Teeth Stains: Everything You Need to Know
Teeth Stains: Everything You Need to Know
A common dental problem that everyone faces are teeth stains. There are several reasons why you may face this issue. Food and beverages aren’t the sole factors for causing this problem. Tooth trauma, aging, tobacco, and medication are other elements that can stain your teeth. The problem with these stains is that it deteriorates the aesthetics of your teeth.
Today, you will learn everything you need to know about teeth discoloration, such as types, causes, along with solutions to remove them.
Types of Tooth Discoloration
There are three types of tooth discoloration:
1. Extrinsic Teeth Stains
In this type of dental issue, there is superficial discoloration of your teeth, as it looks yellow. It affects the enamel and spreads all over your teeth. The stain particles start to build up in this region, as they leave a residue in your mouth.
2. Intrinsic Teeth Stains
When the staining goes beyond the surface of your teeth, they are known as intrinsic teeth stains. Unlike extrinsic teeth discoloration, this one is a darker shade of yellow, localized, and small. There are several factors that cause this issue.
3. Age-associated Teeth Stains
The combination of extrinsic and intrinsic teeth stains cause age-associated teeth discoloration. As we age, dentin, your teeth’s core tissue, starts to become yellow. The enamel starts to wear out and become thinner, due to which, the dentin becomes visible.
Causes of Tooth Discoloration
Before jumping into how to treat this dental aesthetic problem, you need to know what are the factors responsible for teeth discoloration.
1. Disease/Trauma
Diseases that affect the enamel of your teeth are the ones that can cause this dental aesthetic issue. Pregnant women who suffer from infections can cause tooth discoloration in their infants, as it affects enamel development. Treatments such as chemotherapy, and neck and head radiation have side effects which cause stains to appear on your teeth.
2. Food and beverages
Certain vegetables and fruits, soda beverages, tea, wine, and coffee are primary reasons for this aesthetic problem in your teeth.
3. Medications
If you consumed doxycycline or tetracycline, two types of antibiotics as a child, during the development stages of your teeth (up to eight years) will cause this issue. Using mouthwashes and rinses with cetylpyridinium chloride and chlorhexidine, discolor your teeth. High blood pressure medications, antipsychotic drugs, and antihistamines are also responsible for staining your teeth.
4. Tobacco
Smoking tobacco causes stains to develop on your teeth over time.
Why Are Seniors Susceptible to Tooth Stains
Senior citizens (above the age of 60) are vulnerable to teeth discoloration. The process of aging starts to wear out the enamel of your teeth. As a result, dentin becomes visible, which is yellow in color.
Combined with the fact that people have been drinking wine, dark sodas, coffee, and tea for decades, stains start to develop on the teeth. Any injury or damage to the teeth will result in this aesthetic issue.
How to Remove Teeth Stain?
Now that you know the elements behind teeth discoloration, it is essential to know how to remove them.
1. Follow excellent teeth hygiene practices
The first thing you should do if you face this aesthetic issue is to follow proper teeth hygiene. For starters, limit your consumption of soda, red wine, coffee, and tea, as they discolor your teeth. You can drink these beverages from a straw so that there isn’t any direct contact between the teeth and the fluid. Avoid chewing and smoking tobacco, as they are the primary reasons for this aesthetic issue, a common belief among every dentist.
Bring down your sugar intake, as it hinders Streptococcus mutans, a bacteria, from growing in your mouth. They are responsible for problems such as gingivitis and plaque. Also, when you consume any teeth staining beverage or sugar, make sure you brush your teeth as soon as possible.
2. By availing CDG laser teeth whitening
The best way to deal with this dental aesthetic issue is to go for CDG Zoom teeth whitening. It is a process where the dentist will apply hydrogen peroxide-based gel on your teeth. With the help of laser, the medical professional will excite or speed up the hydrogen peroxide molecules, which removes the teeth stains.
This type of teeth whitening is popular among people, as the procedure is effective. Even if you have intrinsic teeth stains, you can remove them with this technique. It is a quick process, as you will observe the difference in the aesthetics of your teeth, after a single session. When combined with excellent teeth hygiene practices, the results of this teeth whitening procedure can last for several years.
Getting rid of your teeth stains aesthetic is an easy process. Casipit Dental Group, with over 36 years of experience in the dental industry, uses state-of-the-art laser technology. You get a brighter and whiter smile with this type of teeth whitening. Get in touch with us today, so that our dentists can help solve this dental aesthetic issue!
Sources:
- https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/cosmetic-dentistry/teeth-whitening/tooth-discoloration
- https://www.colgateprofessional.com/education/patient-education/topics/tooth-whitening/tooth-discoloration
- https://www.smilebrilliant.com/articles/types-of-tooth-stains
- https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/tooth-discoloration
- https://www.healthline.com/health/brown-spots-on-teeth
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10958-tooth-discoloration
- https://www.123dentist.com/7-oral-health-concerns-most-common-in-seniors/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-aging-mouth-and-how-to-keep-it-younger
- https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/adults-over-60/concerns
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/whiten-teeth-naturally