Yellow teeth: interesting facts about discoloration
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The ideal smile: between beautifully shaped lips, even teeth appear in flawless, gleaming white – almost like pearls. The ideal of beauty looks like this or something similar. The reality is more sobering. Even if the dentition is basically impeccable and well-groomed, many people are far from the pearly whites they long for. In most cases, it is a more or less pronounced yellow haze that lies over the teeth. The reasons for tooth discoloration can be of different nature. You don’t have to put up with it if you use appropriate dental care products or practices such as oil pulling. Read here what you can do against yellow teeth.
Why do I have yellow teeth?
First of all: Real teeth are white in the rarest of cases. The natural color of human teeth is a light shade of ivory, the intensity of which is genetically determined and individual for each person. For this reason, extremely white teeth often look unnatural. In fact, teeth with a yellowish natural color are often particularly resistant and strong, because the color indicates a high calcium content.
An undesirable yellow discoloration of the enamel on the entire dental apparatus or on individual teeth can build up over a long period of time or appear suddenly. If you clean your teeth regularly (preferably also with dental floss) and simple plaque or tartar can be ruled out as the cause, it is usually recurring habits in the diet that affect the color of the enamel. Among the best-known foods are:
- Beverages, for example, coffee, tea, red wine, grape juice
- Spices and seasoning sauces, for example curry, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar
- Fruits rich in dyes, such as cherries or blueberries
- Medicated mouth rinses with chlorhexidine
- Nicotine and chewing tobacco
- Medications, such as antibiotics, allergy or blood pressure medications
By the way: A stronger yellowing of the teeth with age is also a natural process.
Why do certain substances discolor teeth?
The natural wear of the teeth causes small cracks or fissures to appear in the enamel. Your tooth surfaces show tiny irregularities.
If dyes or deposits from the above-mentioned foods settle in the upper layers of the enamel, this can lead to permanent discoloration if consumed regularly. The best prevention is meticulous oral hygiene.
What helps against yellow teeth?
To remove discoloration from your teeth, you have two options.
- Professional teeth cleaning: Trust your dentist, especially if you cannot explain the cause of the discoloration. The dentist can take this opportunity to determine if there may be an undetected disease.
- Dental care products: In the Peppery Spot range you will find a huge selection of dental care products for naturally bright teeth.
Caution: You should refrain from using household remedies such as baking soda, activated charcoal, salt or lemon juice as additives for brushing your teeth. These substances are so coarse that they could damage the enamel even more.
What products are available for white teeth?
There are a number of different items that you can use to reduce or prevent existing discoloration.
- Toothpaste: Some toothpaste suppliers, for example Elmex and Signal, have products in their portfolio that promise a significant whitening effect on teeth when used regularly. This is achieved by an increased proportion of abrasive particles that mechanically remove discoloration during daily oral hygiene. If the enamel layer is thin, these products should be used with caution.
- Rinses: Mouth rinses with a “whitening” effect are gentler on teeth. Unlike abrasive toothpaste, these rinses, such as those from Listerine, form a protective film around the teeth to block discoloration.
- Bleaching: Teeth whitening kits for home use in the form of bleaching gels, pens or strips, for example from Perlweiss, contain hydrogen peroxide, naturally in a much lower dose than is used in professional bleaching at the dentist. Such products are applied to the teeth after brushing, if necessary with the help of aids. Be sure to follow the instructions for use!
Why do some children have yellow teeth?
Yellow teeth in children are a special case. The kids do not consume the typical foods mentioned above, which promote tooth discoloration. Nicotine from tobacco is also ruled out as a source in youngsters. Nevertheless, yellow (or even gray!) teeth are not at all uncommon in children.
A surprising explanation: Some drugs such as doxycycline or tetracycline can cause discoloration of the tooth enamel in children (and adults). If the phenomenon occurs close to a treatment with antibiotics, this would be a possible cause.
Furthermore, dentists notice a spreading damage of the teeth in children: molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) or “cheese teeth”. This is a defect of the tooth enamel that only becomes apparent after the change of teeth and manifests itself in discolored and crumbly tooth enamel. The causes are still largely unexplored.
If your child suffers from noticeably discolored teeth, this should definitely be clarified by a dentist. In the case of MIH, the symptoms can be treated, for example, by applying medical varnishes. The dentist can also provide professional teeth cleaning. Under no circumstances should bleaching be performed on children.
Are there any cosmetic tips for tooth discoloration?
Are you – as a woman – unhappy with the color of your teeth, but whitening measures and teeth cleaning do not bring the desired effect or there is not enough time? No problem, because there is a cosmetic trick with which you can “cheat” a little. Just choose the right lipstick!
If you want to visually conceal a yellow tint on the enamel, avoid lipstick colors that contain a yellow component. This includes, for example, items with copper, orange or coral tones. Instead, go for shades that contain the complementary color to yellow, namely blue. These are berry tones, purple or mauve, for example.
Good to know: If your tooth color is more grayish, the exact opposite applies. In this case, orange and other colors have a brightening and harmonious effect.
Conclusion
The best way to treat yellow teeth is with oral hygiene products and occasional professional cleaning of the dentition at the dentist.
- Human teeth are ivory in color by nature.
- Regular brushing with dental floss and tongue cleaner prevents plaque and tartar.
- Limited consumption of tobacco and color-intensive foods reduces discoloration.
- Professional bleaching is performed by your dentist; alternatively, home bleaching kits are available.
- Yellow teeth can indicate a disease, which should be clarified by the dentist.
Discover products for optical tooth whitening at Peppery Spot and prevent yellow teeth in the best possible way!
