In today’s world full of technology and innovation, where there are so many ways to keep your teeth their whitest, there is no excuse to have discolored teeth. Yet so many individuals suffer from teeth discoloration, or stained teeth even though they brush, floss, and have regular dental visits.
The problem may be due to eating certain foods or drinking certain drinks that stain your teeth, some environmental factors, an illness, medication, or time passing by taking its toll on your natural teeth color.
Intrinsic Stains Vs Extrinsic
The difference between Intrinsic and Extrinsic stains is intrinsic can be reduced or completely eliminated by simply rinsing your mouth out with water after eating or drinking where extrinsic can come from medications or an illness as well as some foods and usually causes permanent damage or stains that are very hard to get rid.
However, there are many options available in spite of all of this to help keep your teeth as white as possible and achieve a beautiful natural looking smile. Of course, some ways may be quite pricey where others may not cost anything at all. Here are some of the best suggestions.
Start With Your Health
Your first step should be to have a full physical health checkup. The reason why this is necessary is that there are specific types of diseases or illnesses that can cause the discoloring of teeth to where you can try many different whitening methods but none of them would work until you tend to the illness first.
There are also some medications that will cause your teeth to change colors such as antibiotics if taking as a kid while your teeth are just developing. Therefore, if taking any medication, it is important to talk to your doctor to see if one of the side effects associated with it may be teeth discoloration.
Food or Drinks that Can Help Lighten or darken Your Teeth
One way to ensure that your teeth stay their whitest is by avoiding food or drink that can stain or discolor your teeth as well as consuming more foods that can help brighten your teeth.
Everyone knows that coffee, wine, and berries can stain the teeth, but there are also many other known foods and drinks that can be problematic for your teeth, the following are just some of them…
- soda
- pomegranates
- sugary treats
- black tea
- barbecue sauce
- curry
- white wine
- green tea
- balsamic vinegar
- paprika
- turmeric
- marinara
Fortunately, the extrinsic stains caused by the foods and drinks listed above can usually be removed or at least reduced by simply rinsing your muth out with water within 30 minutes of ingesting.
Foods that Can Help Make Your Teeth Whiter are:
- Strawberries
- Yogurt
- Apples
- Cheese
- Nuts
- Milk
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Raw onions
- Celery
Bleaching Your Teeth
“Bleaching” is a term that can only be used for a product that contains hydrogen or carbamide peroxide, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
There are a number of whitening products that contain bleach, which come in a variety of forms like toothpaste, whitening strips, gels, and more. After applying bleach to your teeth, molecules of oxygen will penetrate the tooth enamel, causing the chemical to bond between the stains and break them apart resulting in lighter looking teeth.
Regular Professional Teeth Cleaning
You can brush and floss your teeth ten times a day, but you still won’t get the results that you would get from having your teeth cleaned professionally. Most dental insurance plans cover this type of procedure, but even if they don’t it usually is a fairly inexpensive process that works wonders to whiten teeth and brighten up your smile.