Your Cosmetic Dentist Reveals 4 Reasons Your Teeth Could Be Discolored

You never noticed how discolored your teeth were beginning to look until your friend posted a side-by-side picture of both of you smiling on social media. Your teeth never used to look so yellow, so what gives? Certain foods and habits can be contributing to your stained smile, but some things are out of your control. Lucky for you, your cosmetic dentist offers different treatments that can refresh your smile so you won’t have to hide it anymore. Read on to learn what’s causing your teeth to discolor and how you can combat it.

Consuming Certain Foods and Drinks

Some foods and drinks can begin to cause your smile to become discolored over time. It’s almost unavoidable, but you can reduce staining by not consuming excessive amounts of the following:

• Sauces like curry, tomato, soy, and balsamic
• Sports drinks
• Red wine
• Blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and pomegranates
• Dark soda
• Sweets like popsicles
• Black tea and coffee

You can combat the impact that these foods and drinks have on your teeth by limiting your intake. Additionally, drinking water and brushing after consuming these can help preserve your enamel.

Tobacco Use

Smoking or chewing tobacco products, including nicotine-infused e-cigarettes, can have a huge effect on your oral health. They can also cause your teeth to become yellow because of the nicotine and tar in them. Stains caused by these habits are especially difficult to remove because, after years of doing it, they can begin to penetrate deeper into your teeth.

Age and Genetics

Your smile could be beginning to yellow because of factors that are out of your control, like aging and genetics. Some people simply have a naturally whiter smile and thicker enamel. Additionally, as you age, your enamel naturally begins to wear down and reveal your dentin, which is naturally yellow in color.

Medications

Certain antibiotics and antihistamines like Benadryl could be changing the color of your smile. For children under 8, these kinds of medications can especially have a lasting impact on their developing teeth. Some medications can stain your teeth so badly that the effects are practically irreversible, where some can be cleared away with a simple cleaning from your dentist.

How Can You Refresh Your Smile?

Investing in your smile is the one thing you won’t regret spending money on. Instead of being self-conscious every time you laugh or speak, unabashedly let your grin shine after in-office or at-home professional teeth whitening.

When you go to your cosmetic dentist for Zoom! Teeth Whitening, they’ll apply a whitening gel onto your teeth and activate it with a special LED light. The initial treatment only takes 15 minutes. After that, they can reapply the gel until your smile gets as bright as you’d like. If you have a busy schedule or would simply like to get whiter teeth in the comfort of your own home, you can get a take-home kit. Your dentist will send you home with custom-fitted trays and a bleaching solution that will allow you to achieve similar results to in-office treatment.

Instead of being ashamed of your smile, be proud of it! Being aware of what factors contribute to a stained smile can help you preserve its brightness longer. Professional teeth whitening can allow you to be love your smile instead of covering it up, so don’t wait to start grinning over the simple things!

About the Author

Dr. Bita Kamali has been providing patients with cosmetic services that lift and refresh their smiles for nearly 2 decades. She keeps up with the most recent advancements in treatments and technology so she can give her patients the best possible care. Whether her patients are looking to renew their smiles with professional teeth whitening or porcelain veneers, Dr. Kamali will provide them with the attention they deserve. For any questions or to schedule an appointment, visit Parkway Vista Dental’s website or contact 972-818-1300.