Everyone likes to have pearly white teeth. Unfortunately it is not so. There are lucky few who have white teeth that enhance their personality, while there are others who are not so lucky. Their teeth may be slightly stained yellow or brown. The outer covering of teeth called enamel is translucent; it is the inner dentin that gives the color to the tooth.
What Causes Teeth To Stain?
You may be inquisitive to know what the stained teeth causes are. Here are few of the causes which are responsible for staining teeth yellow or brown and grey.
Intrinsic factors are those that stain the teeth from within. That means the dentin or the inner structure of the tooth is stained yellow or dark brown.
- Certain systemic disorders, such as hyperbilirubinemia, porphyria etc.
- Flurosis: brown spots or chalky teeth due to excessive intake of fluoride.
- Trauma to the tooth.
- Medications: certain drugs and dyes can discolor the teeth to dark brown or dark yellow.
- Root canal treatment: when the pulp is not cleaned properly.
Extrinsic factors are those that stain the teeth from outside. That means they stain the teeth superficially on the enamel. Examples are certain foods or smoking.
- Colored from certain foods and drinks that get absorbed on the enamel to give dark yellow stain. Drinking excessive tea, coffee, red wine, blueberries, etc can stain the teeth yellow or dark brown.
- Dental fillings.
- Certain mouthwashes that contain iodine and other materials can stain your teeth yellow.
- Iron tonics.
- Smoking and chewing tobacco.
Age: as the person starts aging, their teeth appear dark or stained. The enamel begins to thin exposing the slight yellow dentin.
Home Remedies For Stained Teeth
There are many dental procedures available, to obtain sparkling teeth, however it comes with a heavy price tag. Many prefer home remedies as an alternative, cheap and easy way to remove or whiten the stained teeth.
- Avoid foods that cause stained teeth.
- Avoid smoking and chewing tobacco.
- Red wine and certain type of medicines are known to cause stains on teeth avoid them.
- Avoid excessive intake of coffee, tea and cold drinks.
- One of the finest home remedies to whiten your teeth is baking soda. Try brushing baking soda by itself, or mix it with a tooth paste. With a word of caution, do not use it too frequently as it can damage the outer enamel of the teeth. However it may be enough to brush it once a week.
- Brush your teeth with clove oil. It helps to brighten your stained teeth. Do not forget to rinse your mouth thoroughly after you brush your stained teeth with clove oil.