Can you prevent yellowing of teeth below the archwire?

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crazyasaboxoffrogs
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:24 am
Location: UK

Can you prevent yellowing of teeth below the archwire?

#1 Post by crazyasaboxoffrogs »

Hi guys, is there anyway to prevent underneath the archwire yellowing slightly?

I brush 2 to 3 times a day, use mouth wash twice to three times a day and floss regularly but still the yellowing. It's also a bit yellow if you can imagine taking a straight line across each tooth from the top the bracket to the gumline on my bottom teeth although I've heard this can be because of the light being bent through the tooth making it seem yellower?

I do drink at least one cup of tea or coffee a day, so I'm assuming this is not helping much. I also saw a pic in the ortho of a 'healthy' mouth and it had similar yellowing under the archwire. Is it better to wait until the braces come off to whiten or would a little whitening toothpaste now not hurt?

Thanks :)

crazyasaboxoffrogs
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:24 am
Location: UK

Re: Can you prevent yellowing of teeth below the archwire?

#2 Post by crazyasaboxoffrogs »

Okay now I'm freaking out...is what I think is staining, actually decalcification? :(
I had similar staining at my last appointment but the ortho never mentioned it, I'm not due back til March :cry:

Snowglobe32
Posts: 1224
Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:05 pm

Re: Can you prevent yellowing of teeth below the archwire?

#3 Post by Snowglobe32 »

What kind of brackets do you have? Sometimes my bottom teeth, the ones with metal brackets, look not so white. I have been told that the metal can give this impression.

It sounds like you are doing everthing right. Have you gone out into the sunlight? Sometimes indoor lighting can be tricky.

MegP60+
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 4:57 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Can you prevent yellowing of teeth below the archwire?

#4 Post by MegP60+ »

I have the same thing and was worrying that it was calcification, but when I went for my dental cleaning a couple of days ago, the hygenist told me that it was just normal staining. I am guilty of drinking coffee and tea (and red wine!). I plan to have my teeth whitened when the braces come off, and was relieved to know that it was not decalcification. I am sure it is probably just staining for you too.

Vulcan
Posts: 34
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:18 am
Location: Knoxville TN

Re: Can you prevent yellowing of teeth below the archwire?

#5 Post by Vulcan »

If you brush 2-3 times a day, use mouthwash, and floss you really shouldn't worry about decalcification. I know on certain days I look at my teeth and feel like they're yellow behind the wires, but then I get told how white my teeth look? And, decalcification shows up as white, and are permanent lesions on the teeth.

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luchababe
Posts: 313
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 9:56 am
Location: Ontario

Re: Can you prevent yellowing of teeth below the archwire?

#6 Post by luchababe »

Keep in mind it could just be a shadow cast by your wire on your teeth. I was super worried about greying teeth but then figured out it was a shadow from a bracket that was sort of cast within the tooth, since teeth are opaque. I see that line on my teeth too under my wire but if I roll my head around it looks more like a shadow.

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