I have always envied those around me who seem to always have perfect smiles without even trying, because I feel like I was born with "bad teeth." While my teeth are in great shape now, it is only because I take great care to visit the dentist every six months for a check-up and cleaning and maintain good oral hygiene habits at home. While I used to get a lot of cavities, even though I thought I was doing "everything right" to keep them away, I am proud to say that I have been cavity-free for a couple of years now! I put a lot of research into what daily habits can wreak havoc on my teeth, and I thought it would be a shame not to share what has helped me with others who need the advice. I plan to post many oral health tips on my new blog!
Tooth discoloration occurs when teeth are a color other than white or yellowish-white. Changes in color sometimes appear as spots in the tooth enamel, but often tooth discoloration affects the entire tooth. There are various causes that can affect the development of tooth enamel, damage tooth enamel, or stain teeth, all of which can lead to discoloration of your teeth.
Poor Dental hygiene. If you don't brush and floss your teeth properly, you won't remove the buildup of dental plaque and food stains that can discolor your teeth. Some foods and beverages stain teeth more than others. Acidic foods, in particular, erode tooth enamel making it softer and easier for the pigmented molecules in certain foods and drinks to attach to tooth enamel.
Genetic defects. Some inherited diseases, such as osteogenesis imperfecta – a disease that causes weak bones – can affect the thickness of tooth enamel by repressing dentin mineralization.
Other genetic defects such as dentinogenesis and amelogenesis can also affect tooth enamel. Dentinogenesis imperfecta is caused by a gene mutation that can make both primary and permanent teeth weaker and discolored. Teeth appear translucent and blue-gray or yellow-brown in color.
Amelogenesis imperfecta is a rare dental disorder that can make your teeth look yellow- or brown-colored. Depending on the type of amelogenesis imperfecta, tooth enamel can be thin, pitted, and erode easily.
Medications. Certain antibiotics, such as tetracycline and doxycycline, can discolor teeth and soften enamel. Your child can have discolored teeth if you took these drugs when you were pregnant and damage occurred to enamel-forming cells during fetal development. Other drugs that can stain teeth include antihistamines, drugs used to treat high blood pressure, and antipsychotic drugs. Medical treatments for cancer, including chemotherapy and head and neck radiation, can cause your teeth to discolor as well.
Congenital diseases. Conditions such as congenital hypothyroidism and congenital porphyria, which are present from birth, can cause discolored teeth. Congenital hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland doesn't develop fully, which may affect tooth formation. Congenital porphyria is a rare disease that causes the primary teeth to look reddish brown. As the over production of porphyrins (chemicals that help produce hemoglobin in the blood) causes them to accumulate in the body, other problems such as anemia and skin sensitivity to light can occur.
Fluoride. Exposure to too much fluoride – a condition known as dental fluorosis – can cause teeth to become porous and lead to white spots or streaks, brown spots, or pitting on your child's teeth. The damage to tooth enamel, which is caused by too much fluoride during the first years of life, is permanent.
Illness. High fever when your child is young and his or her teeth are forming can cause changes in tooth color. A severe case of neonatal jaundice, or hyperbilirubinemia, is another condition that may lead to permanent green discoloration of the teeth. Although green-stained teeth are rare, when a child has elevated bilirubin levels over a period of months, brownish-yellowish bilirubin pigments produced in the liver can deposit in hard dental tissue.
For more dental health questions, contact a professional like those at Family Dental Office.
Share11 August 2015
