Common Causes of Tooth Stains

Everybody wants to have a beautiful smile. This is because your smile has a powerful impact on the way that other people see you. If you have tooth stains, it is likely that you avoid smiling. If you do smile, you may put your hand over your mouth, or you try to smile in an awkward way so that your teeth are not seen. Obviously, stained teeth can affect the way that other people see you, it affects the way that you see yourself, it affects the opportunities that are available to you, and it affects your future outlook on life.

Your teeth can become discolored for one of two reasons. Either the outside is stained, or your teeth change color on the inside. Oral health professionals say that there are basically three types of teeth discoloration. There is the extrinsic. This is when the outer layer of your teeth gets stained. This happens when you have a lot of coffee, you drink a lot of wine, or you eat a whole container of blueberries without brushing your teeth. Other things like smoking, chewing tobacco, and eating foods with a lot of coloring can cause extrinsic tooth stains as well.

Then there is the intrinsic type of tooth discoloration. This is when something affects the inside of your teeth. The inside of your teeth takes on a dark tint or a yellow tint. Some of the reasons why this might happen are because you were exposed to too much fluoride as a child or your mother used certain antibiotics during the second trimester of her pregnancy. Or it could be that you took certain antibiotics when you were younger.

Some people have this intrinsic tooth discoloration because they had some sort of trauma to their tooth as a child, and this affects the color of the tooth on the inside. There are certain genetic congenital disorders that can cause your teeth to take on a gray or an amber color.

Another reason why your teeth may change color is just age. As we get older, things affect the external and internal appearance of our teeth. As we get older, our enamel starts to wear away. This causes the dentin underneath your teeth to show through. And this can affect the color that your teeth appear to be. As you get older, your teeth go through wear and tear, they become damaged, and all of this can change the way that your teeth look and lead to tooth stains.

Thankfully, our experienced dentists at Cascades Center for Dental Health have many tools at their disposal that are designed to help you get a white and bright smile again. During a consultation in Sterling, let us show you some of the tools that are available that can make your smile one that you will be proud to show off again. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment!