Having yellow or discolored teeth can dent your confidence and even hold you back in your everyday life. You may diligently brush your teeth every day but see no difference in their brightness. Feeling embarrassed about your smile because of the color of your teeth isn’t something to be ashamed of, so let’s find out why your teeth might be yellow and what you can do about it.
Different Kinds of Tooth Stain
There are two types of tooth stain, one that’s on the outside of your tooth, known as “extrinsic staining” and one that’s on the interior of your tooth, called “intrinsic staining”. Extrinsic stains are formed by things like food or smoking and can be removed by brushing or tooth whitening procedures. We’ll cover more on this below.
Intrinsic stains are stains inside the tooth that can happen as a result of tooth decay, damage to the tooth that allows staining agents to enter past the outer enamel, or sometimes just plain old genetics. These interior stains are harder to remove than stains on the outer surface of your tooth.
Why Are My Teeth Yellow?
There are multiple reasons why your teeth might be looking yellow:
A Poor Oral Cleaning Routine
If you’re not brushing twice daily and also flossing your teeth, try stepping up your oral hygiene to see if that makes a difference in the color of your teeth. If you are already practicing a healthy oral care routine, read on.
Smoking or Tobacco Use
Everyone knows by now that not only is smoking bad for your health in general, it’s also terrible for your oral health. The tar and nicotine found in cigarettes can quickly stain your teeth, making them look yellow or even brown. Not only that, smoking can cause cancers of the throat, mouth and tongue so having yellow teeth is actually one of the minor side effects. If you want white teeth, ditch the smokes.
What You Eat and Drink
There are some types of food and drink that can stain your teeth more than others. If you eat or drink too many of these, cut back and see if that helps your teeth look brighter:
- Coffee
- Red Wine
- Citrus Fruits and Berries
- Tomato Sauces
- Soy Sauce
Certain Types of Medication
If you have just started a course of medication for something like high blood pressure or asthma, one side effect can be yellowing of the teeth. Check out the list of side effects and talk to your doctor about an alternative prescription if you can’t get rid of the discoloration.
How Can I Get Rid of Yellow Teeth?
If upping your brushing game isn’t effective enough, there are other things you can do to lighten the color of yellow teeth. After a thorough dental cleaning, your teeth will probably be looking better already. If you want a bit more corrective treatment on your teeth, Pueblo West Neighborhood Dental and Implants also offers teeth whitening services and dental veneers to create a perfect, uniform surface exterior surface.
