If your teeth have lost their youthful sparkle and you’re considering tooth whitening in Webster, you may wonder how white they can get. Can you restore yellow teeth to white? Or are you stuck going only a few shades brighter than your current color?
Teeth yellow and become dull as we age – and diet or lifestyle habits may accelerate the process. Fortunately, modern tooth whitening services in Webster can get your teeth looking healthy and fresh.
What Makes Teeth Yellow?
Teeth lose their white sparkle as we age. The tooth’s enamel, or protective outer covering, begins to break down, revealing the dentin underneath.1 This hard tissue is vital to your tooth’s health and structure and keeps the inner pulp safe and healthy, but it’s naturally yellow. Once it begins to show, your whole smile takes on a yellow appearance.
Several factors can make your teeth turn yellow prematurely or look severely discolored as you age, including:2
- Smoking or other tobacco use
- Highly acidic food and drink, such as coffee, soda, tea, and tomatoes
- Deeply colored food and beverages, such as red wine
- Certain medications
- Fluoride, which can cause yellow or brownish spots
Sometimes, genetics play a role in tooth yellowing. Tooth color runs in the family, and if your family is known for having reddish-yellow, reddish-brown, reddish-gray, or gray teeth (all-natural shades for teeth), this may simply be the color you inherited.
While not a health concern, yellowed teeth can lower your self-confidence and make your smile look unhealthy, even if your teeth are physically fine. Fortunately, teeth whitening can restore your teeth to a beautiful white and give you a younger appearance.
Understanding Tooth Stains
We’ve already discussed the yellowing of teeth as part of the normal aging process and factors that may make your teeth yellow prematurely. Still, it’s essential to understand the different types of staining.
Extrinsic Stains
Extrinsic stains are on the outermost layer of the tooth, and professional tooth whitening services can often eliminate them. There are various causes of outer stains on teeth, including drinking coffee or tobacco use.
Remember, anything that can stain your clothes can stain your teeth. Dark foods with a lot of pigmentation can stick to the enamel, causing them to appear darker. Acidic foods also degrade the enamel and make it easier for the pigments in these foods to attach to your teeth.
Intrinsic Stains
Medications may cause yellowing and discoloration within your teeth. Children may develop yellow or dull teeth from taking antibiotics or other medications. Babies can also have discolored teeth due to their mother’s medications during the pregnancy.
Common medications that stain teeth include minocycline, doxycycline, and tetracycline. Chemotherapy may also cause darkening or yellowing of the teeth.
Whether your staining is extrinsic or intrinsic influences the treatment you can get and your results.
Can Severely Yellow Teeth Be Whitened?
Each tooth is unique, even within your mouth, and different variables can cause its staining. Discoloration may result from a dead tooth, which is a tooth that no longer has blood flowing to it. These teeth may be mildly yellow or black, depending on the severity of the tooth’s condition.
Other teeth may be stained from food and drinks, such as your front teeth from drinking a lot of coffee, tea, or wine. You may even have teeth stained to different degrees throughout your mouth, and they may require specific whitening techniques to restore them.
Except for teeth that have yellowed from trauma or decay, yellow teeth aren’t necessarily unhealthy. The color and condition of your smile do impact your self-esteem. However, safe, noninvasive tooth whitening treatment may be just the answer.
Tooth Whitening in Webster
Your smile speaks volumes about your health and affects your self-image and confidence. Even with diligent brushing and flossing, your teeth will yellow over time, and your diet and oral health can affect the color of your smile.
If you want to restore your teeth to their former dazzling white, Empire Dental Care’s cosmetic dentistry services can help. To learn more about our options for tooth whitening and schedule your cosmetic dentistry consultation, contact us online or call us at 585-671-1650!
Sources:
[1] https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/tooth-enamel-erosion-restoration
[2] https://www.livescience.com/54420-yellow-teeth.html
