Many of us strive to keep our teeth looking pearly white. But over time, teeth can form dark stains, turn yellow, or otherwise diminish in color. And if you feel unhappy about the way your smile appears, you can suffer a serious blow to your overall confidence.
Your dentist can help you enhance your smile’s appearance. But you can also fight to preserve your tooth color when you understand what can cause these teeth stains in the first place. Read on to learn three of the primary reasons you may develop discoloration on your teeth.
Foods and Drinks with Staining Agents
Your diet plays a major role in your well-being, your oral health, and the appearance of your teeth. Certain foods and beverages will contain tannins, a naturally occurring substance that gives these items a dark color. But consuming tannins will allow them to transfer and absorb into your tooth enamel.
Then you can see dark stains form on your teeth as a result. These will not scrub away with your usual oral hygiene routine. Some efforts like sipping through a straw can reduce the likelihood of dental discoloration, but they will not eliminate the risk entirely.
So pay attention to your diet and your smile. If you do see stains accruing on your teeth, ask your dentist about teeth whitening solutions that can make your smile bright again.
Untreated Dental Problems
Dental discoloration might present as a symptom of a larger dental problem. For instance, cavities can appear as a white, brown, or black spot on the tooth where bacteria has decayed the enamel. Your dentist can treat the cavity and fill the resulting hole with a tooth-colored resin filling to resolve the issue.
Problems with the tooth pulp might make the tooth appear duller in color. If an injury makes the pulp non-vital, disrupting the blood flow to the tooth, then the discoloration points to vulnerability to infections and other concerns.
Do not ignore changes in your tooth color. They could signify serious issues in your oral health that will require intervention from your dentist to eradicate. Contact your dentist with any questions or concerns.
Factors Beyond Patient Control
Stains on your teeth can also occur for reasons outside of your control, such as aging. When you get older, your enamel will weaken, making your teeth vulnerable to discoloration along with other dental problems. Certain medicines can turn teeth yellow as a side effect.
To protect the color of your teeth, visit your dentist on a regular basis. They will offer you preventative dental care that will preserve the look and feel of your smile. Then the teeth can better resist stain formation, ensuring long-lasting brightness in your smile.
Schedule your routine dentist appointment today in Silver Spring, MD by calling 301.637.0960 or reaching our front office staff online. The dentist can also help you find individualized cosmetic dental treatments to boost your tooth color if needed.