Tea, coffee, cigarettes and red wine can leave unsightly marks on our teeth in the long run. With a professional teeth cleaning at the dentist and intensive cleaning pastes, however, you can usually remove these superficial discolorations. But food and stimulants are not always to blame for a change in the color of the teeth. The loss of tooth enamel also makes teeth appear more yellow.
Natural tooth discoloration also due to age.
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in our body. However, it too wears down over the course of our lives. Acidic foods and drinks, hard toothbrushes or an incorrect brushing technique can accelerate this development.
Due to age, tooth enamel therefore wears away over the years. This process is irreversible, because tooth enamel does not “grow back”. It is built up by our body only once – during enamel formation in early childhood.
When the enamel layer becomes thinner, the underlying yellowish dentin shows through. That’s why the teeth of an 80-year-old appear darker than those of a twenty-year-old.
Consult dentist before whitening
Anyone who notices a change in the color of their teeth should always consult their dentist to get to the bottom of what is causing it. Home bleaching would not improve the situation in case of discoloration due to enamel loss. On the contrary, exposed tooth necks could be sensitive to self-prescribed bleaching.
Gently clean teeth in case of discoloration due to loss of enamel
To prevent enamel loss from progressing too quickly, teeth should be cleaned with low-abrasive toothpastes, those with particularly gentle cleaning agents.
It is also important to choose the right toothbrush and to check the brushing technique. Because if you “scrub” with brushes that are too hard, you risk damaging not only the tooth enamel, but also the gums. Pain-sensitive teeth, exposed tooth necks and dental neck caries can be the consequences.
