Tooth Discoloration

What is Tooth Discoloration?

Tooth discoluation is the staining or darkening of your teeth. Discoloured teeth might arise for various different reasons. Certain factors, like aging, trauma, or illness, are inevitable. Other problems like smoking and inadequate dental cleanliness are avoidable. There are two main types of tooth discoloration:

Extrinsic discoloration

This kind of discolouration, extrinsic, influences the enamel, exterior surface of your teeth. Some meals and liquids as well as some environmental elements create naturally discolored teeth.

Intrinsic discoloration

Starting inside your tooth, intrinsic discolouration affects your dentin, the layer under your enamel. Among the causes include certain drugs and oral damage.

Possible Causes

From what most often occurring causes discolored teeth? Discoloured teeth can result from many factors. A few things can be avoided. Others are unavoidable.

Avoidable causes of tooth discolouration consist in:

Dark-coloured foods and beverages

Things like coffee, tea, berries, red wine, and soy sauce can stain your teeth over time.

Smoking and other tobacco use

Studies show that those who smoke have more tooth discolouration than those who don't.

Poor oral hygiene

Dirt sticks to tooth plaque. You run increased risk of developing discolored teeth if you neglect to remove plaque by consistent brushing and flossing.

Excessive fluoride

Fluoride is a great strategy to guard your teeth against cavities in reasonable dosages. Still, those who used large amounts of fluoride in childhood might get fluorosis, a disorder marked by white spots on tooth enamel. Unavoidable tooth discoloration causes include:

Genetics

Individual differences abound in natural tooth color, brightness, and translucency.

Dental trauma

Trauma resulting from falls, car collisions and sports-related injuries can lead to discolouration.

Aging

Your tooth enamel thines as you age. This brings more of the yellowish-hued underlying dentin to light. Your teeth could thus seem rather more discolored as you become older.

Dental treatments

Certain dental materials, such silver amalgam used in metal fillings, might cause your teeth to seem grayish in hue. Sometimes root canal treatment might also result in tooth discolouration.

Certain diseases

Among the several health illnesses that cause teeth discolouration are liver disease, celiac disease, calcium shortage, eating disorders, and metabolic diseases.

Certain medications

Teeth discolouration can arise from some pharmaceuticals, including some antihistamines and treatments for high blood pressure. Adults who took tetracycline or doxycycline (both medicines) throughout childhood may also experience tooth discolouration.

Cancer treatments

Chemotherapy or head and neck radiation therapy can cause tooth discoloration.

What Can You Do To Get Rid of Stains?

Many products and treatments exist to whiten your teeth and either completely remove or lessen discoloration look. There are three main general groups for teeth whitening choices:

In-office treatment

Usually, your dentist will whiten teeth using a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide than with at-home treatments. Usually lasting longer than other techniques, in-office therapy acts fast.

At-home treatments recommended by your dentist

Certain dentists can create bespoke trays for your at-home whitening treatment. Added to the tray, whitening gel is applied either as advised by your dentist or according to package directions.

Over-the-counter products

While whitening strips and toothpaste can help with surface stains, they are far less successful on internal stains found within your teeth.

Visit your dentist also for routine teeth cleanings. Often, regular visits and cleanings help to lessen the look of stains and spots.

When should you see a dentist?

See your dentist if you observe a change in the color of your teeth and a whitening solution does not improve things.

Should only one tooth be discolored, this could be the result of an internal dental damage or cavity. The outcome is probably better the sooner your dentist treats these kinds of problems. See your dentist twice a year for normal checks to maintain optimum health of your teeth. Usually, issues are found in these visits. Early therapy can assist to avoid the problem from getting more complicated.

Article By: Dr Harindren Subramaniam - Dentalpro - Dental Specialist Centre