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Causes of Tooth Discoloration

Discolored or yellow teeth could or could not be your fault. You can blame it on the following no matter if it is your fault or not.

The Foods You Eat

Berries, curry, cherries, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce contains a lot of pigments. These pigments will cause teeth to stain. Acidic foods also contributes to stains that are left on teeth.

What You Have To Drink
Tea, red wine, dark soft drinks, cranberry juice and coffee can cause your teeth to stain rather easily. If it can stain a carpet, it probably won’t be hard to stain your teeth. Extremely cold and extremely hot drinks will actually cause your teeth to expand and contract making them more vulnerable to staining.

Smoking
You probably know by now that smoking is one of the main causes for tooth discoloration. If you catch it early, you may be able to control it a little bit. The fact is that eventually it will find itself deeper into the enamel of your teeth leaving a permanent stain on your teeth.

Chewing Tobacco
A black/brown stain has been known to be pretty normal with people that chew tobacco. The stain is normally found on the teeth where the tobacco is stored.

Poor Dental Hygiene Routines
electric toothbrush with soft bristles
Let’s face it, healthy teeth need to be taken care of in order to keep them healthy. Brushing and flossing your teeth on a regular basis will contribute greatly to keeping your teeth healthy. Don’t forget about your regular dentist visits and periodic cleaning at the dentist office.

Brushing Your Teeth… Too Much
You’re probably thinking that this can’t be possible. Well, I hate to burst your bubble but it is! Using a hard bristled toothbrush and an abrasive toothpaste (whitening toothpaste especially) can eat the enamel off of your teeth over time. That is why you should use a soft bristled toothbrush and make sure that you don’t brush your teeth too often.

Disease and Medications
Medications such as antihistamines, antidepressants and some acne and arthritis treatments can cause tooth discolorationdue to long term use.

Antibiotics such as doxycycline and tetracycline can also cause discoloration. Young children are particularly susceptible to this side effect.

Chemotherapy can also cause tooth discoloration in some instances.

Mouth washes containing cetylpyridinium chloride or chlorhexidine can stain teeth while protecting against bacteria and bad breath germs. Talk about two sides of a sword!

Unfortunate But Ultimately Necessary Aging
As people grow older their teeth produce more stains. The enamel grows thins through years and years of wear and tear. This causes the yellow dentine layer to show through, which in turn makes teeth appear yellow and dull.

Fluoride
High fluoride levels in the water you drink can contribute to tooth discoloration. Children are especially susceptible as they can get fluorosis from swallowing many kinds of toothpaste. Fluorosis causes chalky-white patches or lines on the outer layers of the teeth.

Genetics
Some people, believe it or not, just have naturally brighter enamel than others do.

Injury
A really hard bump can cause nerve problems which can actually discolor a tooth. Whitening may temporarily whiten the outside of the tooth but this should really should be brought to a dentist’s attention.