Dental Whitening Series: Sneaky ways your teeth can become stained

Your toothpaste may be too abrasive.  

Most whitening toothpastes contain hydrated silica, a particle that polishes the tooth's surface. The catch-22?  In high amounts, silica can erode enamel. It can also cause micro etching in the enamel, which gives plaque and stain something to adhere to.  

This is why the American Dental Association created an abrasiveness rating system called Radioactive Dentin Abrasion (RDA). On the RDA scale, under 80 is ow abrasive, with 200 being highly abrasive. RDA ratings are not listed on packaging and there isn't a full list online at this time, so to see if your toothpaste is too abrasive Google its entire name and "RDA". 

Juicing. 

Have you ever used a white plastic bowl to collect juice from a juice, and no matter how hard you scrub it does not come completely clean? Juicing affects teeth the same way. Using a juicer essentially separates the chromogens - or the intensely pigmented molecules that give a food it's color. 

In addition compounds found in berries, beets and green vegetables increase the chromogen's ability to stick to enamel - resulting in major stains. 

Here is a trick to continue juicing without the staining..... Drink your juice through a straw to direct the pigments past your teeth. Then when you finish chew a sugar-free gum, preferably sweetened with xylitol,  to generate saliva and wash away the stains before they adhere. 

Interested in professional dental whitening? Visit our dental office for an evaluation. 

Reference: 
First Magazine
American Dental Association
Nylaan Dental 

Nylaan Dental
5011 Plainfield Ave NE
Grand Rapids MI 49525