Table of contents
Having stains on your teeth, whether white, black, brown or yellow teeth, is very annoying and ruins your beautiful smile. Tooth stains can occur for many reasons, such as excessive exposure to sugars or wearing braces. What types of stains on your teeth are there and what do they mean?
Tooth discolouration can have many causes, but is often a sign of tooth decay. Often there are problems with the cells responsible for making tooth enamel. When these cells are damaged, the enamel can no longer be produced, causing bubbles to form in the enamel. As a result, white, yellow or brown stains may appear. The front teeth are particularly affected by this.
The colour of your teeth is partly determined by heredity, but can also be greatly influenced by your diet, for example. This can also cause stains to appear on your teeth. What are the different types of teeth stains?
First, you may experience white spots on your teeth, which are often decalcification stains. It is caused by bacteria in your mouth converting sugars in your diet into an acid that damages your tooth enamel. White spot can also be caused by fluorosis, or excessive exposure to fluoride. There are many other causes, such as fever in young children. Here enamel forming cells react to the increase in body temperature, causing white spots. Breathing heavily through the mouth also causes the stains to appear because the sensitive enamel dries out.
A black spot can be a hole in a tooth, which first appears as a brown spot and then slowly turns black. The phenomenon can also be caused by colouring substances in substances such as coffee, tea and tobacco. Licorice sometimes causes a black discoloration on the teeth. These staining agents attach themselves to tartar and plaque. It can be removed quite easily by a dental hygienist or dentist by polishing the teeth. However, if the diet is not changed, the stains may return.
The decalcification stains that turn white on your teeth can also turn brown over time. This is due to the absorption of nutrients in the stains. Brown discolouration can also be caused by mouthwashes, such as Listerine. You should not use this immediately after drinking tea or wine, as the agents will then soak into the discoloured parts of the food. Tartar, or hardened plaque, can also cause brown spots, as plaque builds up more easily here. Tartar can also be removed by a dentist or dental hygienist.
As mentioned before, certain foods can cause discolouration on the teeth. This also applies to coffee and tea. The substances in these products attach themselves to plaque and tartar on your teeth, causing coloured stains.
Many young people have to wear braces during high school, which often reduces their motivation to brush properly. As a result, decalcification stains can occur in the areas where the fixed braces were worn. Good oral hygiene is therefore essential.
Popular categories
Frequently asked questions
How do stains on the teeth occur?
Tooth discolouration can have many causes, but is often caused by problems with the cells that produce tooth enamel. When these cells are damaged, the enamel is no longer produced and your teeth are much more vulnerable.
What types of stains are there?
There are different types of stains, the most common being white, black and brown. Many people also get coloured stains on their teeth from drinking tea and coffee and wearing braces.
Black tartar is a common dental problem that results from plaque. Calculus can come in different colours, including black. Learn here what black tartar is, how to remove tartar, and better yet, how to prevent it. Why do I have black tartar between my teeth? Black-coloured tartar is caused by…
Read morePolishing your teeth brings several benefits. Thus, it works effectively against discolored teeth and, like a whitening toothpaste, gives a whiter effect to the teeth Many people have polishing done by an expert, but you can also polish your teeth yourself just fine. In this text, we will take a…
Read moreEveryone knows by now that smoking is bad for your health, but much less known is the impact of smoking on your teeth. Apart from the fact that smoking doesn't exactly improve your teeth, smoking can also lead to gum recession, gum inflammation, tooth decay and even loose teeth. In…
Read morePrice Based Country test mode enabled for testing Switzerland. You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari