Stained Teeth

Your teeth can get stained for many reasons, the foods you eat and the liquids you drink can stain your teeth. Bad oral hygiene and also some medications can stain your teeth.

Teeth stain occurs on the surface of the tooth, and it can also happen below the tooth enamel, and some people can develop both types of stains.

Table of content

1.0 Types of tooth stains

1.1 Extrinsic teeth stains

1.2 Intrinsic teeth stains

1.3 Age-related teeth stains

2.0 Causes of teeth stains

3.0 Are my teeth white?

4.0 Teeth whitening for older adults

5.0 Why are older adults susceptible to teeth stains?

6.0 How to remove teeth stains

Types of tooth stains

Tooth stains occur when the surface of your tooth is stained, and also when there are changes in the material of your tooth. There are various types of teeth stains; some of them are:

• Extrinsic teeth stains: This type of tooth stains occur on the surface of the tooth, extrinsic tooth stains are caused when particles such as pigmented particles of foods and drinks build up in the film of protein covering the enamel.

These stains are typically caused by tobacco or by regular intake of coffee, wine, cola, or teas. Extrinsic stains have a fast response to regular dental cleaning and also responds well to daily brushing with teeth whitening toothpaste.

• Intrinsic teeth stains: This type of stains occurs below the surface of the tooth; these happen when the particles that cause stains works through the tooth’s exterior and accumulate within the enamel of the tooth.

Excessive use of fluoride, especially in little children can cause intrinsic tooth stain. It is harder to remove this type of stain, but it can be done. Its removal involves the use of bleaching products, which can be done at home or in our dental clinic at Harley Street London.

• Age-related teeth stains: This type of tooth stain combines both extrinsic and intrinsic tooth stains. This happens because the core tissues of your teeth and the dentine naturally get yellow over time.

The colour of your teeth changes and discolours as you age, the enamel that covers the tooth also becomes thinner, and this exposes the dentine.

The combined effects of intrinsic and extrinsic stains followed by the effects of certain foods, drinks, beverages, and tobacco will discolour adult teeth with age.

Causes of teeth stains

There are various causes of teeth discolouration; some of them are preventable while some are beyond our control. Below are some of the causes of teeth stains; this will enlighten you and help you avoid them.

• Foods and drinks: Some fruits and vegetables and drinks such as dark sodas, coffee, red wine, tea, etc. can discolour the teeth.
• Tobacco: Chewing and smoking tobacco can discolour your teeth.
• Oral care: Poor dental hygiene such as not brushing your teeth or flossing can also lead to teeth discolouration.
• Disease or trauma: Diseases, illnesses, and trauma that affect the development of enamel in children while the teeth are developing can cause teeth discolouration.

Trauma can also cause discolouration to adult teeth.

• Medical treatment: Some treatment options can stain your teeth; these include high blood pressure medications, antihistamines, antipsychotic medications, exposure to radiations, chemotherapy, etc.

You have to know the type of stain you are dealing with before you can remove it effectively.Our dentists at Harley Street London can help figure out the kind of teeth stain and proffer suitable solutions to aid in the removal of the stain.

Are my teeth white?

The colour of the teeth is subjective, and it is difficult to tell how effective teeth-whitening products are in reducing or removing teeth stains. A study published in the journal of dentistry showed that even experts disagreed on the tooth colour when evaluating the same teeth.

Also, a professional rated the whiteness of the same tooth differently on several occasions. One suitable method of determining the effectiveness of whitening products is to take a high-resolution digital image of the teeth and assign numerical values describing the whitening effects in three ways:

• Decrease in yellowness
• Decrease in redness
• Increase in lightness.

Teeth whitening for older adults

The colour of your teeth changes with age; age-related discolouration is one of the main cause of teeth stains.

Why are older adults susceptible to teeth stains?

As you advance in age, the outer layer of your enamel will get thinner over time, thereby revealing the natural yellow colour of the core tissues (the dentine) of your teeth.

The dentine also gets yellow naturally with age. This is caused by years of drinking teas, coffee, sodas, wine, and dark sodas. Injuries or damages to the teeth can also change the colour of your teeth when it occurs over time throughout your life.

How to remove teeth stains

There are many treatment options for teeth stains such as teeth whitening; you can also prevent teeth stains by practising a consistent oral routine which will keep your mouth clean and healthy.

You also brush twice daily and floss, visit your dentist twice yearly and limit your intake of teeth-staining drinks. These will help you maintain white teeth and also make it whiter and brighter.

There are many safe teeth-whitening products you can get over-the-counter to whiten your teeth, and they are useful no matter the type of teeth discolouration you have.

They will brighten your teeth and give you a beautiful smile. We can recommend the most effective teeth-whitening products that will suit you and will be safe for you. This will remove teeth stains and give you whiter teeth.

You can contact us and book an appointment for teeth stains and other dental problems, we are a team of experienced dentists located in Harley Street London and give our customers very good treatments.

We will also handle your case confidentially and work closely with you until you get the desired result. Call us or visit us at our office at Harley Street London and allow us to help you.

We are located at Harley Street, London. You can reach us on 02071834091. We are always glad to help!