Why Are My Teeth Translucent? Causes & Treatment Options
Table of Contents
- Causes
- Treatment Options
- Prevention
- References
When you picture a healthy smile, chances are you envision teeth that are white and opaque. If you look in the mirror and realize your teeth have begun to look more translucent, you may grow alarmed. Translucent teeth are a reason to see the dentist. But such translucence is a common problem, and while it does require dental care, it's not an emergency.
People describe translucent teeth in various ways. Some say their teeth start to look clear, or "see-through," around the edges. Others remark that their teeth appear to be thinning or losing their white outer layer.
Regardless of description, the issue is thinning of the hard, white, outermost layer of your teeth — the enamel. As a result, your teeth lose their opaqueness.
Causes of Translucent Teeth
The issue of translucent teeth doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, your enamel tends to grow increasingly thinner over time. By the time you notice, your enamel has probably been thinning for months or even years.
The most common causes include:
Consuming an abundance of acidic food
Bulimia
Acid reflux
Celiac disease
Treatments for Translucent Teeth
Having translucent teeth is not merely an issue related to appearances. Thin enamel can make your teeth more sensitive to hot and cold foods. You're also more likely to develop cavities in thin enamel, and those cavities can progress quite quickly. If you have translucent teeth, you need to see a dentist for treatment.
For slightly thin enamel, your dentist may simply recommend fluoride treatments. These treatments expose your teeth to a concentrated fluoride solution, which can help strengthen the enamel that remains. (Your teeth cannot grow new enamel once it is lost, but you can make the existing enamel stronger.)
For more serious cases, your dentist may recommend bonding. A thin, tooth-colored piece of resin will be placed over the part of your tooth where the enamel is thin. This will protect your tooth while also making it look whiter and more opaque.
If the enamel is thin over your entire tooth, your dentist may opt to cover that tooth with a crown. A porcelain crown fits over the tooth like a cap. It will look like a natural tooth while offering top-notch protection from further enamel erosion and decay.
Translucent teeth are at a higher risk for sensitivity, decay, and other damage. If your teeth are starting to look translucent, contact your dentist. They can provide the appropriate treatments and help you develop healthy habits to reduce enamel damage in the future.
Preventing Translucent Teeth
If your teeth are still opaque with strong enamel, here are some tips to help keep them that way: