Why Are My Teeth Transparent At The Bottom?

Keeping an eye on your teeth is always a good idea, to make sure they stay as healthy and strong as they can possibly be. There are all sorts of strange things that can happen to teeth, and the answer to the question “why are my teeth transparent at the bottom” is an interesting one!

Why Are My Teeth Transparent At The Bottom?

Teeth are made up of different layers – enamel (this is the outer layer), and dentin which is the underlying layer.

The edges and the bottoms of your teeth are composed entirely of enamel, which can actually wear down over time.

There are a good few things that can wear down the enamel and cause translucent teeth:

• Natural wear and tear. As we age, sadly a lot of things start to deteriorate, and that can include our teeth. There’s not that can be done about ageing, but it’s better than the alternative!
• Acidic food and drink. Eating and drinking acidic foods, such as those with a low pH like fruit juices and soft drinks, can cause problems with your tooth enamel.
• Medical conditions. If you have a condition that makes you vomit a lot, for example morning sickness, bulimia or heartburn, you are at a higher risk of damaging your enamel.
• Enamel Hypoplasia. This shows itself in white spots on the teeth, grooves, or thin enamel.
• Excessive whitening. If you are addicted to home whitening products, you may wish to rethink your habits to protect your teeth!

Transparent teeth, although they are not the end of the world, can make you self conscious.  It’s always worth taking a trip to the dentist to discuss your options.

Can You Fix Transparent Teeth?

Thankfully, there are many things that can be done to fix transparent teeth. They all involve a trip to your dentist, but it will be worth it!

• Dental bonding uses a type of resin which is attached to your tooth, one layer at a time. This can make your teeth look just like they used to.
• Crowns are caps that sit flush over your entire tooth. This is a permanent solution, and will take a little work because the crown needs to be made to look exactly like the existing tooth.
• Veneers are not very invasive, and use thin shells of porcelain or resin that attach to the tooth to hide worn away enamel.

If your teeth have gone transparent to the point that you notice it in the mirror and it affects your self esteem, it’s time to do something about it.

Have a chat with your dentist and see what can be done to help you, along with adopting healthy lifestyle choices and a good oral health routine.

Try to avoid things that weaken your enamel over time, such as excessive sugar and foods and drinks that can damage your teeth.

How Do You Fix Transparent Teeth Naturally?

Unfortunately, most translucent teeth will definitely need a trip to the dentist at some point or another.

Because tooth enamel is not a living tissue, it cannot be regenerated – once it’s gone, it’s gone!

You can prevent the causes of transparent teeth however, and these habits are all healthy ones that should be adopted anyway.

• Avoid carbonated drinks. The vast amount of sugars in these drinks are major culprits at causing not only tooth decay, but also the wearing down of enamel.
• Stay away from acidic food and drink. Foods and drinks with a low pH are very good at damaging your teeth, so try to limit them.
• Brush daily. Keeping your teeth clean is the best thing you can do for them. Brush morning and evening, for at least two minutes, and if you don’t already have an electric toothbrush then do invest in one!
• Floss. Getting in between your teeth to remove any leftover bits of food is another great way to stay on top of your oral health.
• Use flouride toothpaste. Flouride will protect your teeth and help to make your teeth stronger, as well as protecting against cavities.
• Drink through a straw. If, like most people, you drink things other than water, drinking them through a straw will prevent the liquid having too much contact with your teeth.
• Don’t brush straight away. If you consume something acidic, you might think brushing it off straight away is a good idea – don’t do this! You’ll be scrubbing the acid right onto your teeth, so this is best avoided.
• Chew sugar free gum. A common sugar sweetener in gum is Xylitol, which can actually help to neutralise acids in the mouth.

Can Transparent Teeth be Whitened?

You can, of course, have any one of your teeth whitened whenever you fancy – but there are definitely some that will work better.

Whitening a tooth that is already transparent will not actually make much difference to that tooth; in fact it might not look like it’s been whitened at all!

Teeth generally look a little more opaque after the whitening process, but a transparent tooth probably won’t change at all.

Your dentist can insert a tooth coloured composite filling on the tongue side of the tooth, to improve the overall look of the tooth.

Tooth whitening can, over time, weaken the enamel slightly. This means that if you have a tooth which is already compromised, whitening might not be the best thing.

A transparent tooth will not whiten as much, if at all, as the other ones. This can lead to an uneven look in your mouth, and can make the transparent one stand out even more!

Final Thoughts

Now you know why teeth can look transparent, and what you can do about it, hopefully you are a little more informed.

The best thing you can do is to improve your oral health as much as you can, so that you never have to deal with the problem of transparent teeth!