Discoloration on teeth is a common complaint that leads people to cosmetic dentists' offices. While this is definitely the best way to get your discolored teeth fixed, you may find yourself wondering why you still have discolored teeth if you've cut certain staining foods and drinks out of your diet. Here's what you should know about teeth discoloration that defies diet changes.
Covering Your Bases
For starters, are you sure that you've cut out everything that can stain your teeth? There are some surprising offenders on the list.
Chances are you already know that coffee, wine, and tea (both black and green) can stain your teeth. However, you should also be avoiding berries, tomato sauce, curry, dark-colored sodas, soy sauce, and generally anything with added dark food coloring. Giving up all of these foods and drinks can be hard, but if you at least limit how often you consume them, that should help.
Wear and Tear
Unfortunately, dark-colored food isn't the only offender that can leave your teeth looking stained or discolored. Simple wear and tear and acid found in food and drinks can also be a problem.
As people get older, they often notice that their teeth start to look more dingy, brown, or yellow, regardless of their diets. This is actually due to enamel wear and tear, rather than staining.
Dental enamel is what gives teeth their white appearance. It can be stained, but it can also be worn away by brushing too hard, chewing hard foods frequently, or drinking highly acidic beverages like orange juice. As the enamel weakens and becomes thinner, the surfaces under it start to show through and can make your teeth look less than white as a result.
What to Do
If you're tired of the way your teeth look, as previously mentioned, you should head to a cosmetic dentist's office.
When you arrive, your dentist will perform a thorough examination of your teeth, both to check the color and to determine its cause. If your teeth are simply stained, they can whiten them for you. Getting your teeth whitened at a cosmetic dentist's office is a far quicker and more effective way of whitening teeth than using at-home kits. You can expect to get dramatically whiter teeth in just one visit.
If your teeth have weakened enamel, that will need to be addressed first before whitening your teeth. This usually calls for dental bonding. Once that step is complete, your teeth can be safely whitened to the color that you want.
For more questions about teeth whitening, talk to a local dentist today.