Its no wonder that everyone prefers to have pearly white teeth and a bright smile. However, in reality most of us realize that our teeth do have a yellowish tinge, the degree of which again varies from individual to individual. We the team of best dentists in Chennai consider it our duty to enlighten everyone about the reasons why teeth develop staining. Please continue reading to find out the 6 most common causes of yellowing / staining of teeth and the ways to prevent them.
AGEING
Our teeth are covered by an outer layer called Enamel which is colourless and is of varying thickness. Just underneath the enamel is a softer layer called Dentin, which is yellowish in colour. As a normal ageing process enamel tends to slowly wear out thereby thinning down becoming more translucent and revealing the yellow colour of the underlying Dentin. Hence it is not uncommon for one to realise that their teeth tend to become more yellow with ageing. Ageing is inevitable; however, we can prevent the wearing out of enamel that occurs by other means like forceful brushing, excessive grinding of teeth etc.
FOOD
Foods that contain artificial colouring agents do tend to stain the teeth. We have seen coloured candies and popsicles stain our tongue very obviously, hence these can also cause staining of teeth. Best is to try and avoid all food that contain artificial colours. Foods like dark curries and sauces too can stain teeth. Sometimes even healthy foods like beetroot and berries can even stain the teeth. It is not necessary to completely avoid such healthy food, but we can probably limit the intake to reduce their staining effect.
DRINKS
Drinks like black coffee/tea and dark chocolate contain substance like tannins which are known to stain teeth. Limiting intake of these beverages to 1-2 cups a day is a safe practise to reduce their colouring effect. Red wine and acidic drinks like colas also have a colouring effect especially because of the presence of acids in them. It is best to avoid such drinks
SMOKING
Smoking is a known hazardous habit that mainly affects the lungs. Nicotine and tar seen in cigarettes are known culprits to cause obvious staining of teeth. It is in the best overall interest of an individual to completely abstain from smoking
TOBACCO CHEWING
Tobacco chewing in any form causes extensive staining of teeth apart from being a known carcinogenic (cancer causing) habit. Apart from the effect of direct staining, constant chewing also wears out the enamel thereby indirectly also causing darkening of teeth. There are more reasons than these why one should completely quit tobacco.
MEDICATIONS
Certain drugs are known to stain the teeth internally. Most common amongst them is tetracyclines which especially when consumed by a pregnant mother tends to stain the teeth of the child. So, it is better to avoid drugs like tetracycline during pregnancy and also during the early formative years of the child
While few of the above mentioned reasons are inevitable, a majority of these can be self controlled/prevented, and combined with good oral hygiene practice, one can ensure they maintain their “Bright Healthy Smile”
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