What causes the brown spots on my teeth?
This may be a sign of enamel demineralization or of tooth decay (caries). Or, it could merely be superficial staining, such as the sort of staining that is produced through the consumption of tea, coffee, wine, and also from food additives and tobacco.
Furthermore, it can be caused as a result of failing dental restorations such as crowns and fillings, as these frequently begin to stain at the interface or margin of the tooth restoration area.
Brown spots that appear inside the teeth are referred to as intrinsic stains, often being the resultant factor of antibiotic treatment during the time the teeth were still forming. However, this can also occur as a result of excessive fluoride consumption, in addition to issues that affected the normal formation of teeth structure, such as a childhood injury or illness (measles, for example).
What can I do about the brown staining on my teeth?
Normally, brown staining results from a frequent consumption of substances such as tea, coffee, and/or alternative drinks that contain caramel coloring, for example cola. Tar from cigarette smoke, is another common factor that may be involved.
Nevertheless, these are sources of extrinsic staining, and are usually easily removed through improved hygiene, dental prophylaxis (a cleansing procedure carried out by a dentist), and avoidance of such compounds.
Brown spots may also appear on the teeth on account of poor oral hygiene or tooth decay (caries).
My teeth appear yellow. Is there something that ought to be done to alter this?
Yellowing teeth is a perfectly normal variation on the shade of teeth, and there’s not usually any medical consequence that is related. It’s natural that teeth should darken as they age, due to the dentin layer that lies below the enamel outer shell continuing to thicken throughout our lifetimes.
A further cause of yellowing, however, is the acceleration of dentin formation in the response to various stresses, such as when the teeth are chronically ground together – known as bruxism.
A frequent routine used to make teeth lighter in color is bleaching, given that most people prefer to retain a somewhat youthful appearance.
Sometimes, poor oral hygiene can lead to the accumulation of plaque, which then entails extrinsic staining on the teeth. That can also appear yellow in coloration.
My teeth are beginning to look gray. What causes the gray coloration?
Teeth that have a gray-colored appearance are usually this way because of molecules that have a dark pigmentation becoming incorporated into the hard external layers – the enamel and dentin layers – as the teeth form. This is a condition referred to as intrinsic staining, and can be a result of the use of tetracycline antibiotics.
My teeth appear to be darkening. What could have caused this to happen?
The darkening of teeth is a frequent occurrence due to the incorporation of various medications or pigmented minerals throughout their formation, or it can happen from the saturation of iron which arises from the bloodstream at times of inflammation. This occurs when a tooth or the teeth in general are under some form of trauma.
There are brownish-gray looking spots (“freckling”) on my teeth. Should this be a reason for concern?
Oftentimes, teeth that have uniformly distributed brownish-gray spots appear that way due to fluorosis. However, there are various alternative types of intrinsic staining that may also create this appearance. Enamel hypoplasia might also bring about an irregular stained or pitting appearance within the enamel of either a single tooth are many teeth.
Should I be concerned that my teeth have many white spots on them?
These white spotted lesions appear in the form of frosted areas on the tooth enamel, and can be representative of early tooth decay or enamel demineralization. As acids from food and drink and plaque acids start to dissolve the enamel on the surface of the teeth, they begin to take on a matte, etched-like appearance.
In essence, at a microscopic level, the enamel looks rough and as such, plaque more readily adheres to it. The white spot lesions start to attract stains from tea, coffee, food coloring additives, and perhaps from tobacco. Thus, the enamel looks either brown or yellow in color.
Isolated white spots on the surface of the teeth can sometimes be caused by enamel hypoplasia, and this occurs during tooth formation.
Furthermore, it can be caused by excessive fluoride consumption throughout the time of tooth development, otherwise known as fluorosis.
For help with teeth discoloration, get in touch with this Greenwood IN dentist.
