Stain Causes
The field of cosmetic dentistry, take home tooth whitening gels, and many other OTC whitening products are becoming more and more popular. People are wanting bright white perfect smile more and more every day. Some look to just whitening and some need teeth straightened or fixing a chipped or broken tooth. Let examine some of the root causes of teeth stains.
One of the most common causes revolves around what a person eats or drinks. There are many foods and drinks that will cause teeth to darken. A few of the most common culprits are colas and coffee. Other tooth strainers are wines and tea. There are also foods that are acidic which can also cause teeth to stain like carrots and oranges. When you eat this foods the enamel of the tooth erodes and the yellow dentin in the tooth begins to show.
Before sticking that cigarette, pipe or cigar into your mouth know that nicotine will leave brown deposits on the enamel which will soak into the tooth and leave a nasty stain. When you chew chewing tobacco this will also accelerate the stain darkening process of your teeth.
Prescription drugs also play a part in teeth darkening. One of the meds that doctors used to prescribe was tetracycline which was used as an antibiotic at an early age affects early tooth formation. These are the types of internal stains that are very hard to remove.
People who grind their teeth at night will also develop cracks over the years. These cracks will generally fill with a lot of debris and will eventually turn dark and become stained.
Where you get your genes from also plays a big part in how much or little your teeth stain. The thinner more translucent your teeth are the more you’ll see the yellow dentin and have more cracks in your teeth.
The general age and habits are the biggest factors when it comes to teeth stains. When you age the stains get deeper and more internal and take more work to reverse which will end up costing more money. If stains can not be removed and if money isn’t an issue for you then getting porcelain veneers will do the trick.
Keep in mind that most teeth whitening gels will lighten teeth to a degree and they are pretty simple to use so at least give them a shot.