Do you wish you had sparkling white teeth? We know tough-to-remove stains can be frustrating, especially if you don’t know what is causing them! At Caputo Dental, we offer the Zoom! Whitening treatment, which makes your teeth up to 10 shades whiter in only an hour. This professional whitening treatment can help you with even the toughest stains, even those caused by these surprising factors below.
1. Age-Related Stains
There a couple reasons why you might experience discoloration on your teeth as you age. Dentin, the layer of tissue under your enamel, yellows naturally over time. At the same time, your dental enamel thins as you age. This allows the yellowing dentin to show through, making your teeth appear discolored.
2. Smoking
There are two components in cigarettes that do quite a bit of damage to the appearance of your smile. The first is nicotine, which appears clear at first. However, when it comes in contact with oxygen, it turns into a shade of yellow. The next is tar, which leaves a brown and black stain to your teeth. These harmful substances get trapped in the nooks and crannies of your dental enamel, making it difficult to remove them.
3. Certain Foods/Drinks
It may come as no surprise to you that certain foods and drinks can affect the color of your teeth. Coffee, tea, and wine are some of the more famous culprits. Soda and sugary energy drinks are also quite harmful to the teeth. More surprisingly, though, are certain acidic foods that can make an impact. You may want to avoid acidic fruits—such as berries, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits— as well as curry, tomato sauce, and vinegar.
4. Excess Fluoride
While fluoride is often found in your drinking water and can strengthen your teeth, sometimes there is too much of a good thing! If you ingest too much water while your teeth are forming (more than 2 parts of fluoride per million parts of water), your teeth may have a speckled or mottled look to them.
5. Medication
Did you know that certain medications can actually impact the coloration of your teeth? If you were treated with the antibiotic tetracycline at any time before your eighth birthday, or your mother used the medication during the second half of her pregnancy, it can make your teeth less sparkling white.
6. Trauma
Whether you experienced physical impact to the tooth as a young child or as an adult, the trauma could impact the color of your teeth. As a child, if you were to fall on your tooth, it could damage the permanent tooth that is forming beneath the surface. As an adult, though, discoloration to your tooth typically results from internal bleeding that discolors the tooth. Ultimately, this can turn your tooth into a brown, grey, or black color.
7. Illnesses and Treatments
Illness and disease can unfortunately also be the culprit of discoloration to your teeth. Gum disease can affect the color of your teeth, particularly around the gum line. Also, certain medications can have an effect. For example, chemotherapy and radiation is known for making your teeth less white.
8. Poor Dental Hygiene
Lastly, a discoloration to your teeth may simply be the result of poor dental hygiene. When lacking in proper brushing and flossing techniques, the teeth are more susceptible to gum disease, tooth decay, and more—leaving a yellowing effect around the edge of the gums.
Want to schedule your professional whitening treatment? Contact Caputo Dental in Naperville today!