Did you know not all tooth stains are the same? While all stains will discolour your teeth in some way, the depth of the stain changes. Some of them will sit right on the surface, making them a breeze to remove. Other stains? They go much deeper and become much more challenging when you want to whiten the colour.
If you want to whiten your teeth, it is essential you understand what type of stain you’re dealing with. When you do, you’ll find removing the stain becomes a whole lot easier.
On this page, we want to break down the three main types of stain. We’ll also give you advice on how whitening strips can help to eliminate your stains, giving you the whiter teeth you’ve always wanted.
Extrinsic Stains
Most of your stains will be surface level stains. Common causes of these stains will be drinking coffee, tea, and red wine. Basically, darker coloured drinks. Smoking will also give stain your teeth too. We are not talking through short-term use. A cup of coffee won’t do you much harm. It is the constant, daily use of coffee that will cause staining.
You’ll know you’re dealing with extrinsic stains because there’ll be a yellow or brown coating on the teeth’s outer enamel.
Luckily, because extrinsic stains are surface level, they’re dead simple to remove. Just brushing should be more than suffice, but if the problem is far deeper rooted (i.e. you’ve let it get out of control), then teeth whitening strips can easily remove the stains, no matter how severe they are.
Once the stains have gone, reduce consumption of the foods/drinks that cause staining. Give up smoking (although, you should be doing that for far more reasons that tooth stains) and go for regular dental checkups and cleanings. There are no reasons why extrinsic stains should impact you.
Intrinsic Stains
These stains are inside of the tooth. While intrinsic stains can be different colours, they’re much more likely to be blue-toned or grey.
There are various reasons why you might have intrinsic stains. The most common cause will be injury. However, excess fluoride and some medications can cause it. If you’re on the common antibiotic tetracycline, then you will also likely deal with some intrinsic stains.
The problem with intrinsic stains is that they’re inside the tooth. This makes them incredibly hard to treat and, in some cases, you might not be able to whiten them fully. However, you can reduce the appearance of intrinsic stains.
We recommend using stronger whitening agents. Professional-grade teeth whitening strips are perfect for the job. Just make sure that they contain hydrogen peroxide. Again, you might not hide the stains fully, but people would need to be looking intensely to spot them.
If you are really concerned about staining, then talk to your cosmetic dentist. Veneers and bonding will work, but it will be very expensive.
Age-Related Stains
The third type of stain will be age-related stains. As the name suggests, these stains occur with age. Unfortunately, everybody will deal with them eventually. Although, some to more extremes than others.
As you age, tooth enamel wears down. Enamel is hard, but it can’t really cope with the constant use. Age-related stains will cause your teeth to become ‘yellow’. This is because the enamel would have worn down, exposing the yellow dentin underneath.
Now, you can’t really do much to prevent age-related stains. It’ll happen to everybody eventually. However, you can limit staining (or hold it off as long as possible) by practicing good oral hygiene and avoiding foods that cause staining. Limiting sugar intake will almost certainly help too.
Because your enamel has become thinner, there is only so much you can do to reduce the appearance of age-related stains, short of getting a whole new set of gnashers! You can use teeth-whitening strips to undo some light staining (your teeth will essentially be bleached). If staining is a bit more severe, then you can also opt for professional treatments. Talk to your cosmetic dentist for more information about that.
Tips for Maintaining a Brighter Smile
Let’s wrap up with a few quick tips for helping to maintain a brighter, whiter smile. These tips should be quick and easy to put into practice too!
– Tooth whitening strips should be used. At the most, use them once a week (using them too often will cause staining. Stick with a good whitening strip. Not one of the cheaper options, as they don’t really work. Get into the routine of using whitening strips, and you’ll notice improvements to your smile quickly.
– It should go without saying that you should be brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice per day. This will remove stains before they become too much of an issue and, of course, prevent dental health issues.
– Limit (or cut-out) smoking, and drinks that cause staining. This means limits on coffee, tea, and red wine.
– Always go to dental health check-ups. A routine dental clean (at least once every six months) will help. It will also ensure that any health issues are spotted quickly.
3 Types of Tooth Stains & How To Reduce Them
If you want to whiten your teeth properly, you need to know what you’re dealing with. Extrinsic, intrinsic, and age-related stains are handled in different ways.
Teeth whitening strips are one of the most effective methods for tackling tooth stains, particularly surface stains. The best part is that you can whiten your smile from the comfort of your own home, all you need is a good tooth whitening strip.
If you’re concerned about staining of your teeth, particularly intrinsic and age-related stains, talk to your dentist. That’s what they’re there for.
