Healthy human teeth are ideally a pearlescent shade of off-white, but they can become discolored for a wide variety of reasons. Most cases of discoloration are yellow, but teeth can also take on a reddish, grayish, or purplish tinge, and they may even develop excessively white spots in some cases. Thankfully, it’s quite easy to prevent many forms of discoloration, and your dentist can help you achieve a whiter smile if your teeth are already stained. Here’s a guide to why your teeth can become discolored and how you can address the problem.
What Causes Dental Discoloration?
A few common reasons for teeth to become stained or discolored include:
- Overexposure to stain-causing foods and beverages: Consuming richly colored items like coffee, tea, red wine, cola, fruity candies, berries, and dark sauces to excess can allow pigments and dyes to become embedded in your enamel, resulting in unsightly stains.
- Tobacco use: Tobacco products such as smokes, chew, and dip can leave yellowish nicotine stains and unsightly accumulations upon your teeth.
- Age: Decades of use can thin out the enamel layer that gives teeth their white color, leaving the smile with a yellower appearance.
- Medication: Using certain medications such as tetracycline antibiotics during early childhood can leave the teeth with a grayish appearance.
- Genetic conditions: Some people are born with genetic conditions that make their enamel reddish or bluish, and they often make their teeth more brittle as well.
How Can My Dentist Address Dental Discoloration?
Luckily, many dentists offer in-office teeth whitening treatments that can lift stubborn dental stains and discoloration in about an hour, and the process is safe, noninvasive, and painless without anesthesia. To do this, your dentist will place barriers in your mouth to protect your soft tissues before applying a few coats of powerful whitening agent to your teeth and treating them with a specialized ultraviolet light to activate the bleaching effects. Your teeth will be up to eight shades whiter afterward.
How Can I Prevent Dental Discoloration?
It’s always best to prevent problems rather than resolve them, and you can avoid dental stains and discoloration with a few excellent habits. These include:
- Practicing excellent oral hygiene by brushing, flossing, and using antibacterial mouthwash daily.
- Limiting your intake of stain-causing foods and beverages as well as acids, starches, and refined sugars.
- Seeing your dentist regularly for exams and cleanings.
Don’t let dental stains make it difficult to smile proudly at friends, family, and strangers. Consulting with your dentist can help you find out if teeth whitening is right for you.
About the Practice
Neosmile Dental Care offers exemplary oral health services to the community of Ambler. Led by Drs. Krunal Patel and Poorvi Gandhi, the team enjoys ensuring that each patient receives the finest care possible in a warm and friendly office. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, emergency, and cosmetic dentistry such as teeth whitening treatments. To schedule your consultation for teeth whitening, contact the practice on the web or dial (215) 643-5220.
