Tooth Discolouration

Tooth discolouration occurs when a tooth gets dark stains on its enamel, or when the whole tooth becomes darker.

Reasons why teeth become darker or become stained

• Tobacco use.
• Certain foods like coffee, tea, and red wine.
• Acidic soft drinks slowly demineralise the white enamel of teeth, making them more yellow with time.
• Poor oral hygiene.
• Certain diseases can affect the enamel and the dentin of the teeth.
• Certain medications that children take during the formation of their adult teeth, such as tetracycline or doxycycline. These same medications can discolour the child's teeth if they are taken while the mother is pregnant.
• Mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine can discolour teeth.
• Grey amalgam fillings can stain a restored tooth.
• With age, the enamel of teeth becomes thinner, revealing the yellowish color of dentin.
• Heredity, where some people have a thinner layer of enamel than others do.
• Excessive ingestion of fluoride (fluorosis).
• Dental traumas that can disturb the formation of children's teeth, or cause the necrosis of the adult tooth, making it greyer.

Available treatments to get teeth whiter

• Tooth whitening.
• Composite or porcelain veneers.

Dental Problems

Abscess Broken Fillings Bruxism Cavity Denture Irritation Fluorosis Gum Disease Halitosis Jaw Problems Malocclusion Oral Cancers Plaque Tartar Tooth Discolouration Tooth Sensitivity Ulcer Xerostomia

References