is the fact that saliva is known as a natural mouth rinse because it neutralizes acids in our mouth which cause wearing of the enamel and it limits the growth of bacteria. Chewing sugarless gum will help keep production of your saliva high.
3. Stay away from plaque like the plague.
Plaque is the root of all dental evil because it’s not only teeming bacteria, but this soft, white substance is also the precursor to what we know is tartar, the mineral-like substance which accumulates along our gum lines. The thing about tartar is that it induces an inflammatory reaction on our gums and destroys the gum tissues causing the formation of pockets. These pockets are found where our teeth and our gums meet, and if these pockets develop deep enough, they could lead to phenomenon known as receding gums. Unless you think that a sexy smile involves the roots of your teeth being visible, get rid of plaque by brushing after every meal and rinsing with mouthwash.
Dr. Lari and Creative Smiles in Tucson, AZ wants your smile at it’s best. Schedule an appointment today.
photo credit: S. Miramontes via photopin cc