Do You Have Stained Or Discoloured Teeth? Here’s What You Need To Know About Them And Get Them Whiten

Whenever you talk about a good personality, you always include white teeth as one of the factors that contribute towards it. White teeth reflect your good oral hygiene. Therefore, you should make sure that you keep your teeth are white in case you want to leave a lasting impact on everybody.

But maintaining the color of your teeth is a huge task. Tooth discoloration is prevalent across all age groups. Also, this is caused by several things, including unhealthy food habits, irregular brushing, etc.

If you have stained or discolored teeth, its time for you to get back their original charm. With different teeth whitening techniques, this is made possible. The process of getting back the original color of your teeth has become quite popular.

What are the Causes of Stained or Discolored Teeth? 

The most crucial factor that contributes to tooth discoloration or stains is your choice of food and drinks. The stains are formed due to a reaction that takes place between the compounds present in the food with the ones present in your tooth. Given below are some of the stimulus that causes tooth stains:

1. Food habits: If you are a regular coffee or tea taker, the chances of a tooth stain are quite high. These drinks contain substances that give out a solid color, and this stays for a very long time. People who consume a lot of dark soda also experience a similar reaction.
2. Tobacco: Tobacco is one of the major contributing factors when we talk about teeth discoloration. Both cigarettes and chewing tobacco are not suitable for oral hygiene.
3. Poor dental care: If you do not brush your teeth adequately or floss them regularly, there are high chances of teeth discoloration.
4. Medicines: Some medicines are strong enough to cause teeth stains. Medicines that are taken for treating high blood pressure, cancer, etc. have the capability of producing teeth stains.
5. Diseases and their treatments: Diseases can affect enamel development in the case of children. Also, people experiencing trauma have high chances of having discolored teeth. Treatment of diseases that involve chemotherapy and radiation also contributes towards the discoloration of the teeth.
6. Excessive use of Fluoride: Fluoride is good for your teeth if taken in limited quantities. Excess consumption of fluoride-based toothpaste and mouthwashes or a high fluoride content in water can lead to discoloration of teeth.

Types of Teeth Stains

There are about three different kinds of teeth stains. These are:

Extrinsic Teeth Stains

These develop on the tooth surface. These stains develop due to the presence of some food or drink residue which has pigments in them. They cover up the enamel of the tooth in the form of a thin film of protein.

These stains are caused due to the chewing of tobacco. Also, extrinsic stains are quite popular in the case of various tea and coffee drinkers. With proper brushing and regular cleaning, these stains can be taken care of.

Intrinsic Teeth Stains

These stains go deep and create an impact below the surface of the tooth. Sometimes the particles that cause stains make their way to the exterior of the tooth. These get deposited on the tooth enamel. Also, these stains are caused due to excessive usage of fluoride.

These stains are difficult to remove as they are no longer on the surface. You would have to consult a dental specialist in case you want them removed. It gets tricky if you try to remove these stains on your own.

Age-Related Teeth Stains

These are a result of both intrinsic and extrinsic tooth stains. The discoloration of teeth is also a natural phenomenon to some extent. With age, your teeth start getting yellow.

The enamel gets thin. This creates pressure on the dentin, which leads to yellow coloration.

There are different teeth whitening treatments available. You can choose the best teeth whitening kit from several kits in case you want to do it yourself.

Prevention

There are different ways in which teeth discoloration can be prevented. You should brush after every meal. Also, rinsing your mouth after having pigmented drinks is quite essential.

You should also keep visiting your dentist to ensure dental hygiene. Try to avoid using water which is rich in fluoride. The amount or percentage of fluoride can be easily checked by calling a professional from the public health department.

Whitening of Discolored Teeth

The discoloration is caused by several reasons. Consulting your dentist is the best way if you want to get your teeth whitened. Dentists use different bleaching agents to whiten the tooth enamel.

Power bleaching is a term used where dentists use a specialized bleaching gel that whitens the teeth in around 30 to 40 minutes. Different teeth whitening products are available in the market.

You can choose any of the products. You can also try in-home methods to get rid of teeth stains. Different whitening tubes of toothpaste are also available in the market.

It’s worth mentioning that home remedies may not last for long. Therefore, consulting a dentist would be the best way to go about it. Your dentist would be the best person to tell you what goes with your teeth.

In case you have got your root canal treatment done, tooth darkening is a very prominent result. Your dentist can apply the gelling agent to your inner tooth too.

At times, the parts of your tooth might chip off. Also, discoloration might be a result of tooth damage. This cannot be solved using bleach.

Your dentist can cover the discolored areas. Dentists use a composite bonding material of a color similar to the teeth surrounding the discolored tooth.

Another effective way to handle teeth discoloration and stains is to ask your dentist for tooth veneers. Veneers are made of ceramic and are colored in a way to match the color of the human teeth. These thin shells are the best way to enhance the appearance of your discolored or stained tooth.

Conclusion

Discoloration and stains should be avoided in the first place. Keep brushing and rinsing. In case it still happens, a dentist would be of great help.