A variety of factors may cause tooth discoloration. Poor oral hygiene, tobacco use, certain foods and beverages, and medications are the most common culprits. Patients who do not brush and floss consistently twice daily are more prone to bacteria buildup and staining.
Dr. Stefan Speck is here to help patients brighten and whiten their smiles with his cosmetic whitening treatments. He offers in-office and take-home teeth whitening treatment at Oxford Family Dentistry in Oxford, PA. If you have tougher stains, he can provide additional cosmetic dental treatments to help.
What Causes Tooth Discoloration?
Many different things can discolor your teeth. One of the most common is poor oral hygiene. If you aren’t brushing and flossing your teeth properly, bacteria and food particles build up. This creates a sticky film on your teeth called plaque that eventually hardens into tartar. It turns yellow and brown, becoming difficult to remove with your dental tools at home. Using tobacco products also causes yellow and brown discoloration. Tar, nicotine, and other chemicals cause staining on your teeth.
Tooth discoloration is something everyone will experience. This is because our teeth naturally discolor as we age. The bright white layer of enamel on the outside of our teeth slowly wears away with time. It exposes more of the off-white layer underneath, called dentin. Dentin is what we target with traditional teeth whitening solutions.
Eating and drinking certain foods and beverages can stain your teeth. These include coffee, black tea, strawberries, red wine, dark colas or sodas, and more. The more you consume these things, the worse the effect will be on your teeth. If you’re consuming a drink that stains, try to drink through a straw so that it has less contact with your teeth.
Medications and different medical conditions can also discolor your teeth. Certain antibiotics taken when you’re young can impact how your teeth develop, leading to white spots. Other medical conditions can effect how well the enamel develops on your teeth. Genetics plays a part, too. You may be predisposed to have a thinner layer of tooth enamel, meaning your teeth will discolor faster and easier.
Lastly, trauma can cause tooth discoloration. Taking a hit can disrupt the blood flow in the tooth, causing it to look “dead” and turn a shade of gray. Other hits or trauma to your teeth can make them overproduce dentin to compensate, meaning you’ll have more of the off-white layer in your smile.
In-Office and Take-Home Teeth Whitening
Dr. Speck can coordinate teeth whitening treatment in his Oxford dental office. He can also provide his patients with customized take-home whitening kits.
Patients who want immediate results can benefit from in-office teeth whitening. To begin this whitening treatment, Dr. Speck applies a barrier on the gums to minimize gum sensitivity. This barrier also ensures that the whitening solution is concentrated on the teeth. Then, Dr. Speck applies whitening gel to the teeth, leaving it for several minutes before removing it. Dr. Speck repeats this process until the enamel matches the patient’s desired shade.
In-office teeth whitening treatment can also benefit patients attending special events who want to look their best.
Patients can also whiten their smiles at home with take-home whitening kits. However, patients must visit Dr. Speck’s office for dental impressions. These impressions are used to create custom-made teeth whitening trays. At home, patients apply the whitening gel to the trays and wear them for a set time. Take-home teeth whitening is a great option for patients with tooth sensitivity.
Other Cosmetic Whitening Options
Patients with intrinsic or deep tooth stains may benefit from dental veneers or tooth bonding. Intrinsic tooth stains are often caused by tooth wear, which shows the dark underlayer beneath the tooth enamel. This underlayer, called dentin, can make the teeth appear darker or discolored. Dental veneers are porcelain ceramic shells bonded to the front of teeth. Tooth bonding treatment uses a malleable biocompatible material sculpted onto the tooth enamel.
Both veneers and dental bonding can be color-matched to match the patient’s desired shade. These long-lasting cosmetic restorations may also address dental injuries or large gaps between teeth.
Teeth Whitening FAQs
Professional teeth whitening is the best choice to treat tooth discoloration. Learn more by reading the answers to these frequently asked questions.
What are the rules after teeth whitening?
To protect your investment, you should follow a few simple rules after you whiten your teeth. Avoid beverages that can easily stain your teeth. This seems the most difficult because it includes coffee, tea, red wine, dark juices, and soda. While we know it is hard to avoid some of these, they can darken your teeth very fast. We suggest limiting your consumption and trying to drink through a straw. Also, you should limit or avoid foods that can stain your teeth, including dark berries, artificially colored candy, chocolate, and dark sauces.
Will smoking affect my teeth whitening treatment?
Smoking is not only bad for your health and oral health, but it can also affect the appearance of your teeth. Tobacco use produces brown and yellow stains on your teeth. After teeth whitening treatment, you highly suggest avoiding it at all costs. Smoking will re-stain your teeth almost instantly.
Does professional teeth whitening cause permanent tooth sensitivity?
Tooth sensitivity after professional whitening is normal. However, it is not permanent. If you are experiencing any tooth sensitivity after your treatment, it should subside within a few days.
Is it safe to have my teeth professionally whitened?
Professional teeth whitening is completely safe. It has been safely used for many years by dentists. They are highly trained to administer the treatment safely and controlled. It carries fewer risks than whitening your teeth at home with store-bought solutions.
Will a store-bought whitening treatment work just as well?
Buying an over-the-counter teeth whitening treatment might be tempting because they are inexpensive. However, they are not as effective. Additionally, you may get uneven results if you do not apply the treatment right or use it correctly. You may never see results for some of these products, or it will take months.
Does professional teeth whitening harm my tooth enamel?
Professional tooth whitening will not cause permanent harm to your tooth enamel or any surrounding tissue. The whitening process goes through the tooth enamel and into the next layer of the tooth, called the dentin. It bleaches this layer, as this is the part of the tooth that’s more of an off-white color. It doesn’t impact your tooth enamel at all.
Brighten Your Smile Today
Do you want to enhance the look of your smile? Ask us about our cosmetic teeth whitening treatments. Contact Oxford Family Dentistry by calling 610.753.4506 today. You can also schedule a dental appointment with Dr. Speck on our website. Please let Dr. Speck or a member of his dental team know if you have any questions about your whitening treatment options.