How to Hide Tooth Decay

Written by Kendra Dahlstrom

27 July, 2017

Tooth decay happens to people who have poor oral hygiene, or to people who simply have cavity-prone teeth. The discoloration and deterioration that happens makes many people self conscious around strangers, friends and family. Although the only real solution is cavity prevention, there are some way to hide existing tooth decay 1.

Alter your smile or the way you talk and chew your food. Simply opening your mouth gives people an opportunity to gawk at your decaying teeth. Smile with your eyes more than your mouth, or be sure to keep your lips over your discolored teeth. Always chew with your mouth closed. Practice in the mirror until it looks natural. If your smile looks fake, it will only draw attention to your mouth.

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Rinse with antiseptic mouthwash in the morning and before bed each night. Tooth decay creates bad breath because of all the bacteria and rotting material inside the mouth 1. If you want to disguise the problem, you must disguise the smell. This might also halt further decay.

Call a dentist who places white composite fillings in cavities. If your tooth decay has gone a bit too far for fillings, ask the dentist about porcelain inlays and onlays matching the color of your existing healthy teeth. Another option is an obvious silver filling which solves the cavity problem, but makes previous tooth decay more noticeable.

Tips

Simply eating less sugar throughout the day should help prevent tooth decay, according to Yamamoto and Lee Family Dentistry. Each time you feed the “sugar bugs” on you teeth, they produce acid for 30 to 60 minutes.

Brushing and flossing won't get rid of all the bacteria in your mouth, but will prevent gum disease.