Biruk Baye

@birukbaye · 09 Dec 2021

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Are healthy teeth white?

It's important to know what your teeth should look like and how to prevent yellow graying and cavities. We're going to take a closer look at what your teeth should be like, the factors that can change their appearance, and how to take care of them.

A healthy tooth is a white tooth. The color will depend on the person's natural color, genetics, and other factors. There are many misconceptions about what a tooth should be like.

For example, some people believe that white teeth are caused by an "alive" tooth. While the color of a tooth is related to the surrounding tissue, other factors have an impact on its color, too.

Teeth are formed in your embryo from dental pulp and become part of your baby's permanent teeth at 8 to 10 weeks after conception (hindgut). The first permanent tooth to appear is the first molar (wisdom tooth). They come out as a baby's primary means of chewing and they're needed when you start eating solid food.

The formation of baby teeth is not the same for each person. This is why a baby tooth can form in a different way than an adult tooth. For example, some people have very dense amelanotic enamel.

It means that these people have white teeth, but they're white because of their very hard enamel, not because they have healthy teeth. Other people have less dense amelanotic enamel, so their teeth appear yellowish. In this case, their tooth enamel has less mineralized tissue and is more porous.

Teeth are made up of the following:

Enamel - The hard outer layer of a tooth that covers the crown (visible part). The sugar content of a tooth is low.

Dentin - Underneath the enamel, there's a kind of protein that resembles dentine, which is found in teeth. Dentin provides support for the teeth, plus it acts as cement for teeth and gums.

Fluoride - It's important to have fluoride in your teeth to fight decay and tooth decay.

Matrix - The pulpy part that surrounds the crown, which is mainly made of connective tissue and blood vessels.

Cementum - It's avascular tissue that shelters the other tissues from damage by acids in the mouth. Cementum is also considered a protective barrier between the outside world and our mouths, as it covers all of your teeth (except for baby teeth).

Pulp - It's mostly made up of connective tissue and blood vessels. It's located in the midline of our teeth, which goes from back to front. Pulp is critical for the healthy development of teeth.

There are different types of tooth color: natural or grayish color, grayish-yellow or dull yellow, dark brown, yellow-green, and bright green colors. The colors can be caused by factors that affect tooth development during fetal development (before birth).

Yellowish teeth are caused by the following factors:

Long-term fluoride exposure. Fluoride is absorbed through your teeth and it can cause your teeth to turn yellow. Most of the time, this is caused by taking too much fluoride. However, this happens very rarely.

The most common cause of this is ingestion (eating) of too much fluoride-containing toothpaste. That's why it's important to follow the instructions on your toothpaste label and not eat or drink when you're brushing.

Fluoride is absorbed through your teeth and it can cause your teeth to turn yellow. Most of the time, this is caused by taking too much fluoride.