Teeth are NOT white

(Note:  This is not a terribly serious post and as I edit it, I realize that we, as a human beings, might not have all that much to smile about, but sometimes we need to talk about things that are not so important just to get some normalcy into our lives.  So in that spirit I give you this...)

Smile!  Give a big grin.  Or are you someone who doesn't because you don't have snow white teeth?

Why are we obsessed with white teeth?  When did this become an obsession?  (Has this been going on all my life and I wasn't aware or is this a "thing" that's become a focus over the past 10-20 years?

Teeth are NOT white.  Period.  Stealing directly from Luis Villazon, a writer for Science Focus:  "The strongest teeth are natural, healthy ones and these teeth are not white. At least, not white like the colour of paper, or even the colour of piano keys. They are a couple of shades darker than that. The enamel itself is a blueish white colour, but it is also somewhat translucent so the yellow of the dentine beneath it shows through to make the overall colour of the teeth either light grey or light yellow."


My teeth are a dingy yellow/brown/gray.  They are not horrible looking (although I suppose that is a matter of opinion).  I like to smile.  When I look at my smile I don't see that brilliant white that I've heard I'm supposed to have.  Sometimes it bothers me (because hey, we're all driven by the perfection that advertising and media tells us we SHOULD have/be).  Most times it doesn't.

I have thought about buying whitening toothpaste, but I never have.  Maybe it's because I am too cheap.  Or maybe it's because I know that it won't work or that it would only be a temporary "fix."

My teeth are not white.  They are, like me, colored by life.  As a child, I took a tetracycline.  I drink coffee.  I drink wine (of all colors).  I eat berries.  I eat sweets.  I chew gum. In other words, I've lived a regular life and as a result I have teeth that reflect it.

My teeth are not white, but they are relatively healthy.  I brush.  I floss (ok, not every day...and I'm more likely to "water floss" than use the nasty string, but...).  I rinse with Lysterine.  I go to the dentist twice a year.  I've had my share of cavities and other minor mouth/teeth "issues."  I have not ignored them. (Ok, well...maybe once I did for a couple of months and boy did I learn my lesson!)

Healthy teeth are important.  White teeth are not.

Smile.  It doesn't matter what color your teeth are.  (Well if they were Day-Glo pink maybe it would.) Just as you are more than a smile (or frown); a smile is more than the color of teeth.  And in the real world, without whiting products (or Photoshop) that color is not pristine white.  Be bold...no matter what "color" your teeth are.  Show the world your non-pearly whites.  After all it's not the teeth that make the smile; it's you!