Have you ever looked up close at your smile and wondered why your canines are more yellow than the others?
It’s true! No matter how often or well you brush and floss your teeth, we all just can’t seem to get rid of those pesky yellow-toned teeth. At Murwillumbah Dental, our team is dedicated to not only providing exceptional dental treatment to all patients but also educating our patients along the way.
Continue reading to learn why exactly our canine teeth are always a bit more yellow and discover some revolutionary treatments suitable just for you…
What are canine teeth?
Canine teeth, often spelled as K9 teeth or known as cuspids meaning a tooth with a single point, are your upper incisors and are generally sharper and may appear more pointy when compared to your other teeth. Adults with fully erupted teeth generally have eight incisors; four upper and four lower. When smiling in the mirror, you’ll see your canine teeth are on either side of the outermost incisors.
What’s the purpose of canine teeth?
Similar to other carnivores and meat-eating animals, human-canine teeth (cuspids) evolved from that of our hunter-gatherer nature.
While we may not have the same diets or lifestyle habits as our ancestors or other animals, humans still use canine teeth to grip food and tear food, just like our ancient ancestors and animals did.
Fun fact: Did you know that human-canine teeth (cuspids) use to be a lot larger than we see them now? This is because we have evolved over time, no longer needing to hunt for food as animals do, thus our canine teeth have slowly but surely evolved into smaller teeth.
Why are canine teeth notoriously more yellow?
So, the question still remains, ‘Why are canine teeth more yellow than other teeth?’. Our canine teeth withstand more wear and tear due to active chewing and biting and as such, contain more dentine (or dentin) than our other teeth.
Dentine is the primary supporting structure of the tooth and the second hardest tissue in our bodies after the enamel. This thicker layer of dentine is what causes our canine teeth to appear more yellow so you no longer need to worry that you’re worried about bad brushing or lack of flossing, it’s all genetics.
What treatment options are available?
If singular or multiple yellow-toned teeth are a cosmetic concern of yours, you may want to consider some of Murwillumbah Dental’s luxury, affordable cosmetic dental treatments. These treatments include professional teeth whitening (in-chair treatment performed by a dentist as well as take-home kits), porcelain veneers and CEREC crown restorations.
Cosmetic Dentistry in Murwillumbah
Cosmetic dentistry; the solution for your new, glimmering smile. If you’d like to learn more about cosmetic dentistry and how it may benefit your cosmetic concerns, or to book your consultation with one of our exceptional dental professionals, get in touch online or call our team on (02) 6672 1068 today!
