Why Do Teeth Turn Yellow?
Discovering the cause of your tooth discoloration is the first step to correcting it.
Are your teeth starting to lose their natural white hue? You may be very concerned because yellowing teeth are often associated with age, and you don’t want to look or feel old!
Fortunately, your cosmetic dentist can definitely help you get the brighter, whiter smile you want. The first step will be determining what factors are causing your teeth to turn yellow, because this indicates the type of discoloration you have and affects the options you will have for getting whiter teeth.
The most common causes of yellow teeth include:
Stains: The outer layer of tooth enamel can easily be stained by smoking, chewing tobacco, drinking dark beverages like coffee, and cola, and by eating foods like grapes, blueberries, and pomegranates that are high in chromogens (pigment-producing substances). Red wine and tea pack a double punch of staining power because they contain chromogens as well as tannins that help chromogens adhere to enamel.
Poor Oral Hygiene: If you don’t do a very good job taking care of your teeth, plaque will accumulate on the surface of you enamel and harden into tartar. Tartar has a yellowish hue and can easily dim the brightness of your smile. And of course if you aren’t brushing enough, those stain-causing foods and drinks will stick even better.
Medications: Certain medications and chemicals can alter the light-transmitting properties of the enamel and the underlying dentin in your teeth, causing a yellowish or even brownish look. Children who take antibiotics like tetracycline and doxycycline before age 8 often end up with discoloration. Chemotherapy directed at the head or neck can also cause teeth to yellow, as can overexposure to fluoride in well water.
Fillings: Silver amalgam dental fillings can cause the surrounding enamel to look darker. And if decay sets in around any filling, you will also see brown or black discoloration.
Enamel Thinning: Everyone’s enamel will thin to some degree with age. This process will happen faster if you have acid erosion on your teeth. The thinner the enamel, the more of your naturally yellowish dentin is going to show through.
How to Fix Yellow Teeth
If your teeth are yellow due to staining and/or tartar, you may be able to get the color improvements you desire simply by getting a professional dental cleaning followed by a teeth whitening treatment, and then taking better care of your teeth at home. If your teeth are discolored due to changes in the structure of the tooth, such as medication stains, fillings & decay, or thin enamel, teeth whitening treatments will not help. Instead, you will want to have your metal fillings replaced with white fillings and then get porcelain veneers to cover your discolored teeth and provide a nice white smile.
If you would like to consult an experienced cosmetic dentist about your options for correcting yellow teeth, please call California Dental Group today.
