What Can Be Done About Stained Teeth?

The sparkle of a youthful smile may not last forever, but our Chelmsford dentists can help restore it!

It is said that death and taxes are two inevitables in life. We would add a third, and that is the fact that your teeth will lose their sparkle as you become older.

This is due to a natural process where the dentin layer beneath the enamel becomes darker over time and makes your teeth appear more dull. There is little that can be done to avoid this and it is as inevitable as the wrinkles that will develop as we age.

As we will see later, although these both occur naturally, there are treatments available at Blue Sky Dental which can enable us to bring back that youthful white smile. Indeed, we can also help with your wrinkles too. Please take a look at our facial aesthetics page for more information about that.

Before we look at any treatments though, let us take a look at why our teeth become stained and discoloured over time. We have covered the internal tooth discolouration above, but let us now take a look at some other ways that our teeth become discoloured.

Smoking

One of the most significant ways that teeth become heavily stained is through smoking. The tar from the smoke is a very sticky substance and much of it will stick to your teeth (and also your lungs!). Heavier smokers especially can expect to have teeth that become very yellow or even brown over time. Even good quality brushing will not remove this and you will need to receive cosmetic dental treatment if you wish to restore their colour once you have finally stopped smoking.

Teeth staining food and drinks

The list of food and drinks that can cause tooth staining is too extensive to list in full here, but there are several that are commonly consumed and which you might wish to consider either quitting or at least cutting down on. These include:

• Tea
• Coffee
• Colas
• Red wine
• Soy sauce
• Blueberries
• Curry

There are many more of course and it is almost impossible to avoid all of them. Making sure that you brush well will help, and we are always here to help when you feel that your teeth are not as white as you would like them to be.

Enamel erosion

One product that isn’t mentioned on the above list, but which is likely to significantly contribute to discolouration is the widely available range of energy drinks. While these in themselves do not stain, they contain high acidity levels that can damage the tooth enamel, causing it to erode and also form a rough surface. It is this roughness that helps food and drinks stain your teeth as it becomes trapped in the tiny surface pits of your teeth. In addition to tooth discolouration, this may also lead to sensitive teeth and even tooth decay. It is best to avoid these drinks as much as possible.

Tooth trauma

If your tooth suffers a blow when playing sports or during a fall, it can become damaged. Even if there is no breakage to the tooth, the trauma can cause damage to the blood vessels and nerves in the tooth leading to the pulp material in the tooth dying. When this happens, it can release substances that cause the tooth to become darker in colour.

Genetics

Sometimes, it won’t matter what you do for your teeth and they may become discoloured more easily anyway. One possible reason for this is our genes. The fact is that some people are genetically predisposed to having thinner tooth enamel than others. The thinner the enamel, the more translucent it is and the darker dentin beneath it will show through sooner than in those with thicker enamel.

How can we help?

As you can see above, there are a range of reasons why your teeth lose their early sparkle and the treatment that you might need to improve this will depend on the situation. One thing that we do recommend to everyone, is that you have regular check ups with one of our Chelmsford dentists and also see the dental hygienist twice a year for a scale and polish. Both of these will help to reduce the risk of discolouration through better oral health.

Where your teeth have become discoloured, there are two key procedures that we can use to help. The teeth whitening procedure is now widely used and is an affordable and non-invasive treatment that can be used to maintain a good level of whiteness over a long period of time as it can be repeated as often as needed.

Where teeth are more heavily stained, such as in a smoker, porcelain veneers can be fitted to replace the stained enamel. This is a very effective and long lasting solution although it does require a more invasive treatment than teeth whitening.

If you are unhappy with your stained teeth, we recommend that you consult one of our cosmetic dentists who can examine your teeth and make appropriate recommendations. If you would like to book an appointment for this, please call Blue Sky Dental on 01245 211070.