If you plan to be out and about this summer, you’ll likely want to spruce up your looks. The coming season will have vacations, parties, and other events where you can dazzle friends! Even so, what if you’re struggling to deal with a discolored grin? It may seem like your smile’s dark tint won’t go away. Well, your local Carlisle dentist can help you address the matter. Read on to learn the common causes and solutions for yellow teeth.
Just What Causes Yellow Teeth?
The truth is that various things can make your teeth yellow. Some of the most common ones include:
- Poor Hygiene: As you may expect, failing to keep your teeth clean can cause them to turn yellow. The resulting buildup of plaque and tartar often darkens their color.
- Wear & Tear: As it turns out, teeth can turn yellow with age as their enamel slowly wears away. This gradual process slowly makes your yellowy dentin more visible.
- Your Diet: Foods and drinks with many tannins will stain your teeth. In particular, good examples are berries, tomato sauce, coffee, tea, and wine.
- Smoking: Aside from causing cancer, smoking tends to stain your teeth. They contain nicotine that’s absorbed into toothpores, turning your enamel yellow and brown.
How Can You Address Them?
Luckily enough, cosmetic dentistry can easily address yellow teeth and their underlying causes. It has two main ways of doing so:
Remove Stains
When your smile has somewhat mild stains, you can brighten it up with teeth whitening. This treatment would have your dentist bleach your enamel with a special gel. Today, it can often be done in-office or through take-home whitening kits.
Regardless of the type, a whitening session should make your smile six to eight shades brighter. You could then maintain that result through good oral hygiene and dental checkups.
Hide Stains
When you have stubborn tooth stains, dentists can use several methods to hide them from view. One option is dental bonding – a service that hides smile flaws with enamel-colored resin. On the other hand, they could place porcelain veneers that cover up the stains beneath porcelain layers. Either approach would quickly make your grin noticeably whiter.
By learning the causes and solutions for yellow teeth, you’ll be better positioned to fix them. With that said, keep them in mind as you prep your smile for the summer season!
About the Practice
Carlisle Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is based in Carlisle, PA. Led by Drs. Neslund and Benner, our practice focuses on personalized dental care that meets your needs. We thus offer custom treatments that include preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services, as well as emergency dentistry. Our team is just as ready to treat chipped and stained teeth as it is to fix cavities! For more details or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (717)-258-5455.