| Tooth Discoloration: The Two Types of Tooth Stains Tulare |
Tooth discoloration. Two types of tooth stains
Teeth display several shades of white. There is no specific shade of white that is considered to be the right color. Some people will have naturally dark teeth than others and it is normal for most people to want their teeth to be as white as possible.
Tooth discoloration is caused by chromogenic agents.
When certain types of food are regularly used, the teeth will be coated with a slight yellow tint. When the tint becomes worse, the discoloring will change to orange or brown.
There are two types of discoloration:
1. Extrinsic staining develops on the outer surface of a tooth and is not a part of the tooth structure. It is caused by consuming the following:
Colas
Tea
Coffee
Red wine
Nicotine in tobacco
Stains caused by the above are usually minor and can be eliminated with brushing of the teeth and prophylactic dental cleaning. The stains that are more stubborn can be removed by the bleaching technique. If these stains are not arrested at early stages, the possibilities are that the extrinsic stains will penetrated into the dentin and become ingrained in the teeth.
2. Intrinsic staining is formed inside the teeth. These stains are stubborn and more resistant to whitening. The causes for intrinsic staining are due to the following reasons:
Intake of tetracycline
Trauma
Aging
Use of excessive amounts of fluoride
Stains caused by the intake of certain medicines such as tetracycline or similar antibiotics over a long period of time are severe staining in the teeth. This is even worse if taken during childhood, when the teeth are forming. These antibiotics eventually incorporate into the enamel and/or dentin which discolor the teeth. Therefore, such antibiotics are rarely prescribed for children who are younger than eight years of age and also for women who are pregnant.
In both types of tooth coloring, it is expected that over a period of time the coloring will become darker. What we see as tooth coloring is the effect when a light passes through a teeth to the enamel and reflect once the light strikes the inner structure of teeth’s dentin that lies underneath. Whatever effects that alter the enamel and dentin may affect the color of the teeth. With age, the enamel of the teeth will become thinner and reveal the darker dentin that lies beneath it. |
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