What Causes Tooth Staining

Inspect your teeth in front of the mirror. If you notice yellowish, grayish, or brownish spots appearing on your teeth surfaces, then don’t ignore them and visit a general dentist Edmonton. The spots appear due to tooth staining. A number of factors are responsible for staining your teeth. In this article, we have listed the major causes of tooth staining.

Tobacco

Smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco can eventually cause tooth staining and cause blackish or brownish spots on teeth surfaces. This happens because of the nicotine and tar content in tobacco. Nicotine causes yellowish color on your teeth and further brownish when it combines with oxygen molecules. Tar is the naturally dark residue that results from smoking tobacco and causes blackish spots on the teeth.

Staining Foods

You might have noticed your teeth turning purplish after eating beetroots. This is because the high pigmented foodstuffs such as pickles, curries, berries, beetroot, etc. can stain your teeth if consumed regularly. The pigments of these food items can make their way through the tiny pores of the tooth enamel and get deposited there, thus staining the tooth enamel eventually.

Staining Beverages

Just like high pigmented food items, certain beverages can also cause tooth staining. Coffee, tea, soda, cola, and red wine can also stain the tooth enamel when consumed over a long period of time. Tea and coffee contain tannins (acidic polyphenols) that lead to staining and discoloration, while regular consumption of red and white wine can create pockets in your tooth surface that allow other staining foods and beverages to seep in.

Acidic Diet

This doesn’t directly stain your teeth but makes it easier for other foods and beverages to stain your teeth. Regular consumption of acidic foods such as citrus fruits can make your tooth surfaces rough and deplete the tooth enamel. Staining foods and beverages can easily penetrate through a damaged enamel and stain your teeth.

The good news is that in most cases, the pearly whites can be restored by changing your lifestyle and diet. Also, visiting a dental clinic regularly helps you to spot any change in your teeth color and accordingly precautions can be taken to avoid stained teeth. For extreme tooth staining, several dental treatments such as ultrasonic cleaning and laser teeth whitening are available too. If your teeth are stained for any of these reasons, visit a general dentist Edmonton to find the best solution for them.