6 common causes of yellowing/staining of teeth

Its no wonder that everyone prefers to have pearly white teeth and a bright smile. However, in reality most of us realize that our teeth do have a yellowish tinge, the degree of which again varies from individual to individual. We the team of best dentists in Chennai consider it our duty to enlighten everyone about the reasons why teeth develop staining. Please continue reading to find out the 6 most common causes of yellowing / staining of teeth and the ways to prevent them.

AGEING

Our teeth are covered by an outer layer called Enamel which is colourless and is of varying thickness. Just underneath the enamel is a softer layer called Dentin, which is yellowish in colour. As a normal ageing process enamel tends to slowly wear out thereby thinning down becoming more translucent and revealing the yellow colour of the underlying Dentin. Hence it is not uncommon for one to realise that their teeth tend to become more yellow with ageing. Ageing is inevitable; however, we can prevent the wearing out of enamel that occurs by other means like forceful brushing, excessive grinding of teeth etc.

FOOD

Foods that contain artificial colouring agents do tend to stain the teeth. We have seen coloured candies and popsicles stain our tongue very obviously, hence these can also cause staining of teeth. Best is to try and avoid all food that contain artificial colours. Foods like dark curries and sauces too can stain teeth. Sometimes even healthy foods like beetroot and berries can even stain the teeth. It is not necessary to completely avoid such healthy food, but we can probably limit the intake to reduce their staining effect.

DRINKS

Drinks like black coffee/tea and dark chocolate contain substance like tannins which are known to stain teeth. Limiting intake of these beverages to 1-2 cups a day is a safe practise to reduce their colouring effect. Red wine and acidic drinks like colas also have a colouring effect especially because of the presence of acids in them. It is best to avoid such drinks

SMOKING

Smoking is a known hazardous habit that mainly affects the lungs. Nicotine and tar seen in cigarettes are known culprits to cause obvious staining of teeth. It is in the best overall interest of an individual to completely abstain from smoking

TOBACCO CHEWING

Tobacco chewing in any form causes extensive staining of teeth apart from being a known carcinogenic (cancer causing) habit. Apart from the effect of direct staining, constant chewing also wears out the enamel thereby indirectly also causing darkening of teeth. There are more reasons than these why one should completely quit tobacco.

MEDICATIONS

Certain drugs are known to stain the teeth internally. Most common amongst them is tetracyclines which especially when consumed by a pregnant mother tends to stain the teeth of the child. So, it is better to avoid drugs like tetracycline during pregnancy and also during the early formative years of the child

While few of the above mentioned reasons are inevitable, a majority of these can be self controlled/prevented, and combined with good oral hygiene practice, one can ensure they maintain their “Bright Healthy Smile”

Dental bleaching – pros and cons – which one to choose

There are different approaches to whiten the teeth like using a whitening toothpaste, in-office dental bleaching, use of bleaching strips and the gold standard home bleach using custom made trays and a bleaching gel. Each of these methods have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Teeth whitening or teeth bleaching is probably the most common and sought after dental cosmetic procedures. Achieving a brighter healthier looking smile is no doubt an attractive prospect everyone would want. But there are several doubts that could choke one’s mind when determining the best method to bleach their teeth.

WHITENING TOOTH PASTES

Whitening toothpastes contain more of abrasives that tend to remove only the surface stains, but more importantly might end up damaging the outer surface of enamel. Few of these pastes may contain a bleaching agent, but even if so the amount of time the ingredient is in contact with the teeth is too less to produce any noticeable effect.

Advantages: Easy to use and cost effective

Disadvantages: Ineffective and can be damaging to the enamel

BLEACHING STRIPS

Bleaching strips contain chemicals like carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. So, while using the bleaching strips there is an inadvertent possibility of these chemicals coming in contact with the soft tissue like the gums, resulting in soreness, burning sensation etc that might last for some time. Moreover, they may not adapt well to the curvatures of teeth and so the results may not appear uniform

Advantages: Easy and convenient to use

Disadvantages: Varying results and possible injury to soft tissues

PROFESSIONAL OFFICE BLEACHING

Professional bleaching is a procedure where your dentist applies a 25-40% concentration of the bleaching agents on to the surface of your teeth and might activate them using light or laser. This is a faster method as the whole procedure would get over in about 45 – 60 minutes. But however due to the higher concentration of the agents used some people with sensitive teeth might experience unbearable sensitivity.

Advantages: Faster results, monitored by the doctor

Disadvantages: Very expensive, unpleasant or unbearable experience sometimes and the results don’t last longer

HOME BLEACH

This is a procedure where the dentist makes impressions of your teeth and prepares a tray that correctly fits your teeth and gives bleaching gels to be used at home. The patient has to load the gel on to the tray and wear it on to their teeth (as tutored by the dentist) for 4-6 hours a day for a period of 10-14 days. The bleaching agents are of lesser concentration and so usually there is very less chances of increased sensitivity felt by the patient and the gradual bleaching process produces more effective and more lasting results

Advantages: Very effective, less or no unpleasant experience, more affordable, user friendly

Disadvantages: Takes time (7-14 days) to achieve the results

Although an individual is free to choose the method best suited to him/her, considering all the factors we the team of best dentists in Chennai, at DT Smile Care, would recommend a slow, gradual and harmless way to bleach the teeth, that also produces longer lasting results like the HOME BLEACH