Why do teeth turn yellow? Causes and treatment methods

In our culture, the standard of beauty is a snow-white smile. In fact, healthy, strong teeth are yellowish. The minerals in the hard tissues give them not only their strength, but also their yellowish hue. If pigmentation gets out of control, instead of a healthy shade of enamel, we get completely unattractive yellow teeth. This is not only an aesthetic problem, but also a psychological one. A person with yellow stains on the teeth is embarrassed to smile, prefers not to enter into conversations, becomes withdrawn. Dentists pay a lot of attention to the problem, developing new and new methods of brightening the enamel.

Why teeth turn yellow

It all starts with a small plaque. After eating and drinking, a thin film – pellicle – settles on the enamel. Bacteria begin to multiply on its surface, forming plaque. No brush can remove it completely. A dental plaque is formed, prone to staining under the influence of pigments, drugs, resins.

Alas, plaque is not the only cause of yellowing, there are others:

Each person’s enamel color is different. There are congenital diseases that are accompanied by enamel defects (amologenesis, marble disease). Dark shade can be inherited from nature, just like the color of the eyes or the shape of the nose.

• Foods

Through pores in the enamel, pigments from food penetrate the dentin, changing its color. Coffee, black tea, dark berries, and red wine are at the top of the list. However, there are foods whose ability to color dentin we do not even suspect. Green tea, for example, or vegetables containing carotene: carrots, tomatoes, spinach. A yellow tint can be given by water if there is too much fluoride in it.

• Medications and filling materials

Some antibiotics, the most famous of which is tetracycline, can change the color of teeth.

It also changes when the filling material, amalgam, is used. The pigments from it can spread throughout the crown.

From the moment the first tooth erupts, we put our teeth to the test. We eat hot and cold, sour foods, drink sugary sodas, snap seeds, and smoke. Not surprisingly, the older we get, the more likely we are to develop yellow stains on our teeth. Plus, the thickness of plaque increases over the years, changing the color of the enamel. Teeth become yellower.

Cigarettes contain tar and tar. They settle on the enamel, giving it a yellow-brown color that begins to accumulate between the teeth and then spreads to the entire surface.

• Oral hygiene

If you do not take care of your teeth, forgetting about regular brushing or flossing, their color will quickly cease to please. It is worth remembering that the best way to remove plaque is professional cleaning. It should be done at least once a year.

It is necessary to care not only for permanent teeth, but also for milk teeth. Especially carefully it should be done if you have braces installed.

It happens that the canines look more yellow than the rest of the teeth. This is a variant of the norm. The thickness of enamel is the same everywhere, but the thickness of dentin on the fangs is much greater. Therefore, the shade of the canines is yellowish, even if the rest of the teeth are white.

• Hard tissue lesions

In a wedge-shaped defect, teeth turn yellow at the gums, exposing the neck. In fluorosis, yellow spots are located all over the surface. If a yellow tint appears, and it darkens over time – this is a reason to see a doctor.

How to get rid of yellow teeth

On their own, it is quite difficult to do this. Without knowing the cause, you can do even more damage. So, on the Internet you can find advice to apply soda gruel to clean teeth from yellowing. But this is a very aggressive method, which should be used with caution, not more than once a week. Even so, there is a risk of developing stomatitis. The same can be said about citric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Complications from their use can outweigh the whitening effect.

Whitening pastes, strips or gels are safer. But they are not as effective as the methods used in dentistry. These include:

• Plaque removal

Air Flow, laser and ultrasonic cleaning procedures remove soft plaque, and with it, a slight yellowing of the teeth. In this case, the enamel is not damaged, but the brightening effect is small.

• Professional whitening

Clean yellow teeth in the dentist’s office, you can use gels, the action of which is activated as a result of chemical, reactions or exposure to light. Yellow teeth can be whitened up to 10 shades.

If it is not possible to whiten yellow teeth, you can put thin ceramic overlays – veneers. To do this, the teeth are prepared and the top layer of enamel is removed. So, veneers – it’s forever, you can not refuse them, so they are installed only for adults. But the aesthetic effect is very strong. The smile becomes radiant.

The yellow color of the teeth outside the smile area is best disguised by crowns. Modern composite materials are indistinguishable from natural enamel, and the strength is superior to natural tissue.

If your teeth have turned yellow, the best advice is to visit your dentist. He will determine the causes and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Prevention

It is impossible to stop the passage of time or hereditary diseases, but there are methods that help to fight yellow tooth enamel. We can stop smoking, this will prevent the formation of yellowish plaque characteristic of smokers. This is perhaps the most difficult thing to do to maintain the whiteness of the enamel. The rest of the measures are effortless, all you need to do is:

• Choose the right toothbrush. Hard brushes can damage enamel, and soft brushes do not clean plaque well.
• Choose toothpaste carefully. Whitening toothpastes often contain large abrasive particles that damage enamel.
• Flossing cleans out food debris between the teeth and prevents bacteria from breeding.
• Avoiding foods containing pigments can lead to avitaminosis and other troubles. Simply brushing or at least rinsing your teeth after every cup of coffee or glass of red wine is enough.
• Have your teeth professionally cleaned on a regular basis.

This will keep your teeth from serious diseases, and the whitening effect will be a pleasant bonus. Following the recommendations will help keep your teeth whiter for years to come.