Tooth stains - causes and treatment
INTRODUCTION
Tooth discoloration is commonly known as tooth staining. Teeth can become discolored by stains on the surface or by changes in the tooth material. Dentists divide discoloration into three main categories:
1. There are superficial stains that exist only on the surface of the teeth. Ordinary toothpastes will remove most of these. If they are more tenacious, they may need to be removed by a professional cleaning or with a stain-dissolving toothpastes.
2.There are embedded stains that have soaked into the teeth. The two worst kinds of these are tobacco stains and coffee stains. They can become quite pronounced. After a lifetime of smoking, your teeth can become a serious shade of brown. Toothpastes and professional cleanings won't remove these. These require a professional tooth whitening treatment. For these treatments, a peroxide gel is allowed to soak into your teeth for a period of time. The gel releases oxygen inside your tooth, which chemically bleaches the stain and eliminates it.
3.There are structural stains that are present from when the tooth was formed. All teeth have some degree of intrinsic color, and there are genetic variations of varying amounts of color that people have, the same as with skin color. So some people have teeth that are just naturally yellow or gray. In addition, there is a particularly nasty gray-brown color that is the result of taking the antibiotic tetracycline while your teeth are forming. These tetracycline stains are made a part of the structure of your tooth and are very difficult to bleach out.
4.Another structural stain is fluorosis teeth stain. This is caused by consuming too much fluoride, and results in white or brown spotting. This can't be treated by bleaching—the stains need to be covered with direct dental bonding or porcelain veneers.
FACTORS CAUSING TOOTH STAINS:
1.Chromogenic foods:
The term "chromogenic foods" simply refers to foods (beverages mostly) that when consumed over time have the ability to produce a staining effect on teeth. Coffee, tea, cola, and red wine are all well-known chromogenic agents.
2.Tobacco products:
The cumulative effect of the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and even smokeless tobacco can cause tooth staining.
3. Medications:
The use of some medicines can cause tooth discoloration. As an example, the antibiotic tetracycline (as well as its derivative compounds minocycline and doxycycline) is well documented as producing blue-gray tooth staining if it is ingested during those periods when tooth formation is occurring. For this reason, as a general rule pregnant women and children 8 years and under are not given tetracycline products.
It has been documented that the use of minocycline can cause tooth discoloration even in adults. Minocycline is sometimes used to treat facial skin conditions.
Fluoride is another medication that is known to cause tooth discoloration. If a child ingests excessive levels of fluoride during tooth formation tooth staining can occur. Fluoride stains can range in color from chalky white to brown.
A common way an excess of fluoride can be ingested by a child is by way of swallowing toothpaste. It's been estimated that children under the age of 5 years swallow essentially all of the toothpaste placed on their brush. A common rule suggested by dentists is to avoid the use of fluoridated toothpaste with a child until that age when they can be counted upon to reliably spit out.
4.Aging
5.Tooth decay
TREATMENT OPTIONS:
1.Using proper tooth brushing and flossing techniques
2.Avoidance of the foods and beverages that cause stains
3.Bondings
4.Veneers
5.Using over-the-counter whitening agents
Tooth discoloration is commonly known as tooth staining. Teeth can become discolored by stains on the surface or by changes in the tooth material. Dentists divide discoloration into three main categories:
1. There are superficial stains that exist only on the surface of the teeth. Ordinary toothpastes will remove most of these. If they are more tenacious, they may need to be removed by a professional cleaning or with a stain-dissolving toothpastes.
2.There are embedded stains that have soaked into the teeth. The two worst kinds of these are tobacco stains and coffee stains. They can become quite pronounced. After a lifetime of smoking, your teeth can become a serious shade of brown. Toothpastes and professional cleanings won't remove these. These require a professional tooth whitening treatment. For these treatments, a peroxide gel is allowed to soak into your teeth for a period of time. The gel releases oxygen inside your tooth, which chemically bleaches the stain and eliminates it.
3.There are structural stains that are present from when the tooth was formed. All teeth have some degree of intrinsic color, and there are genetic variations of varying amounts of color that people have, the same as with skin color. So some people have teeth that are just naturally yellow or gray. In addition, there is a particularly nasty gray-brown color that is the result of taking the antibiotic tetracycline while your teeth are forming. These tetracycline stains are made a part of the structure of your tooth and are very difficult to bleach out.
4.Another structural stain is fluorosis teeth stain. This is caused by consuming too much fluoride, and results in white or brown spotting. This can't be treated by bleaching—the stains need to be covered with direct dental bonding or porcelain veneers.
FACTORS CAUSING TOOTH STAINS:
1.Chromogenic foods:
The term "chromogenic foods" simply refers to foods (beverages mostly) that when consumed over time have the ability to produce a staining effect on teeth. Coffee, tea, cola, and red wine are all well-known chromogenic agents.
2.Tobacco products:
The cumulative effect of the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and even smokeless tobacco can cause tooth staining.
3. Medications:
The use of some medicines can cause tooth discoloration. As an example, the antibiotic tetracycline (as well as its derivative compounds minocycline and doxycycline) is well documented as producing blue-gray tooth staining if it is ingested during those periods when tooth formation is occurring. For this reason, as a general rule pregnant women and children 8 years and under are not given tetracycline products.
It has been documented that the use of minocycline can cause tooth discoloration even in adults. Minocycline is sometimes used to treat facial skin conditions.
Fluoride is another medication that is known to cause tooth discoloration. If a child ingests excessive levels of fluoride during tooth formation tooth staining can occur. Fluoride stains can range in color from chalky white to brown.
A common way an excess of fluoride can be ingested by a child is by way of swallowing toothpaste. It's been estimated that children under the age of 5 years swallow essentially all of the toothpaste placed on their brush. A common rule suggested by dentists is to avoid the use of fluoridated toothpaste with a child until that age when they can be counted upon to reliably spit out.
4.Aging
5.Tooth decay
TREATMENT OPTIONS:
1.Using proper tooth brushing and flossing techniques
2.Avoidance of the foods and beverages that cause stains
3.Bondings
4.Veneers
5.Using over-the-counter whitening agents
