Have you ever wondered, “Why are my teeth yellow?” or do you think neglected health problems could be the cause of your discoloured teeth? Tooth discolouration happens when your normal tooth colour changes or develops dark or white spots. However, there is more to yellow teeth than meets the eye because it goes hand-in-hand with halitosis or underlying health problems you overlooked.
What Causes Tooth Discolouration?
Lifestyle habits can contribute to tooth discolouration, including:
- Smoking: Nicotine and tar from tobacco penetrate the tooth enamel, which stains the teeth.
- Foods & Beverage: Some foods or drinks cause teeth staining, such as tea, coffee, red wine, fruit juices, curry, soy sauce, berries, balsamic vinegar and some starchy foods like potatoes or pasta!
Dental health issues, including:
- Disease: There are diseases that affect enamel and dentin and can cause changes to your natural teeth colour, such as celiac disease, gum disease, periodontitis and diabetes. Also, specific treatments like chemotherapy and neck radiation affect enamel development.
- Medications: For children, using doxycycline and antibiotics tetracycline can discolour teeth. Antipsychotic drugs, antihistamines (like Benadryl) and high blood pressure drugs for adults stain teeth.
- Poor oral hygiene: Not adhering to your regular dental visit will turn your normal teeth colour to yellow, which also causes cavities and gingivitis.
- Hereditary: Like your eye colour, having teeth with a yellowish appearance can be inherited.
- Aging: The translucency of the tooth that makes it white decreases as you age.
- Trauma: Sports injury or other impact alters blood flow, damaging the nerve or enamel formation.
- Environment: Excessive use of mouthwash fluoride applications, toothpaste or exposure to high water fluoride levels causes white spots on your teeth.
How to Prevent Tooth Discolouration
Taking care of your teeth is all about changing your current lifestyle into healthy habits that benefit your teeth and overall health. Here are some tips to limit teeth yellowing:
- Quit smoking and drinking caffeinated beverages.
- Drink water regularly, especially between meals, to partially remove the particles orally.
- Follow a healthy diet with leafy vegetables, cheese, nuts, yogurt and other fibre-rich foods that can strengthen the teeth.
- Maintain good dental hygiene by brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day.
- Visit your dental professionals at least every six months.
Tooth Discolouration Treatments
Different whitening treatment options are available depending on the cause of discolouration and the patient’s medical background. These include:
- An instant whitening procedure is to use veneers done by your prosthodontist or dentist, which are placed over the entire front tooth.
- Dental bonding is a cosmetic procedure that is quick and effective for repairing damaged teeth.
- Apply over-the-counter teeth whitening products such as strips, trays, toothpaste and gels.
- Use in-home whitening kits purchased from reliable dental professionals.
- Opt for in-office whitening procedures if your teeth appear to have abnormal colour despite your best-practised oral hygiene for a while.
Get a Brighter Smile Now!
If you have already honed your lifestyle habits and stuck to your oral hygiene, but there are still no changes, it is time to seek professional help.
SmileBar is the best place to be when it comes to tooth discolouration. We offer high-quality, safe and effective teeth whitening treatments with a state-of-the-art dental whitening machine that will ensure a brighter smile in just five simple steps! You can visit one of our branches in four cities; Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Gold Coast.
You deserve a beautiful white smile. So, contact us today for a free initial assessment.
