Keep Your White Teeth White

While we have options here for professional teeth whitening, it is still nice to know how to prevent staining and keep your newly whitened teeth bright. The Oyster Bay Family Dentists want all of our patients to be confident in their smile. Take some tips for keeping a white smile!

Keep ‘Em Clean

Teeth become stained because of plaque and frequent contact with stain causing food. We will get to the food later. The main thing you need to do to keep a white smile is to keep clean teeth. Brush your teeth three times per day. Brush once in the morning, once after lunch, and once before bed. This will keep plaque from sticking around for too long. Also, do not skip flossing. This should be done every day and is a big part of keeping stains away. Plaque that sticks around for too long can cause yellowing or darkening of the teeth and it can hold in stain-causing debris close to your tooth enamel.

Avoiding Stain-Causers

Speaking about stain-causers, there are foods and drinks that can cause stains when consumed frequently. Dark drinks like coffee, cola, and tea are among them, along with dark foods like blueberries, balsamic vinegar, and beets. Smoking and other use of tobacco can also darken teeth over time. Stick to keeping these foods and drinks at a minimum. If you absolutely cannot go without your morning coffee, rinse with water afterwards and brush your teeth after a half an hour (brushing too soon after eating or drinking can lead to acid erosion). You may also want to try sipping dark beverages through a straw to minimize contact.

To learn more about the professional whitening procedures we use, be sure to contact us. To set up an appointment with The Oyster Bay Family Dentists in our Oyster Bay, NY office, call us at (516) 922-5730 or visit our website, www.oysterbaydentists.com. 

Veneers vs. Crowns

Veneers vs. Crowns

Veneers and crowns are both reliable restorative solutions that protect the structure of a tooth while refinishing its surface to create a strong, reliable and beautiful smile esthetic. However, veneers and crowns have many differences with regard to their purpose, placement and function.

Veneers: Veneers are most frequently used as a cosmetic smile solution. They can be used use refinish the surface of a tooth and correct teeth that are too narrow or short, and cover-up stains, small chips and cracks. While a single veneer can be used to refinish an individual tooth, multiple veneers are most often used to refinish the most visible teeth and provide a smile makeover that’s fully customized and idealized. Like crowns, veneers are comprised of a thin porcelain shells that are fabricated from an impression of the existing tooth site. Veneers are usually much thinner than crowns, but the existing tooth structure will need to be slightly modified for permanent bonding and placement. 

Crowns: Crowns may be used for cosmetic purposes, but they’re most frequently used to restore the surface of a tooth due to a fracture, severe chip, deep cavity, or following a root canal or other procedure that calls for the modification of the tooth.  Like veneers, crowns are custom fabricated to perfectly restore the appearance of a tooth, in addition to protecting its structure.  Crowns are frequently created from porcelain or ceramic, but they may also be formed from gold, porcelain fused to metal or other material.