Everyone loves a beautiful pearly white smile. However, keeping teeth pristine white is not easy and gets harder as we age. Your diet age, health, oral hygiene, how often you visit the dentist, and other factors influence the colour of your teeth. Whitening treatments can definitely reverse the staining (though not permanently) so you can get those teeth white again.
As whitening treatments are only semi-permanent, it’s a good idea to understand what could be causing those pesky teeth stains and maybe find a solution to help mitigate that so your teeth stay whiter longer. Let’s take a look at 5 of the most common reasons teeth stain and turn yellow.
Your Diet
Your diet has a big impact on your teeth. What you eat and drink goes into your mouth every day, of course! The major culprits are dark-coloured drinks, wine, and coffee, as well as highly acidic foods. While acidic foods don’t stain your teeth directly, they break away at your enamel which makes it much easier for your teeth to become stained.
The more you eat and drink acidic or staining-inducing foods, the more likely your teeth with discolour and become yellow. While whitening treatments help reverse the stains, it’s important to be mindful of what you’re eating and drinking to keep them whiter longer and prevent those stains from coming back quickly. Making some dietary changes post-whitening where possible will help keep your teeth whiter longer.
Medicine
Some medications are known to help cause teeth staining. These include testracycline, chemotherapy drugs, and some antihistamines. Speaking with your dentist about any medications you may take can help your dentist determine if it may be the cause for your teeth yellowing or provide tips to help reduce the discolouring effects.
Smoking
Smoking is a huge risk factor for your overall health, but also your teeth. Even limited cigarette use can yellow your teeth. Tobacco use is a big culprit for staining your teeth, while also increasing the risk of cancer. It’s always best to quit as soon as possible to help protect your health and teeth.
Eating Disorders
If you suffer from an eating disorder, it can be detrimental to your oral health as well. With bulimia, the purging involved brings stomach acid into your mouth, eroding enamel. If you suffer from anorexia, you may not be eating the right foods to support healthy, strong teeth, leaving them weak and prone to staining.
Improper Oral Hygiene
Not visiting your dentist regularly, as well as forgoing regular brushing, flossing and mouthwash use is not good for your teeth. All of these factors combined keep your teeth strong, healthy, and whiter. The poorer your oral hygiene is, the more prone to staining your teeth will be.
Conclusion
Many factors impact how teeth discolour, and how quickly they can stain again post-whitening treatments. It’s important to understand where in your life may be impacting that discolouration the most and try to make changes where possible.
Teeth whitening treatments are a great way to boost self-esteem and confidence, but you will want those results to last as long as possible!
If you’re looking to provide teeth whitening services to clients, take our online teeth whitening course and get certified in just one day!