Overview:
Tooth discolouration defines the difference in colour of your teeth, your teeth can appear yellow, brown, grey, purple, or have white or dark spots on them. The causes include bad habits such as consuming staining substances and poor oral care, and unchangeable causes such as ageing, genes, and disease. If you’re exploring cosmetic options to improve your smile, you might also be wondering how much is Invisalign, especially if alignment is a concern alongside discolouration. The discolouration can be on the surface (extrinsic) or it can be inside the tooth structure (intrinsic) which can also be aesthetically or even in some instances dentally unhealthy.
Possible Causes:
1. Extrinsic Causes
- Diet and beverages: Coffee, tea, red wine, berries and soy sauce may deposit surface pigments on enamel.
- Tobacco use: Tobacco stains can be yellow to brown or black, and are frequently seen around the gums and the enamel.
- Unhealthy oral health: Stains are trapped in plaque and tartar and pigment accumulation is permitted.
- Fluorosis: Too much fluoride as a child may cause fluorosis-white spots or brown spots on enamel.
- Enamel surfaces can also be stained by metallic compounds or antibiotics (e.g. chlorhexidine rinses, iron supplements)
2. Intrinsic Causes
- Ageing: As time goes on the enamel is worn down and secondary dentin is deposited and the teeth look darker or yellow.
- Genetics: Such enamel disorders as amelogenesis imperfecta or dentinogenesis imperfecta lead to weak or poorly formed enamel or dentin, which causes the teeth to appear yellow-brown, blue or grey.
- Dental trauma: Direct trauma to a tooth may cause its nerve or pulp to be damaged and it may turn dark grey, brown or purple.
- Medications and antibiotics: Before the age of eight, tetracycline or doxycycline medication should not be taken and pregnant women should not be exposed to it because it will lead to staining. Tooth colour can also be affected through other medications used such as antihistamines, blood pressure pills and chemotherapy.
- Systemic diseases and nutrition: Such disorders as liver disease, metabolic disorder, calcium deficiency or celiac disease can result in intrinsic staining
Certain causes may be reflected in the different discolouration hues:
- yellow=staining or ageing
- Brown = tobacco, or decay
- Grey = inner traumatisation
- White flecks = fluorosis or early decay
- Black spots = serious decay
Care and Treatment
The treatment varies with the cause of staining that is, whether extrinsic or intrinsic:
● Professional Whitening
Applies hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide in-office, or uses take-home trays. Good at getting out surface stains and some deeper ones. The duration of treatment is also different-it takes one session and up to several weeks of daily use
● Dental Bonding
To cover intrinsic discolouration, a tooth-colored resin is used. Typically has a life of 5-7 years and it can be used on individual teeth. It is frequently applied when there is no response to whitening
● Veneers or Crowns
- Veneers This is a thin shell of porcelain or resin cemented to the front of teeth to hide extensive or serious staining.
- Crowns: Caps that fit over the entire exposed surface of teeth that are damaged or discoloured to make them functional and beautiful again.
● Additional Approaches
- Professional cleaning: Scaling and polishing help in eliminating plaque, tartar and stains on the surface.
- Treating causative habits: Oral hygiene can be improved, and staining foods or tobacco can be avoided to prevent future discolouration, as well as the amount of fluoride a child receives.
Treatment of genetic or developmental disorders: Dental restorations can be suggested in case of enamel or dentin defects (such as amelogenesis or dentinogenesis imperfecta) to protect the tooth and restore its appearance
When to Call a Dentist
Make an appointment with the dentist in case you detect:
- Acute or gradual discolouration of the teeth, particularly a shift to grey or purple colour
- Comorbid conditions such as hypersensitivity and pain or visible structural harm
- Weaknesses of the over-the-counter whitening attempts
Decay, tartar build-up or bad oral health signs
- Tooth discolouration that can be a result of drugs, disease or heredity.
