If you find yourself avoiding social situations where photos are taken because of your imperfect smile, you are not alone. Many patients who visit Dr. Kenneth Egger of Mount Pleasant, MI, feel self-conscious about the appearance of their smile and experience disappointment. However, imperfections such as stained and yellowed teeth can be improved with or without the assistance of a dentist. Dr. Kenneth Egger and his team are dedicated to educating patients on their options for a whiter, brighter smile!

• Over-the-counter whitening kits. Many patients with mild discoloration of the natural tooth enamel may find that over-the-counter whitening products in the oral care aisle are effective at boosting brilliance and beauty to the natural teeth. These may be used as strips, trays, or pens that brighten the smile over several treatments.
• Porcelain veneers. Teeth that are more permanently or deeply stained and do not respond well to over-the-counter whitening kits may be covered with porcelain veneers. These are very thin ceramic facings that are customized for the natural tooth and bonded in place, disguising problems such as staining, breakage, and imperfect shape and size.
• Dental bonding. While veneers are a reliable way to cover imperfections of the smile, they do require more appointments and can be more costly than other cosmetic treatments. In certain situations, Dr. Kenneth Egger might recommend dental bonding. This is the use of a composite bonding material applied to the tooth, cured with a special light, and filed and polished to appear just like natural tooth enamel. This is all done in a single appointment, allowing patients to make subtle or dramatic changes to their appearance.
• Tooth-colored fillings. In addition to staining, patients with metal or silver amalgam fillings will have noticeable areas where decay has been treated. Our team will recommend our composite resin fillings, which blend in with the smile and are hard to detect by others.

Do not hesitate to learn more about ways to maintain a beautiful smile!

Dr. Kenneth Egger and his team in Mount Pleasant, MI, are available to help you learn about ways to enhance your smile’s appearance, including its brilliance and beauty. Call 989-773-3560 to request an appointment at our practice for more information.

Shelf space is the thing when it comes to a trip to Meijer these days. Where there formerly was one type of Fig Newtons, now there are like six. There once was a single Special K cereal; now you could get lost in their variety.

The same for toothpastes. It used to be there were two toothpaste options, pretty much regular Crest or Colgate. Then it was paste or gel. Then it was tartar control. Then it was breath freshening (isn’t that what tooth brushing does inherently?). Then there was baking soda toothpaste. Then came whitening toothpaste. Whoa. If you have trouble making decisions, the toothpaste section just became a difficult place for you.

At Dr. Egger’s we often are asked about the various toothpaste options out there. One of the more typical questions is if whitening toothpastes actually do what they claim to do — remove stains and whiten your teeth.

Let’s look at that in this second blog of November.

Limited goals

Whitening toothpastes focus on surface stains on your teeth, such as those caused by drinking coffee or red wine. These stains are on the outermost surface of your tooth enamel. Whitening toothpastes can break down these stains, although not with instantly dramatic results.

Unlike teeth whitening options, whitening toothpastes do not contain peroxide. This is the ingredient that gives teeth whitening programs their real power to whiten teeth. Instead, whitening toothpastes use special abrasives that gently polish the teeth, along with other chemicals that help break down stains.

There is a fine line here — too much abrasion and the tooth enamel can be worn down. That’s why whitening toothpastes can only go so far. Without peroxide, they must remove stains by gently scrubbing off the stains.

You can think of that as somewhat similar to the professional cleaning we do at Dr. Egger’s after we remove your tartar. You know the circulating brush and the paste we apply. That has a fairly high level of abrasive — you can the grittiness on your teeth — but that’s fine because your teeth only have this applied twice a year for a few seconds.

Otherwise, some whitening toothpastes contain the chemical blue covarine. This adheres to the surface of the teeth and creates an optical illusion that can make teeth appear less yellow. Drs. Egger doesn’t recommend these types of whitening toothpastes.

Instead, we believe you can get moderate whitening with a whitening toothpaste that simply attacks stains. Be sure to look for approval by the American Dental Association, however.

If you come across a new whitening toothpaste and you have questions about it, either bring it in or simply ask us about it the next time you’re here. We can see if it’s a good option to brighten your teeth or not. Until then, if it’s time for your twice-yearly exam and cleaning, please call us at (989) 773-3560 to schedule your appointment.

When tetracycline was introduced over 60 years ago, people were thrilled to have another alternative antibiotic. While it was bad for bacteria, tetracycline also proved bad for the dentin in children’s teeth, causing a reaction that stained the patient’s teeth grey.

The first case of reported tooth discoloration in children occurred in 1956. Many, many other children had their teeth stained over the following decade before the connection was fully understood.

Teeth whitening can’t change this type of staining, as it is in the dentin of the teeth. Contrary to what you may have heard, teeth whitening doesn’t whiten staining in the dentin. The only way you can do anything about a tooth or teeth that tetracycline has turned grey would be to crown the tooth or to place porcelain veneers on the front side of the stained teeth.

Here’s some more information on tetracycline and staining.

Why did it turn teeth grey?

Tetracycline staining is tied to tooth mineralization. In teeth, mineralization is an ongoing process, where teeth continually lose (demineralization) and gain (remineralization) minerals such as calcium. When teeth lose more minerals than they regain, that is when decay sets in. Mineralization is especially active in young, growing teeth. Ingested fluoride has been proven to help in this process by strengthening the developing permanent teeth from within. Fluoride applied directly to the teeth helps to speed remineralization on the tooth surface.

Once it started showing discoloration, research looked into what tetracycline was doing to teeth. It showed that if the teeth were exposed to tetracycline at a time of tooth mineralization or calcification, the tetracycline bound to the calcium ions in the teeth. If this happens before the teeth erupt, the tetracycline that has bound to the calcium will cause the teeth to come out with an initial fluorescent yellow discoloration. Once these teeth are exposed to light, however, the tetracycline will oxidize, and the discoloration will change from fluorescent yellow to non-fluorescent brown or grey over a period of a few months to years.

The location of the discoloration will correspond directly to the stage of tooth development at the time of the tetracycline exposure. Permanent teeth tend to show the discoloration with less color, but it is more widespread across the tooth.

Tetracycline is limited in its timeframe for use

Once the link and timeframe were established, the FDA changed the rules on the use of tetracycline. Now the antibiotic is not to be used by doctors during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy or in children up to 8 years of age. These ranges are the periods of calcification of the teeth.

If you have a tooth or a few teeth that tetracycline turned grey, during your next checkup and cleaning with us, we can talk about solutions. Call Dr. Egger at (989) 773-3560 to make an appointment.

Whitening Toothpaste or Not?

When you hit the toothpaste aisle at Meijer’s, what used to be so simple is now daunting. Before you stands an impressive assortment of every conceivable toothpaste. There are toothpastes that tout an assortment of toothy benefits: breath freshening, enamel boosting, whitening, fluoride filled, and just about everything short of saying they will massage your tongue.

What’s a poor buyer to do when confronted with this plethora of possibility? It can make you long for the days when your choices were regular Crest or Colgate, and that was about it!

One of the many options you’ll see in modern toothpastes is “teeth whitening.” Everyone knows you can have this done professionally or you can do it at home with Crest White Strips and other options. The question is, does whitening toothpaste actually do anything, or is this marketing mumbo jumbo?

Since Dr. Egger deals with the diligence, or often the lack thereof, of home hygiene, let’s get down to the nitty gritty and see if whitening toothpaste actually whitens your teeth.

Not exactly dramatic

Whitening toothpastes focus on surface stains on your teeth, such as those caused by drinking coffee or red wine. These stains are on the outermost surface of your tooth enamel. Whitening toothpastes can break down these stains, although not with instantly dramatic results. This is partly because what can be in these toothpastes.

Unlike teeth whitening options, whitening toothpastes do not contain peroxide. This is the ingredient that gives teeth whitening programs their real power to whiten teeth. Instead, whitening toothpastes use special abrasives that gently polish the teeth, along with other chemicals that help break down stains.

There is a fine line here — too much abrasion and the tooth enamel can be worn down. That’s why whitening toothpastes can only whiten so much. Without peroxide, they must remove stains by gently scrubbing off the stains. If you think about abrasives, think of what we use when we polish your teeth at Dr. Egger’s during your regular cleanings. That stuff is pretty gritty and it seriously scrubs away some surface stains. But because you only have that done twice a year, it’s fine. You couldn’t brush your teeth every day with that kind of grit.

Some whitening toothpastes contain the chemical blue covarine. This adheres to the surface of the teeth and creates an optical illusion that can make teeth appear less yellow. Dr. Egger is not a fan of these types of whitening toothpastes.

Instead, Dr. Egger believes you can get moderate whitening with a whitening toothpaste that simply attacks stains. Be sure to look for approval by the American Dental Association, however.

So, don’t be perplexed by the overabundance of toothpaste options at the store. Go ahead and get the whitening option, if you choose. And then be sure to schedule your next professional cleaning and exam with Dr. Egger at  (989) 773-3560.

Are Whitening Toothpastes Just Hype?

Shelf space is the new king of the supermarket. Just take the products made just down the road in Battle Creek — cereal. No longer is there just a Special K; there is Special K with strawberries, Special K with almonds, Special K with cinnamon, Special K with gummy bears. OK, not that last one. But you get the idea. Now Special K takes up four times the shelf space it once did.

The same is true with toothpaste, and it can get confusing. Between tartar control, breath freshening (isn’t that the point of brushing?), hydrogen peroxide containing, and muscle building…OK, not that last one…it’s hard to know what toothpaste to choose.

One of the culprits is the famed “whitening” toothpaste. The question is, do they whiten your teeth any more than regular toothpaste with fluoride?

In the name of science, and Dr. Egger’s patients, let’s see.

Limited goals

Whitening toothpaste focus on surface stains on your teeth, such as those caused by drinking coffee or red wine. These stains are on the outermost surface of your tooth enamel. Whitening toothpaste can break down these stains, although not with instantly dramatic results.

Unlike teeth whitening options, whitening toothpaste do not contain peroxide. This is the ingredient that gives teeth whitening programs their real power to whiten teeth. Instead, whitening toothpaste use special abrasives that gently polish the teeth, along with other chemicals that help break down stains.

There is a fine line here — too much abrasion and the tooth enamel can be worn down. That’s why whitening toothpaste can only go so far. Without peroxide, they must remove stains by gently scrubbing off the stains.

Some whitening toothpaste contain the chemical blue covering. This adheres to the surface of the teeth and creates an optical illusion that can make teeth appear less yellow. Dr. Egger doesn’t recommend these types of whitening toothpaste.

Instead, Dr. Egger believes you can get moderate whitening with a whitening toothpaste that simply attacks stains. Be sure to look for approval by the American Dental Association, however.

The best way to keep your teeth shiny and white is to visit Dr. Egger twice yearly for your exam and professional cleaning. We will scrub away those coffee and red wine stains on your teeth, all the while making sure your gums look good, and you don’t have any decay.

Is it time for your next visit? Call us at 989-773-3560 to make your appointment.

Did you enjoy this article? Click here to read more about our services.

Are you struggling with possible Periodontal Disease? Here are some of the treatments that we offer.

Teeth Whitening – Your Ticket to a Dazzling Smile

The color of our teeth plays a very major role in making or breaking our smile. Having white teeth can give you a dazzling smile, while having yellow teeth can give your smile an ugly look. People with yellow teeth can even find it hard to mingle with others. A bad smile affects more than just your appearance; it affects all aspects of your life, and even your self-confidence.

Your teeth turn yellow as the enamel (which protects your teeth and gives them that shining white look) wears away. Once this first layer has eroded, the second layer of dentin becomes more visible. Dentin is yellow in color, and so the more enamel wears away, the more yellow shows through.

A number of treatment methods are available on the market for restoring the whiteness of your teeth. You’ve probably seen them in stores or on television. However, most of them are not effective—at least not without continual treatment, which can get very expensive. If you want to achieve the best results for the best overall price in the fastest time, talk to your dentist. Professional teeth whitening procedures are among the leading treatments in cosmetic dentistry—both in positive results and popularity.

At Kenneth Egger, DDS, we offer you the best teeth whitening procedures that will give you the five-star smile you have always wanted. The procedure is simple. Hydrogren peroxide is applied to the tooth and then further treated with lasers. The treatment is simple, quick, and one of the safest cosmetic treatments out there. You are out of the dentist’s office with whiter teeth in no time! It might take around a week for the full results to appear.

Although they can be a sign of more serious dental problems, yellow teeth are in and of themselves aren’t detrimental to your physical health. But the discoloration can seriously mar your physical appearance, causing a negative appearance on your self-confidence and social life. If you want to get white, shining teeth and a dazzling smile, talk to your dentist about how to best whiten your teeth.