When brushing twice a day and flossing doesn’t help improve your yellow teeth, it’s time to consider other options. Teeth become yellow due to stains – both deep and surface-level – as well as other causes that sometimes aren’t under our control. Whether the discoloration is due to staining or other factors, several over-the-counter (OTC) products can improve tooth color, and your dentist can also offer preventative advice on how to whiten yellow teeth.
Although coffee and cigarettes leave stains on your teeth over time, thin tooth enamel is also makes teeth look yellow. Tooth enamel is the hard, white surface of your teeth, and underneath it is a pale brown substance called dentin. Thick enamel looks white, but thin enamel allows dentin tones to show through, making teeth look yellow from the outside. Enamel naturally wears thin as people age, but acids from foods and drinks such as sour candies, oranges and soda also thin the enamel by eroding its surface. Other causes of yellow teeth include antibiotic use or excessive fluoride intake in young children, which can cause yellow-stained adult teeth later.
Avoiding smoking, coffee and soda helps prevent yellow teeth, or you can get into the habit of drinking those darker beverages through a straw. Drink milk or plain water after eating or drinking something acidic to help reduce the acid’s eroding effect. Brushing and flossing also help, and avoiding snacks between meals allows your saliva to dilute the acids in your mouth too.
Discolorations are generally responsive to bleaching procedures, and dentists can advise on how to whiten yellow teeth depending on your case. Your dentist can provide bleaching kits to take home and use over a period of time, as well as in-office bleaching procedures. Carte Blanche offers affordable and safe teeth whitening option that will leave you with a beautiful smile!
For more information on Carte Blanche visit http://carteblancheteeth.com/index.php or call (626) 233-1981.
