My daughter had her two bottom wisdom teeth taken out when she was 14. It wasn’t straightforward as they hadn’t come through yet, an X-ray showed they were lying directly below her back molars and there would be problems if they were left to come through naturally. She was admitted to the Dental Hospital for two days where they had to cut into her jawbone on either side to remove the the wisdom teeth. My son also had to have his removed at the Dental Hospital when he was 15.
Why do we even have wisdom teeth, for a lot of people they cause lots of problems and pain.
It’s to torment dentists because they are so hard to work on. I have all four and refused to have them out in my twenties. I didn’t see the point of taking out a healthy tooth. But apparently that’s not a great policy because having them out if they get decayed when you’re older risks nerve damage.
I still have one or two .
That is why I am at least half wise !
Two were removed because they were impacted .
Oh don’t do that if they are healthy as they are. It’s a massive industry.
It’s no coincidence that dentist starts with the same letters as devil and demolition!
Floydy if you can do it all you need is a new crown and a veneer alongside the adjoining front tooth ( it’s hard to colour match one front tooth.)
Nice teeth make you want to smile more
I agree Muddy, bad teeth are very aging.
My problem is the yellowing. I brush my teeth all the time, I go for a cleaning every 6 months, yet my teeth still look yellow. Some say it is my red hair.
I have a partial in the top and one in the bottom as well. I don’t get many fillings.
No don’t encourage him to have a veneer! It’s a slippery slope.
The sister of one my best friends was a redhead and had perfectly formed yellow teeth since childhood. They say yellow teeth are stronger. Perhaps the alabaster skin tone that tends to go with red hair makes them look less white? If you have healthy teeth then that is more important than shade.
I don’t like the teeth whitening though that they do cosmetically these days, I much prefer teeth that look natural even if a little yellow tinge, the look is just so false and I prefer the natural look. But so many go for the false look these days, especially the young ones.
I had my teeth whitened about ten years ago. The dentist’s idea. Yes it makes you feel fabulous, but I only had one round because it didn’t feel like it was doing the enamel much good. There has to be more to life than sitting there with dental trays of bleach for an hour at a time.
If you watch 1980s series people have normal natural teeth, imperfect but you can tell they were not man made. These days every celebrity has a mouthful of cosmetic dentistry. So ordinary people think they should go out and buy the same. It’s a total con and can ruin the health of young people.
You don’t have to have dazzling white teeth just whiten them up dingy teeth are so aging !
I’m talking I don’t like the false ting white look Muds
I don’t think its a con at all .
Why shouldn’t 'ordinary ’ people have nice teeth?
Dentistry has come on enormously .
How does it ruin their health ?
On the contrary it can improve the look of a young persons teeth and thereby improve their confidence and sense of well being .
You don’t have to sit around in bleach trays whitestrips are quicker , easier and cheaper.
too many young ones these days are not comfortable in their own skin opting to look more false than natural which is such a shame. One of my close friends daughter is so beautiful and stunning yet she came home with injected lips the other day much to her mothers horror. OOps sorry gone off topic, but it just came into my mind when you mentioned the youngsters
Over to the next person on teeth, do you like mine
It’s a total con because natural teeth are nice without chemical enhancement. We should accept that natural teeth aren’t perfect, they do the job and they are healthy. You start tampering with nature and you end up with long term dental health problems. Bleach is so unnecessary. Hygiene is what’s important. As for veneers it requires removal of healthy tooth structure. It’s irreversible and you have to replace them every decade. It’s a total con that has funded the massive dental image makeover industry and caused no end of pointless dental work for people who didn’t need it.
You have a lovely smile LQ. It’s all about being comfortable in your own skin.
thank you. I agree with you, a lot of young ones of today are not comfortable in their own skin and aspire to look like ‘everyone else’ which tells me their confidence in themselves is very low. Obviously not all and there are a lot of natural beauties still around.
Sorry this is so long folks, but it quite informative about why our teeth can yellow:
So why are my teeth yellow?
Let’s look at the things that may be responsible for your teeth going yellow.
Stained teeth from smoking
Smokers are prone to yellower teeth.
Smoking makes your teeth yellow because of the tar, nicotine and other chemicals carried in the smoke. These seep into the pores in your tooth enamel, staining its natural colour.
A study conducted in 2005 found that 28% of smokers had moderate to severe levels of tooth discolouration, compared to 15% of non-smokers. The study also revealed that smokers were generally less satisfied with the state of their teeth.
E-cigarettes may not discolour teeth to the same degree, but they still contain nicotine which becomes yellow when it mixes with oxygen.
There are other oral health problems associated with smoking, too. For example, nicotine causes gums to recede and can lead to gingivitis and periodontitis.
Slack oral hygiene
If you notice a yellow buildup on your teeth, it’s probably plaque or tartar. Plaque forms when bacteria from food and drink particles aren’t cleaned properly from your teeth. Over time, plaque hardens to form tartar, which can only be removed by a dentist or hygienist.
This yellow coating can form on or around your teeth if you don’t brush often enough or thoroughly enough. Not only does it look bad, it contributes to bad breath and a whole load of other oral health complications.
Your diet
It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the things you put into your mouth have an effect on the colour of your teeth. If your teeth are stained yellow, it might be because of foods such as these:
Coffee and tea
Red wine
Curries
Tomato sauces
Berries
Soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Beetroot
There are other foods and drinks which, although they don’t cause staining themselves, contain acids that eat away at your tooth enamel. This reduces the ‘whiteness’ of your teeth and also leaves them more susceptible to staining. Watch out for:
bad for teeth
It may seem like a healthy option but beware the acidity of fruit juice
Fizzy drinks (heavily coloured ones can also cause stains)
Citrus fruits and juices
Sports drinks
Sugary foods
Artificial sweetners
White wine and many other alcoholic drinks
Rinsing your mouth with water after consuming these products will help minimise the damage from any acid.
Ageing
As if getting older wasn’t bad enough, it’s natural for your teeth to become yellow as you age. This is because the protective enamel layer becomes thinner, revealing more of the yellow dentin underneath.
Genetics
If you have had yellowish teeth all your life, your parents may be to blame. Genetic variances can affect tooth colour and enamel porosity – and more porous enamel is more liable to stain.
Medication or illness
Some antibiotics such as tetracycline and amoxicillin can affect the colour of teeth, especially in younger children. Drugs prescribed to adults for allergies and high blood pressure may also have this side effect. Speak to your doctor if you’re concerned about this.
Certain illnesses, particularly those that affect the liver, can result in discoloured teeth. Patients who undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer may also find their teeth turning a brownish hue.
Teeth whitening treatment is not usually covered by the NHS, but exceptions may be made in cases where there is a medical reason for the discolouration.