Most of us loves having a cup of hot tea or coffee as soon as we get up or to beat those chilling waves or to recover ourselves from the stress levels. But, none of us wants to end up having those stains on our teeth. After all, a smile with stained teeth neither looks charming nor beautiful.
This is despite the fact that we can easily visit the dentist in Modesto to get rid of the stains.
So, what to do? Should we quit drinking our favourite drink? Well, that’s not the only way to avoid having drink stains on our teeth. Removing stains from the teeth is quite easy. You might not believe it, but some of the best teeth whitening techniques are the simple home remedies that you can do yourself.
The most common drinks that stain our teeth are tea, coffee, soda, sports drink, and wine. It’s not only the acidic nature of these drinks that harm our teeth but also the high sugar content present in them is very harmful to our oral health.
Besides this, many of these drinks contain artificial ingredients like dyes and food colouring in them, which further result in staining of our teeth. In addition to this, a portion of these drinks can enter cervices, which makes it quite difficult to clean.
Prolonged exposure to the acidic nature of these liquids can affect our enamel which can worsen the situation. Hence, teeth cleaning by Markham Stouffville Smile Centre and maintaining good oral hygiene is very important.
Thanks to all the toothpaste advertisements, most of us believe that white is the colour for natural and healthy teeth. Well, it’s not true. The colour should belong to the white family but it doesn’t have to be sparkling white.
Several people drink tea and coffee, however, not all of them suffer from discolouration spots on their teeth. Well, there are other reasons that result in teeth stains. Below we have discussed some of the common causes of teeth stain.
Causes of Teeth Stains:
– Poor Dental Hygiene
The very first and foremost reason that results in teeth staining is poor dental hygiene. Improper brushing and inadequate flossing can result in teeth discolouration. Red wine, tea, coffee, etc. have certain chemicals in them. These chemicals, when deposited on enamel, resulting in stains. If not taken care of, these stains tend to become permanent.
Proper brushing, mouth rinsing with water, and flossing helps in removing the stains. People who ignore their teeth or have poor dental hygiene have higher chances of getting discolouration spots on their teeth.
– Tooth Enamel
Enamel is the outermost layer of our teeth. It forms a protective layer and protects our teeth. Enamel hypoplasia is a dental condition that might cause tooth discolouration. The enamel layer formed is quite thin. As a result, the outlines of the teeth may contain chalky, yellowish-brown, or white spots.
This condition is either by birth or can also be acquired. Some of the most common causes of enamel hypoplasia are:
- Lack of essential nutrients in the body, especially calcium.
- Premature birth
- Birth injury
- Bacterial or viral diseases
- Malnutrition during pregnancy
- Tooth injury
- Exposure to toxins
- Fluorosis
– Excessive Fluoride
Instead of whitening teeth, too much fluoride can be quite harmful to teeth. Excessive fluoride exposure might result in staining of the enamel. This is more common in kids below the age of eight years.
This condition is known as Fluorosis. In this, teeth have grey or white colour streaks. In extreme cases, these streaks get replaced by pits or dark brown spots.
Harmful Effects on Teeth
Poor oral hygiene and failure to visit a dental clinic for a regular check-up might cause your teeth more than yellow stains.
– Oral Cavity
Discolouration, if not attended on time, might result in an oral cavity. Holes or tiny opening formed in the outermost layer of the teeth are called cavities.
Discolouration patches or spots on the teeth surface are an indication of the initial stage of cavity formation. Plaque and tartar accumulation might result in cavity formation. The affected area of the tooth will lose its shine.
Besides causing pain and discomfort, cavities might cause too much harm to the internal layers of teeth. If ignored, it might result in cavities and, in extreme cases, even tooth decay.
– Enamel Fluorosis
Excessive exposure to fluoride during the stages of enamel results in Enamel Fluorosis. In this, the affected teeth show light discolouration. In the beginning, the impacted teeth show very light streaks of white colour.
In later stages, these mild stains are replaced by yellow to dark brown stains. If not treated on time, Enamel Fluorosis might cause surface irregularities and even formation of pits on the enamel.
Inapt use of fluoride-containing mouth wash, toothpaste, or other dental products can result in Fluorosis. Ingestion of these dental products can be quite harmful to the kid’s health.
– Halitosis
Another significant effect of teeth stain is Halitosis. Bacteria growing in our mouth results in Halitosis or bad breath. Bacteria present in our mouth acts on drinks like juices and soft drinks and result in the formation of plaque.
Besides causing bad breath and discolouration of teeth, these bacteria might result in dry mouth, tooth decay, and other teeth or gum diseases. Poor oral hygiene might further result in abscesses. A person suffering from abscesses has pain in the tooth and would face difficulty in chewing.
Besides dental issues, teeth staining can be an indication of other health-related problems, for example, celiac disease, respiratory disease, etc. Stains on teeth are generally caused by the action of bacteria present in the mouth. Hence, if not treated on time. These bacteria might result in gum diseases, lung diseases, etc.
How to Remove Drink Stains From Your Teeth
In case you have stained teeth, don’t worry. You can easily get rid of these stains by adopting some simple measures.
– Brush Your Teeth before and not after
The best way to prevent or remove stains is by brushing your teeth regularly. We all know the importance of brushing our teeth to keep them clean, shining and healthy. However, brushing only will not be sufficient, brushing correctly is more important. Brushing after consuming drinks that might stain our teeth is very important.
However, brushing immediately after intaking acidic liquids might not be a good idea. Immediate brushing might result in brushing away more enamel. In extreme cases, this may cause teeth erosion.
While brushing teeth, move your toothbrush in a circular manner. Be gentle to your teeth and gums. Brush all around your chewing surfaces and try to reach all the crevices and cracks.
You may use a whitening toothbrush to get better and faster results.
Studies have shown that brushing teeth before taking stain causing drink is more effective. Tartar deposited on the teeth plays a crucial role in the deposition of wine pigments on the teeth. Brushing teeth before taking drinks would remove the tartar from the teeth. Hence, preventing staining.
– Rinse Your Mouth Out
Another easy and simple way to protect our teeth from getting drink stains is by rinsing our mouth with water, immediately after consuming such drinks. As discussed earlier, most of the drinks that stain our teeth are acidic. Consumption of these drinks results in the wearing down of the protective layer of our tooth ‘the enamel’. Water, on the other side, has a totally opposite nature. Hence rinsing the mouth with water can be very helpful in cleaning the teeth surface that too without causing any damage to our enamel.
– Eat While You Drink
If you love drinking wine then an easy way to prevent stains on your teeth is to eat something while drinking. If you like cheese, then nothing like it. Cheese is known to avert ‘Malbec mouth’. Cheese is quite rich in calcium. When you eat cheese it coats a layer of calcium on your teeth.
This layer does not allow the stain-causing tannin to deposit on the teeth. Hence, protecting the teeth from getting stained. So, next time you order a glass of red wine, don’t forget to pair it with cheese.
– Use Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide
One of the most effective home remedies for treating stains from teeth is by rinsing the mouth with a mix of water + baking soda or water + hydrogen peroxide. Both of these components are known to have anti-bacterial properties.
Hence act as a perfect way to clean your entire mouth. you can make your own toothpaste by mixing water and baking soda. Similarly, by adding eight ounces of hydrogen peroxide to the same amount of water you can make an oral mouth rinse.
– Intake Plenty of Water
Drinking water is not only good for your oral health but also for your overall health. Drinking water in between, as well as, after a drink helps in removing some of the colourings before it deposits on the teeth.
– Floss Daily
Last but not least is flossing. Flossing helps in removing plaque from the teeth. This further helps in eliminating places that have higher chances of getting stained.
