Dental Care - Getting a Brighter Smile
What causes teeth to become discoloured? Unfortunately there are lots of things that can cause tooth discolouration.
Some are easy to avoid, but many are unavoidable.
For smokers, the answer is fairly obvious - nicotine stains teeth and damages gums - prevention is better than treatment in this case.
Give it up before it's too late, or your may end up at the dentist undergoing much more than minor treatment.
Harder to give up for some people are the pepping-up caffeinated drinks: coffee, tea and colas.
The damage is subtler and it may take years before you notice any effects at all - but cutting down on these drinks can stop the problem from worsening.
Dark food and drinks, such as red wine, blackcurrant and black coffee can also cause teeth to become discoloured.
One of the most unavoidable causes of changes in tooth colour is time itself.
The layer under the enamel on a tooth, called dentin, gradually gets darker with age.
Sometimes too the antibiotics we took as a kid, or an accident that 'traumatized' the tooth - causing the root to 'die' - causes discolouration.
An unfortunate side-effect of Root Canal Therapy is the darkening of a tooth.
Can Anything Be Done To Reverse Tooth Discoloration? More than half the population are unsatisfied with the colour of their teeth and the good news is there are a range of dental treatments available that can make a big difference.
Four of the most common remedies are Bonding, Tooth Whitening, Veneers and Caps or Crowns.
Dental bonding is a straightforward technique using resin on teeth.
Bonding will lighten the any stains and cover any flaws with a thin plastic coating.
It will last for 7-10 years and typically cost $300-500 per tooth.
Tooth whitening is slightly more controversial, as over-the-counter solutions are unproven and often ineffective.
Professional dental preparations are safe and will make a big difference.
It is a mild bleaching process that removes stains and restores teeth to their original colour.
Most people will see an improvement after the very first treatment and after 2-4 weeks, your teeth will be a healthy natural colour.
The costs can vary ranging from around $500 for a standard treatment to over $1000 for the less common laser treatment.
Dental Veneers are another popular dental treatment for whitening teeth.
They are custom-made porcelain facings that are glued directly to the surface of your tooth.
They are only one millimetre thick and the original tooth is 'shaved' by the equivalent amount so you wont notice any difference to the thickness of your tooth.
Veneers are very resistant to staining, which is an advantage over porous bonding, but they will typically cost double what bonding costs per tooth.
Since the advent of veneers, caps and crowns are used less frequently to improve the appearance of teeth, but the extra coverage and strength a crown gives is beneficial in some cases.
The entire tooth above the gum-line is covered and the crown becomes, in effect, the new surface of the tooth.
Crowns are typically a little more expensive than veneers.
Some are easy to avoid, but many are unavoidable.
For smokers, the answer is fairly obvious - nicotine stains teeth and damages gums - prevention is better than treatment in this case.
Give it up before it's too late, or your may end up at the dentist undergoing much more than minor treatment.
Harder to give up for some people are the pepping-up caffeinated drinks: coffee, tea and colas.
The damage is subtler and it may take years before you notice any effects at all - but cutting down on these drinks can stop the problem from worsening.
Dark food and drinks, such as red wine, blackcurrant and black coffee can also cause teeth to become discoloured.
One of the most unavoidable causes of changes in tooth colour is time itself.
The layer under the enamel on a tooth, called dentin, gradually gets darker with age.
Sometimes too the antibiotics we took as a kid, or an accident that 'traumatized' the tooth - causing the root to 'die' - causes discolouration.
An unfortunate side-effect of Root Canal Therapy is the darkening of a tooth.
Can Anything Be Done To Reverse Tooth Discoloration? More than half the population are unsatisfied with the colour of their teeth and the good news is there are a range of dental treatments available that can make a big difference.
Four of the most common remedies are Bonding, Tooth Whitening, Veneers and Caps or Crowns.
Dental bonding is a straightforward technique using resin on teeth.
Bonding will lighten the any stains and cover any flaws with a thin plastic coating.
It will last for 7-10 years and typically cost $300-500 per tooth.
Tooth whitening is slightly more controversial, as over-the-counter solutions are unproven and often ineffective.
Professional dental preparations are safe and will make a big difference.
It is a mild bleaching process that removes stains and restores teeth to their original colour.
Most people will see an improvement after the very first treatment and after 2-4 weeks, your teeth will be a healthy natural colour.
The costs can vary ranging from around $500 for a standard treatment to over $1000 for the less common laser treatment.
Dental Veneers are another popular dental treatment for whitening teeth.
They are custom-made porcelain facings that are glued directly to the surface of your tooth.
They are only one millimetre thick and the original tooth is 'shaved' by the equivalent amount so you wont notice any difference to the thickness of your tooth.
Veneers are very resistant to staining, which is an advantage over porous bonding, but they will typically cost double what bonding costs per tooth.
Since the advent of veneers, caps and crowns are used less frequently to improve the appearance of teeth, but the extra coverage and strength a crown gives is beneficial in some cases.
The entire tooth above the gum-line is covered and the crown becomes, in effect, the new surface of the tooth.
Crowns are typically a little more expensive than veneers.
Source...