Common Causes of Teeth Stains and Discoloration

There is nothing more beautiful on a person’s face than their smile. Especially when their teeth are an amazing shade of white. But even if you make an appointment with your dentist every year, you go to your local drugstore to get some whitening strips and you brush your teeth with a whitening toothpaste, you can still end up with some stains and shades of discoloration.

If you have noticed some with your own teeth lately and you’ve found yourself becoming frustrated about it, there is some good news that we have for you. The reality is that there are several things that could be causing your teeth to not be as white as you would like them to be. And if you put forth the effort to alter some of these things, you should be on the road to pearly-white smile in no time.

Here are our top five causes of teeth stains and discoloration:

Eating foods that cause stains. Did you know there are some foods that you can eat that can directly contribute to your teeth having stains on them? Some of them include berries like blueberries or blackberries and also beverages including coffee, wine, tea and dark-colored sodas. Although we’re not necessarily saying that you should go without these things, it is a good idea to drink a glass of water after consuming them. That will help to rinse the coloring from your tooth’s enamel before stains have a chance to set in.

Tobacco. If you’ve been unable to kick the smoking habit and you’re looking for just one more reason to go without doing it, we’ve got a great one: tobacco can stain your teeth. Not just when it comes to smoking tobacco either. Chewing it will lead to discoloration too.

Poor dental hygiene. A part of the reason why we were told to brush our teeth after every meal while growing up is because it helps to keep away the decay that can ultimately lead to cavities. However, another thing that good dental hygiene does is remove the residue that foods can leave behind that can also cause our teeth to stain. So, if you’re not brushing or flossing your teeth as much as you should, this may motivate you to do so.

Medications. If you happen to take some prescribed medications, being that they can alter your body’s natural chemistry, they could also be the reason behind you seeing a change in your tooth’s enamel. If you notice a drastic one, this is something that you should share with your doctor or dentist as soon as possible.

Genetics (and aging). So what if you’ve exhausted all of these options and your teeth are still not as white as you’d like them to be? Well, if you happened to consult with a dental office like Debbie Lane Dental & Orthodontics, one thing that they might tell you is that it’s due to a lack of effort on your part; it could be attributed to genetics or aging. That’s the bad news. The good news is that dentists have all kinds of methods to lighten your tooth’s enamel. Ones that can make your teeth gleam no matter what’s in your DNA or how old you may be. Awesome.