Is There Anything I Can Do About Staining on My Teeth?

With so many cosmetic teeth whitening options available, there should be a solution that leaves you smiling with confidence. From simply improving oral health to addressing the cause of staining with professional whitening treatments, there will always be something we can do.

Teeth can appear stained for a number of reasons, and this can affect anyone, at any stage of their life. For many people teeth discolouration is a result of staining from food and drink, which develops over a number of years. For others, it could be the result of damage to the teeth.

Whatever the cause of your dental staining, we can offer a range of solutions to help put things right. Let’s explore some of the options available to patients looking to brighten and whiten their smiles.

Start with the basics

In many cases, a simple dental hygiene cleaning will deliver dazzling results. This is because surface stains can build up over time and make your teeth appear yellow or brown.

A dental hygienist will use special tools to help gently remove all traces of plaque and tartar build up from your teeth. This is not only great for your oral health, but it can also deliver a whiter smile.

This is a great place to start before you explore other options, as it will provide a clean and healthy fresh start for your teeth, so that any further treatments can penetrate the tooth surface more effectively.

Teeth whitening for stains

If your staining is more extensive than just surface build up, then we might need to explore professional teeth whitening.

Teeth whitening is highly effective for stains caused by long-term, regular consumption of dark foods and drink, such as red wine, chocolate and coffee. This is a straightforward treatment that uses custom trays to apply a whitening solution to your teeth. You’ll repeat the treatment regularly over the space of around two weeks, and then return to the practice for one final treatment.

Teeth whitening works by penetrating the tooth and breaking down the bonds between the staining particles so they can be flushed out of the tooth. The result is a brighter smile that is free from stains left by food, drink, lifestyle choices and the environment.

It’s important to remember that this is not a permanent treatment, and the staining will return if you continue your habits as before. This means that eating certain foods, drinking certain drinks and engaging in certain behaviour are likely to contribute to dental stains. Things like air pollution can also cause discolouration.

This is why many patients will want to arrange a schedule of top up treatments to help them to keep on top of the dental staining.

Teeth whitening for fluorosis

If your dental staining does not respond to teeth whitening, this could be because the cause is something other than food and drink choices. A common cause of dental staining is either fluorosis or decalcification.

In both of these cases, the discolouration is apparent in adult teeth as they first appear, although decalcification can also be caused through inadequate brushing, particularly when wearing orthodontic braces.

Can you treat stains caused by fluorosis?

Treating the white spots that result from decalcification and fluorosis can prove more difficult.

Fluorosis is caused by excessive exposure to fluoride as a child, usually through using a high fluoride toothpaste when the water supply also contains added fluoride.

This does not cause any damage to the teeth but it does affect the appearance of adult teeth by leaving white or brown spots.

Decalcification can occur developmentally before birth or can be the result of poor dental hygiene or failing to brush properly when wearing braces. In these cases, plaque left on the surface of the teeth causes permanent white spots.

These are more difficult to treat with teeth whitening, and whitening procedures could even make them look even worse. In these instances, we would look for alternative treatment options.

Treating decalcification marks

Teeth whitening would be the first choice of treatment for teeth affected by white marks caused by decalcification or fluorosis, as the bleaching solution may help the marks to blend in with the lighter colour of the tooth.

In cases where the discolouration is serious and is causing concern to the patient, dental veneers may be recommended. If the discoloration is across all of the visible teeth, then dental veneers would offer a simple way to conceal this.

Dental veneers are attached to the surface of the teeth to achieve a natural look and are an excellent solution to resolve problems with the appearance of teeth.

If the marks are limited to one or two teeth, you could explore an alternative treatment plan, such as composite bonding. This is cheaper than veneers and much quicker, as it can be completed in just one visit.

With composite bonding, we apply a resin in the desired colour directly to the tooth and then shape it. It is then cured with a UV light to make it hard, and then we can refine and polish the final restoration.

Final thoughts on dental staining

If you are unhappy with the appearance of your teeth due to discolouration or staining, don’t let it damage your self-esteem. Seek the help of a dental professional to help get to the bottom of your dental staining and restore beauty to your smile.

Teeth whitening should always be carried out under the advice of a trained dentist. To make an appointment to treat teeth staining or discolouration, contact Bhandal Dental Practice.