This article presented by your Vancouver dentist at Enhance Dental Center!
The Most Common Causes of Tooth Discoloration and Tooth Staining
In today’s society, a big bright white smile is a sign of good health and good fortune. Everywhere we turn, there are blindingly white smile staring back at us – from magazines, from the TV, and even from people we run into in our everyday life. You may be asking yourself, how is it possible to have such a high watt smile?
While a certain portion of the population are born with the ‘perfect grill’ and owe their smiles to genetics, it’s more likely that these crazy white smiles looking back at you have had some ‘help’. There are many different types of cosmetic enhancements that can deliver the look you are seeing. These include different types of bleaching products; whitening products; dental caps and veneers – the list goes on. It’s important to keep in mind that these types of products can be expensive and time consuming.
So how can you keep your teeth their whitest and brightest without spending a ton of money? The obvious answer is good oral hygiene. Regular brushing, flossing and professional dental cleanings will help maintain your pearly whites. But there are other reasons, some within your control, and some outside of your control that can lead to discoloration.
Here are some of the most common causes of tooth discoloration and staining:
Genetics
Just as those with perfect teeth can thank genetics, so can those who come from a family of ‘bad teeth’. Most likely, if you suffer from some type of chronic dental issue or even just discoloration that isn’t caused by anything obvious, it’s likely that others in your family are in the same boat.
Age
Yellowing of the teeth is part of the natural progression we go through as we age. Tooth enamel will begin to wear away and become thinner. This will make the teeth seem to be somewhat translucent, allowing the natural yellow color of the tooth’s dentin (the soft inner material of your teeth) to show through, giving a yellowish appearance to the teeth.
Trauma, Diseases and Health Conditions
Trauma
If a tooth experiences an injury, bleeding can occur in the pulp chamber of the tooth, which can seep into the tooth dentin, causing staining and discoloration. Depending on the severity of the staining, this discoloration can be seen through the tooth enamel.
If such an injury is experienced by a child, this disturbance in the tooth enamel can become permanent and even occur when ‘adult’ teeth come in.
Diseases and Health Conditions
There are several diseases and health conditions that can have a negative impact on your tooth enamel dentin. A good example is gastric reflux. Gastric reflux is a condition where stomach acids seep back up the esophagus and can sometimes regurgitate into the mouth. This exposes the teeth to the stomach acid, leading to a breakdown of the enamel.
Another common health condition is morning sickness in pregnant women. For the same reason gastric reflux can cause discoloration, so can morning sickness when it leads to repeated vomiting.
Eating disorders can cause much damage to the teeth. As above, anytime the teeth are exposed to stomach acids (as in the case of repeated vomiting), damage can occur. Additionally, those who suffer from an eating disorder often do not get enough of the vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain strong healthy teeth. One of the results of this can be discoloration of the teeth.
Medications and Medical Treatments
Certain medications, such as antibiotics, can lead to tooth discoloration. Most commonly, these drugs will negatively impact the teeth when they are prescribed to children whose teeth are still developing (generally before the age of eight). Other medications including blood pressure medicines, anti-psychotic drugs, and antihistamines can all cause tooth discoloration.
Medical treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy can cause also cause discoloration.
Dental Materials
If you’ve had a lot of dental work, some of the materials used may be causing discoloration. Restorative materials in particular (silver amalgam fillings) can cast a darkish shadow or color to the teeth.
Food and Drinks
It goes without saying that what we eat and drink can have a huge impact on the color of our teeth.
Here is a list of the most common culprits:
– Red and white wine
– Coffee
– Tea
– Different types of cola
– Beets
– Potatoes
– Fruits such as apples, red grapes, pomegranates, cherries etc.
– Acidic sports drinks
– Berries such as blueberries, blackberries, cranberries etc.
– Dark sauces such as soy sauce, tomato sauce, curry sauce etc.
– Brightly colored candy such as chewing gum, hard candies, lozenges etc.
– Juice
– Some types of vinegars
– Popsicles
The list goes on. While it’s obvious that eating these types of dark or brightly colored foods and drinks can cause staining, what you may not know is that even foods that don’t appear intensely colored, can cause your teeth to stain. The acidic content of certain foods and drinks can damage your teeth in such a way that you may not even be aware of it. White wine is a good example of this. The acidic content of white wine is very high and can actually etch tiny grooves into your teeth making the more porous, which will lead to staining by other foods and drinks.
Tobacco Products
Another obvious cause of discoloration and staining is the use of tobacco products. Smoking or chewing any type of tobacco product will cause yellowing of your teeth, due to the high content of a variety of staining chemicals in the tobacco.
Steps you Can Take to Prevent Staining and Discoloration
As noted, good dental hygiene practices including brushing and flossing twice daily, and regular visits to the dental hygienist can help keep your teeth looking as bright and clean as possible.
If you consume any of the foods listed above, it’s wise to do some extra brushing and flossing, or at the very least, rinsing, immediately after consumption. This will help to wash away the staining residue from your teeth.
If you smoke, the obvious thing is to quit, but if you are unable to, again, lots of brushing, flossing and rinsing will help cut down on the discoloration.
We hope you’ve enjoyed another dental article written by your local, Vancouver dentist!
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