Teeth Staining
We do not all have naturally white teeth, some of us are genetically disposed to have yellow teeth while some around us seem to dazzle us with their brilliant white teeth.
It does not matter just how white our teeth are naturally, they can all be stained by the foods we eat and what we drink.
Causes Of Teeth Staining
Drinks
Without any doubt, the worse culprits are dark drinks – red wine, tea and coffee along with some sugary carbonated rinks do seem to cause the worst staining.
The obvious answer is to avoid them, but thats easier said then done… so what can we do?
One way is to drink cold drinks such as wine through a straw, it might look a bit daft but it does protect the front teeth in particular from the staining effects. Drinking or rinsing the mouth out with water after will also help minimise any staining effects.
Antibiotics
Some commonly prescribed antibiotics are really bad at staining teeth: Tetracycline and its sister product Minocycline can cause a very hard to shift bluish grey stain
There have been reports of certain antihistamines also causing staining.
Fluoride is crucial to dental care, especially in children, but if taken to excess can cause white spots on the teeth. The effects can be reduced by using a fluoride rich toothpaste every other day. If the problem is the drinking water ( some areas do have a higher fluoride content) then maybe you should consider using bottled water for drinking and for cleaning teeth.
Age and genetics of course also play a crucial part in the colour of our teeth, as we age the outer enamel does tend to wear, often exposing the more yellow under layer ( dentin) to show through the thinner more translucent enamel. If your parents had yellow teeth, its more likely that you will follow suit.
Foodstuffs
Foods that are heavily coloured are also likely to stain our teeth, dark fruits such as blue
berries, cranberries along with soy sauce are three common causes. As with drinking, if you can clean your teeth after eating or at least rinse with water, you can minimise the risk of staining.
The Golden Rule
‘If A Food Or Drink Will Stain Your Clothes – Its Likely To Stain Your Teeth’
Injury Or Trauma
Injury or trauma sustained to the teeth can cause discoloration, also certain dental procedures have also been known to darken teeth in some cases. Keeping to a good dental regime is essential, brush at least twice daily, use dental floss and visit your dental surgeon at least 6 monthly will help keep any staining to the minimum, while at the same time, ensuring optimum dental health.
Whitening Stained Teeth
There of course ways to whiten stained teeth, many dental surgeries offer whitening services that involve the use of special whitening gels that lift away staining to reveal the white enamel below, although highly effective, professional treatments like these can be prohibitive due to the high costs charged by dentists, you should expect to pay anything from £199 up to £700 depending on your location.
The high costs involved with professional treatments have triggered the development of good, effective home whitening kits, many of whom use the same methods and materials found and used in your dental surgery.,
the only difference being the cost – a good home based kit should cost less than £50 and will usually contain enough materials for numerous repeat treatments.
One top selling kit is the one supplied by UK based Smile4you, they are the UK’s approved supplier of top selling US home kit Dr Georges Dental White and provide a full range of teeth whitening products starting at just £26.99… you also get a full guarantee – up to 11 shades whiter in 14 days or less or your money back.
