WHAT CAUSES TEETH STAINS and HOW DO I GET RID OF THEM

What is a tooth stain

Tooth discoloration or tooth stains are very common occurrences that can happen to anyone for a variety of reasons. Staining foods and beverages are the main contributors to this problem. However, there are other factors that might cause tooth discoloration such as smoking, tooth damage, aging, and prescription drugs…etc. The good news is that many of these stains are treatable and in fact preventable.
The difficulty with these stains is that they degrade the appearance of your teeth and also compromise the integrity of the surface in some cases. Some of these stains are not even on the surface even though they appear so, however, they can also be beneath the tooth enamel. This article will help you learn everything there is to know about tooth discoloration, including its forms, causes, and remedies.

• Tobacco use: The staining agents in food and beverages are called chromogens, which are composed of pigment molecules that are very strong. They have the ability to latch on to the tooth enamel and cause stain. Acidity of the food can also play a role. As this can temporarily soften your teeth, making it easier for these chromogens to latch on to the dental enamel and create either permanently or temporarily. Another contributor that can be found in foods is called the tannins that can typically found in tea and have the power to boost the effects of the chromogens to latch itself on the enamel. Intensely colored foods, such as berries, grapes, and pomegranates can stain your teeth. Curry, soy sauce, tomato sauce and other intensely colored sauces are also known to stain teeth.
• Tobacco use: Nicotine and tar in tobacco easily absorbs into the small pores in teeth causing a brownish yellow discoloration. When it interacts with oxygen, it turns yellow. As this being so, even the electronic cigarettes with nicotine infused will have the same effect as will chewing tobacco.
• Poor dental hygiene: Not keeping up with your dental hygiene regimen daily could lead to many dental problems as well as periodontal issues. Also it is very much encouraged to get routine check-ups and cleaning at least with 6 monthly intervals with your local dentist or hygienist.

• Disease: Diseases that interfere with the integrity of the tooth enamel itself can lead to discoloration such as liver disease, calcium deficiency, celiac disease…etc. Pregnancy can also be a contributor factor to tooth discolouration especially in the presence of infection.
• Tobacco use: Nicotine and tar in tobacco easily absorbs into the small pores in teeth causing a brownish yellow discoloration. When it interacts with oxygen, it turns yellow. As this being so, even the electronic cigarettes with nicotine infused will have the same effect as will chewing tobacco.
• Medications: The use of certain drugs discolor teeth not only for developing children but also adults. The antibiotics for example, can severely affect enamel formation in children under the age of 6. Mouthwashes with chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium chloride can also contribute to staining for both natural teeth and also for dental prosthetics such as crowns and veneers. Antihistamines, antipsychotic drugs and antihypertensive medications also can cause staining in teeth.
• Dental treatments: Dental fillings with amalgam restorations, especially silver sulfide-containing ones, and root canal treatments themselves can give a gray-black cast to your teeth.

• Aging: As we age, the outer layer of enamel on our teeth gets worn away exposing the yellow dentin underneath. The dentin also grows with age, which decreases the size of the pulp. As the less the translucency of your teeth, the darker they will look.
• Tobacco use: Nicotine and tar in tobacco easily absorbs into the small pores in teeth causing a brownish yellow discoloration. When it interacts with oxygen, it turns yellow. As this being so, even the electronic cigarettes with nicotine infused will have the same effect as will chewing tobacco.
• Genetics: Genetics also play a big role in determining how strong one’s enamel is as well as its color. So you may be prone to receiving stains due to your genetic predisposition as opposed to the next person who consumes the same foods and drinks as you.
• Environment: If taken too much fluoride as a child either from environmental sources (high fluoride levels in water) or from excessive use of (toothpastes) can cause fluorosis, which creates white spots on teeth.
• Trauma: During sports, you may get in the mouth and the trauma can discolor your teeth when the impact causes blood flow to decrease to the tooth or the nerve to die for which intraoral bleaching will be necessary.

It is important to acknowledge that treatment options depend on many things and not everyone is a candidate for every whitening method. The type of stain you have determines how many shades lighter your tooth will whiten or if at all.

• Professional whitening can be performed by a dentist who uses professional whitening agents to speed the whitening process. The dentist will apply a hydrogen peroxide solution with a special light to accelerate the bleaching process. At-home whitening is also an option, however the results will not be as dramatic as a professional one. Also the procedure is safe in the hands of a skilled dentist.
• Dental bonding is a procedure in which your dentist applies a white resin on top of your tooth which can be in any color and hardens it with a special curing light to bond the resin to the tooth to improve the color .
• Dental crowns are placed to protect, cover and restore protruding or damaged teeth which can whiten your entire smile. You can customize a crown’s color to match your other teeth or if you choose to have crowns for your entire smile line, the teeth that are showing when you smile, you can choose any color you desire.
• Dental veneers are porcelain nail-like shapes designed to cover the front of the tooth to improve the color and shape of your smile. This can be as transformational as getting crowns if you choose to have your entire smile line covered.