25 Aug

How to Fix Discolored Teeth with Cosmetic Dentistry

Would you like to turn your dull, dark, or yellow teeth into a bright, healthy smile? Tooth discoloration and stain removal is an easy fix at Lifetime Family Dental. We offer a variety of cosmetic dental services that will transform your smile and boost your confidence. Read on to learn more about how we fix discolored teeth.

Causes of Tooth Discoloration

Before treating tooth discoloration, it’s important to identify the cause. Extrinsic stains only affect the surface of the tooth, while intrinsic stains occur inside the tooth. If an oral health issue is causing intrinsic discoloration, brightening your smile will require treating the root of the problem. However, extrinsic stains left by certain lifestyle habits can easily be removed with professional teeth whitening. 

Causes of tooth discoloration include:

• Beverages like coffee, tea, and red wine
• Injuries that damage the tooth nerve
• Avoiding regular dental visits
• Wear and tear from aging
• Certain medications
• Poor oral hygiene
• Tobacco use

There are a variety of ways to restore the whiteness of natural teeth. However, prosthetics such as dental bonding, crowns, veneers, bridges, implants, or dentures cannot be whitened. It’s important to take excellent care of your teeth by brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and regularly visiting your dentist for checkups and cleanings. Here are some ways to prevent and treat tooth discoloration:

How to Fix and Prevent Discolored Teeth

1. Avoid Teeth-Staining Foods and Beverages

Limiting your intake of the following foods and beverages—or avoiding them altogether if you can—will prevent their staining effects on your teeth:  

• Coffee: the high acidity of coffee causes more bacteria to attack your enamel, leaving your teeth vulnerable to tooth decay, which leads to yellowing. 
• Wine: drinking a lot of dark wine can give your teeth a blue hue. 
• Tea: black teas have a very high amount of tannins (just like coffee and red wine) which can stick to your teeth and cause staining. 
• Chocolate: the sugar and tannins in chocolate also attack your teeth, causing tooth decay and stains. 

2. Avoid Tobacco Use

Aside from the many health risks of tobacco, it also causes severe discoloration of your teeth. The nicotine in cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and other tobacco products turns your teeth yellow or brown over time. No matter how well you whiten your teeth, they will only continue to stain if you do not quit smoking or chewing tobacco products. 

3. At-Home Whitening

While there are plenty of over-the-counter whitening products on the market, it’s wise to consult your dentist before whitening your teeth at home. At Lifetime Family Dental, we can supply you with custom trays and professional-strength hydrogen peroxide gel for at-home tooth whitening to remove extrinsic stains.

4. In-Office Teeth Whitening

Choosing professional teeth whitening will give you same-day results and brighter, whiter teeth. Our in-office teeth whitening treatment is a quick and simple procedure that involves a special lamp that speeds up the effect of the hydrogen peroxide gel. This type of cosmetic treatment should only take about an hour. 

5. Dental Bonding, Veneers, or Crowns

If your teeth are in need of treatment beyond whitening, there are a few types of restorations that can fix your teeth while covering stains:

• Composite dental bonding involves applying composite resin to the surface of your tooth to fix chips and cracks as well as cover severe tooth stains. 
• Veneers are tooth-shaped shells that attach to the front of your teeth to fix cracks, chips, and also cover discoloration. 
• Dental crowns are a type of cap that fits over a damaged tooth for protection, but they can also cover a tooth that is entirely discolored. 

Professional Teeth Whitening in Gilbert

Looking for a quick, affordable way to fix your discolored teeth? Lifetime Family Dental in Gilbert, Arizona, offers several tooth whitening and cosmetic dental services for whiter teeth. We’ll examine your teeth and determine the best solution for transforming your smile. Call 480-558-4331 today to schedule an appointment.

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (8/25/2021). Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels