Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. 

In fact, the Academy of General Dentistry reports that 40 percent of survey respondents notice a smile first in people they work with, and 96 percent believe that a smile is important to a person's appearance.

Types of tooth discoloration:

  • Extrinsic discoloration occurs in the outermost tooth layer called enamel, here stains range from white streaks to yellow tints or brown spots.
  • Intrinsic discoloration occurs from inside the tooth, can be yellow,grey,black.

Extrinsic stains can be effectively treated using whitening technique, whereas intrinsic stains are more stubborn and may require crowns or veneers.

There are many reasons for tooth discoloration:

  • Foods/Drinks: Coffee, cola, turmeric, tea, blueberries etc
  • Smoking
  • Tobacco
  • Inadequate brushing and flossing
  • Certain infections in pregnant mother can cause tooth discoloration in babies by affecting enamel formation
  • Fluoride : Excessive intake of Fluorine during tooth development
  • Medications: Many medicines such as tetracyclines if taken during pregnancy can cause discoloration of child teeth.
  •  Silver Fillings
  • Ageing: Teeth accumulates more stains as they grow old 
  • Genetics
  • Chemotherapy & Head and neck radiation therapy
  • Trauma
Management of discoloration. Image Courtsey Google Images

MANAGEMENT OF DISCOLORATION

  • Your dentist can easily remove extrinsic and some intrinsic tooth discoloration caused by doing a procedure known as bleaching.
  •  The process typically takes an hour .
  •  People with particularly stubborn staining may need to return for one or more additional whitening sessions, or be advised to continue with an at-home use whitening system provided by their dentist.

REMEMBER:

Tooth whitening is a safe procedure and almost anybody can get it done easily. So contact your dentist for that Beautiful  sparkling smile.