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  1. #21
    Herald of the Titans enigma77's Avatar
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    its called veneers

  2. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Deathknightish View Post
    Whenever I've seen someone with completely white teeth, it has been an American. I have been absolutely amazed.

    I have good dental hygiene. My dentist always compliments me, and I rarely have cavities, but even then AND brushing with an electric toothbrush morning and evening, my teeth are more towards the yellow side than blank white.

    I heard that there is fluoride in the American water systems (but unlike the tinfoil hats I don't believe it's dangerous or meant to make people sick and reliant on big pharma). Since fluoride is good for your teeth, is that the reason? I don't think we have that in our drinking water here.
    Teeth are not naturally white to begin with. They will always have a yellow hue in them unless you whiten them or have veneers that are white. The whitest natural tooth color has a bit of yellow but is mostly white.

    Enamel, the outside of your teeth is transparent which allows the yellow of the dentin, the living tissue underneath, to be seen slightly. That is why natural teeth have some yellow in it. As we age the enamel thins and teeth become more yellow. Staining from any food or liquid can yellow or brown your teeth.

    However you talk about white teeth of Americans. That is because many whiten. Either at home with pastes and bleaches, or at the dentist's office. I would ask your dentist about whitening if you are concerned.

    Fluoride has nothing to do whit enamel color. Just strength. Fluoride helps keep enamel strong. Systemic absorption of it through our drinking water is a good thing to keep teeth healthier but not white.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coolthulhu View Post
    My dentist instructed me to brush my teeth properly (it's not that intuitive, kind of like washing one's hand properly as the pandemic taught us) and after each meal, or at least use a mouthwash if a toothbrush isn't handy, and my teeth are commercial-white with just a yearly ultrasound treatment, I don't use whitening toothpaste either and I've never had cavities. Most of the people I know have white teeth too, those who don't stand out to me because they're not the norm. I'm European, by the way.
    Commercial white through professional whitening. Has nothing to do with brushing properly. Does your dentist use Zoom?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coolthulhu View Post
    Disclaimer: this is not medical advice, it's merely reporting what my dentist had me do since I was a child.
    Yes, I drink lots of coffee, tea and red whine, all of which significantly stain your teeth. Washing your mouth with water after drinking any of those will go a long way (careful with chlorhexidine-based mouthwashes, they might exacerbate the issue instead of alleviating it, this is the reason for using just water or non-staining mouthwashes).
    The reason for brushing your teeth after each meal instead of just twice a day at arbitrary times (usually before going to bed and when waking up) is because bacteria start to replicate fast within 10 to 15 minutes after eating, and you don't want them to build up unhindered for hours each day. That's the TL;DR my dentist gave me at least. Can't say I'm unhappy with the results.
    I wouldn't say it's necessarily too late for you either, whitening treatments (usually a mixture of ultra-sound and extremely high-pressure water jets, and some manual "scraping" if tartar built up strongly enough) can work miracles, I've seen it first hand - one of my exes went from having really bad yellow teeth to pearly white after one such treatment. Consider asking another dentist if yours deems having yellow teeth acceptable.
    Should rinse with or drink water after everything you eat. Good advise.

    CHX is an antibacterial and should only be used if prescribed and follow the instructions. Usually use it for a week or two then stop. It can grey your teeth.

    Bacteria builds up no matter what. As long as you have moisture in your mouth, plaque will start to form. You don't really need to brush more than 2x a day, but definitely before bed. Skipping more than a 24 hour period is when bad things can start to happen.

  3. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Beefhammer View Post
    Commercial white through professional whitening. Has nothing to do with brushing properly. Does your dentist use Zoom?
    Has plenty to do with brushing properly - whitening sessions (which are just ultrasound and water jets to clean deposits thoroughly and disintegrate tartar) are a lot faster and less painful when I started brushing properly (less deposits and tartar - if any at all -, less stuff to removal with less inflamed gums). And no, he doesn't use bleaching products nor laser treatments, only ultrasound, water jets and manual "scraping" with a final "polishing whirring tool" to remove dust and roughness, he also recommends not to use whitening products.
    Also, my "commercial white" was probably a hyperbole given what American ads look like. My teeth are "natural white", not "anime blinking smile" white. Still, the difference between clean natural white and badly maintained teeth is extremely noticeable.

    Quote Originally Posted by Beefhammer View Post
    Should rinse with or drink water after everything you eat. Good advise.

    CHX is an antibacterial and should only be used if prescribed and follow the instructions. Usually use it for a week or two then stop. It can grey your teeth.

    Bacteria builds up no matter what. As long as you have moisture in your mouth, plaque will start to form. You don't really need to brush more than 2x a day, but definitely before bed. Skipping more than a 24 hour period is when bad things can start to happen.
    CHX-containing products only require a prescription if over 0,2% here, and that's only recommended for some days after a procedure. There are "maintenance" products with much lower concentrations which I don't use because I'm aware of the discoloring issue with CHX. CHX still comes in handy if someone has a condition that requires sporadic disinfection (for instance, my wisdom teeth "push" and make my gums bleed once or twice a year for a couple of days, during which 0,2% CHX has spared me infections - the first time it happened I just rinsed with salted water and ended up having to take antibiotics).
    As to the underlined part, bacteria build up much slower if you take away their food and turn your mouth into an inhospitable environment, which is the rationale for striving to brush one's teeth after each meal. And other than trusting my dentist and his logic, I noticed time and again the difference between people who brush after every meal and those who only brush once or twice a day. I'm talking about people I spent/spend a lot of time with (relatives, exes) and have/had different dental hygiene habits.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adolecent View Post
    I'm getting infracted by an American moderator on an American topic promoting/advocating weapons on a childrens forum, what else to expect on an American forum. I'm done here and i'm going to leave you one thing to remember:
    [extremely graphic picture of dead children]
    Hope you sleep well. With the lack of empathy the majority of you show i guess that won't be a problem. BB

  4. #24
    I am Murloc! KOUNTERPARTS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deathknightish View Post
    I know. I'm a curious guy who likes to learn. If there's something I don't know I must find out the hows and whys! Always been like that.

    Yeah, that's not true. All of your threads are backhanded insults that try to stir up drama/bait negative replies.


    But hey, I'm sure you believe this!

  5. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Coolthulhu View Post
    Has plenty to do with brushing properly - whitening sessions (which are just ultrasound and water jets to clean deposits thoroughly and disintegrate tartar) are a lot faster and less painful when I started brushing properly (less deposits and tartar - if any at all -, less stuff to removal with less inflamed gums). And no, he doesn't use bleaching products nor laser treatments, only ultrasound, water jets and manual "scraping" with a final "polishing whirring tool" to remove dust and roughness, he also recommends not to use whitening products.
    Also, my "commercial white" was probably a hyperbole given what American ads look like. My teeth are "natural white", not "anime blinking smile" white. Still, the difference between clean natural white and badly maintained teeth is extremely noticeable.


    CHX-containing products only require a prescription if over 0,2% here, and that's only recommended for some days after a procedure. There are "maintenance" products with much lower concentrations which I don't use because I'm aware of the discoloring issue with CHX. CHX still comes in handy if someone has a condition that requires sporadic disinfection (for instance, my wisdom teeth "push" and make my gums bleed once or twice a year for a couple of days, during which 0,2% CHX has spared me infections - the first time it happened I just rinsed with salted water and ended up having to take antibiotics).
    As to the underlined part, bacteria build up much slower if you take away their food and turn your mouth into an inhospitable environment, which is the rationale for striving to brush one's teeth after each meal. And other than trusting my dentist and his logic, I noticed time and again the difference between people who brush after every meal and those who only brush once or twice a day. I'm talking about people I spent/spend a lot of time with (relatives, exes) and have/had different dental hygiene habits.
    You can brush properly all you want, your teeth will still turn yellow over time without using some form of whitening whitening if you are eating and drinking food stuffs that have dyes/tannins. Of course properly brushing will keep them cleaner and delay staining, but unless you drink through a straw exclusively, and only eat bleached foods, your teeth will still stain and yellow since enamel is porous.

    As far as my brushing 2x a day comment, it's just to prevent plaque buildup. Which is noticeable after 24 hours. Of course everyone is different and in very rare cases, some people have almost no harmful bacteria. But brushing 2x a day is all one really needs to do. Especially if they are whitening regularly.

    CHX is typically prescribed for gingivae issues. I've not seen any non prescription CHX, but yea gum irritation or slight to mild gingivitis is what we prescribe it for.

  6. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Beefhammer View Post
    You can brush properly all you want, your teeth will still turn yellow over time without using some form of whitening whitening if you are eating and drinking food stuffs that have dyes/tannins. Of course properly brushing will keep them cleaner and delay staining, but unless you drink through a straw exclusively, and only eat bleached foods, your teeth will still stain and yellow since enamel is porous.

    As far as my brushing 2x a day comment, it's just to prevent plaque buildup. Which is noticeable after 24 hours. Of course everyone is different and in very rare cases, some people have almost no harmful bacteria. But brushing 2x a day is all one really needs to do. Especially if they are whitening regularly.

    CHX is typically prescribed for gingivae issues. I've not seen any non prescription CHX, but yea gum irritation or slight to mild gingivitis is what we prescribe it for.
    Well, I only need to do that whitening treatment once a year to maintain "cream-white" teeth (used to be twice before I started rinsing with water immediately after drinking coffee/tea/wine), and brushing after meals has become a habit, so I see no reason to change that.
    CHX mouthwash comes in 0,05%to 0,09% (advertised for daily use), 0,12% (monthly treatment, whatever that means) and 0,20% (post-treatment), and gels in 0,5% and 1% here. All of those formulations are OTC and contain an anti-discoloration system for what's worth (I don't really trust it and only use CHX when told). There's even toothpaste with CHX in the 0,05%-0,09% range, just checked.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adolecent View Post
    I'm getting infracted by an American moderator on an American topic promoting/advocating weapons on a childrens forum, what else to expect on an American forum. I'm done here and i'm going to leave you one thing to remember:
    [extremely graphic picture of dead children]
    Hope you sleep well. With the lack of empathy the majority of you show i guess that won't be a problem. BB

  7. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Mihalik View Post
    It's a cultural thing.

    There's a strong social pressure yo have very white teeth, so people use bleaching products, veneers etc.

    We spend quite a bit on "dental hygiene" that has jack all to do with dental hygiene.

    Keeping my teeth white has been a lifelong struggle as I have naturally well positioned teeth, but also a medical condition that causes my teeth to basically fall apart no matter how well I take care of them.

    I'm 36 and half my teeth are already implants. I expect to have none of my own teeth left by my mid 50s.
    I don't trust anyone with blindingly white teeth. As with most things, we exist on a continuum. I am blessed with bulletproof enamel and you are not, but my teeth are still very much off-white. Any effort to change that, to the OP's question is uniquely american. We have whitening products and fake shit. So anyone you see with alarming android teeth is likely to be American. It isn't a feature, it's a bug.

  8. #28
    I have good dental hygiene
    Teeth being white/not being white is not a sign of 'hygiene'. Teeth aren't meant to stay white your whole life. That doesn't mean you're unhygienic.

  9. #29
    As someone having spent considerable amounts of time around yokels here in Sweden, where we also have fluoride in the water, I can 100% say that it does not whiten people's teeth.

    At-home whitening, regular dentist visits with full cleaning and professional bleaching. Genetics also plays a role. My dad's side has yellowish/grey teeth, but they're strong as hell and never have cavities or such. They all also use snuff, so there's that.

    My mom's side has white teeth, they're the vain side and just about every single person has professionally bleached teeth. But they also have damages, gum disease etc.

    Luckily my mom and dad passed on healthier dental habits to their kids than what they brought with them as they grew up. Some of their kids still got the worse end of the dental heritage though.

    White teeth are not necessarily a sign of good dental hygiene. My brother can attest to that. His teeth are rotting from the inside, but his teeth are perfectly white and even.

  10. #30
    When you watch TV and movies everyone's teeth are white as white, check out real people and you won't find this, midlife crisis moms/dads, "influencers", actual famous people and people who have been exposed to this while growing up thinking its normal

  11. #31
    Banned Strawberry's Avatar
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    The reason why white teeth are not always healthy is that you can brush, bleach and whatever as much as you want if you don't floss. All the food that gets stuck between the teeth starts rotting them. Flossing is as if not more important for teeth health than brushing them.

  12. #32
    Elemental Lord TJ's Avatar
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    Americans have this obsession with bleach white teeth, it's not natural. The natural colour is slightly yellow. They go through a lot of processes to achieve this, such as professional whitening and having fake teeth or veneers fitted.

  13. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by Strawberry View Post
    The reason why white teeth are not always healthy is that you can brush, bleach and whatever as much as you want if you don't floss. All the food that gets stuck between the teeth starts rotting them. Flossing is as if not more important for teeth health than brushing them.
    Yeah, I heard that flossing is just as important as brushing. Like flossing before brushing. But do you know if it's recommended to do flossing daily? I heard from my brother that it should be done daily, usually right before going to sleep at night.

  14. #34
    Banned Beazy's Avatar
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    Im 40+. I brush 2x a day and floss constantly. (Flossing > Brushing). I keep a bag of floss sticks on my desk at work and home. I'm literally using one right now. Never had a cavity. Don't even know what a tooth ache feels like.

    My teeth are not white. They have a slight yellow tint to them. But I dont take care of my teeth for the white color, I take care of them because I've seen the horrible pain other people have when they don't.

  15. #35
    Banned Strawberry's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gaebryel Quintyne View Post
    Yeah, I heard that flossing is just as important as brushing. Like flossing before brushing. But do you know if it's recommended to do flossing daily? I heard from my brother that it should be done daily, usually right before going to sleep at night.
    I don't think it matters what time on the day you floss, but I think it's it's important to do it soon after a meal.
    I floss before I brush. It makes more sense.

    Think about it, where do you usually get holes in teeth? On the front/back or in between?
    Of course the answer is obvious here, as brushing teeth doesn't clean the food leftovers between the teeth which leads to it rotting and attacking your teeth. This is why flossing is important.

    But I'm no dentist and probably no one here is. I know what works for me and I haven't had a toothache for many years and get compliments from my dental hygienist, even though I go to the dentist once every 2 years.
    I even bough tools to clean tartar myself. I do it once per month/2 months.

  16. #36
    Human teeth are not supposed to be white. Whitening is an unhealthy operation. What you want is tartar/plaque free teeth.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Beazy View Post
    My teeth are not white. They have a slight yellow tint to them.
    That is the natural color.

  17. #37
    The Unstoppable Force Bakis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Temp name View Post
    Have you heard of this new product called bleach?
    Only as being meant to treat Covid
    But soon after Mr Xi secured a third term, Apple released a new version of the feature in China, limiting its scope. Now Chinese users of iPhones and other Apple devices are restricted to a 10-minute window when receiving files from people who are not listed as a contact. After 10 minutes, users can only receive files from contacts.
    Apple did not explain why the update was first introduced in China, but over the years, the tech giant has been criticised for appeasing Beijing.

  18. #38
    No, the fluoride is just there for the government mind control.

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