Why Teeth Darken Or Become Discolored

When you smile for a picture, do you show off your teeth or do you keep them hidden behind your lips? If you’re embarrassed to let your teeth show, perhaps they’re not as white and bright as you’d like them to be. Teeth can darken or become discolored for a variety of reasons. Determining why they’ve become this way can be the key to having a smile you’ll love to flash for the camera.

Reasons Teeth Darken

Quite a few explanations can be found for the cause of discolored teeth. Among them, food and drinks like coffee, tea, wine, soda, and even certain fruits and vegetables may be to blame. Smoking or chewing tobacco is another surefire way to lose that white smile.

Other times, it could be a disease or treatment of that disease in the form of medications like antibiotics or radiation and chemotherapy. If the cause is medical, you might want to discuss it with both your doctor and your dentist. Speaking of your dentist, if you’ve had amalgam restorations, they can make your teeth appear discolored too.

Aging is another reason why teeth begin to yellow. It’s natural for the dentin’s yellow color to come through more as time marches on. Though if you have good genetics, you might be one of the lucky ones that gets to keep a whiter and brighter smile for longer.

While some of these things you can control and others are out of your hands, one thing that seems to always come into play is how well you take care of your teeth. If you have poor dental hygiene, you’ll have a smile that looks yellowed. Some people try to counter it with antiseptic mouthwashes, but those do more harm than good. You need an all-natural tooth oil that doesn’t cause further damage to your enamel.

What Can You Do About Discolored Teeth?

The obvious answer is always about preventing discoloration in the first place. Brushing and flossing daily are imperative to keeping a brighter and healthier smile. You can also cut down on eating and drinking foods that are known to stain your teeth.

Depending on the reason why your teeth have yellowed, your dentist can help you too. Dental bonding adheres a tooth-colored material to your teeth which gets hardened to it - or bonded, hence the name - to your tooth with a special light. Veneers are a custom fit for your teeth to cover the front surface. These can be great if you want to completely change your smile.

Bonding and veneers are more expensive though. You can go for teeth whitening at your dentist’s office though you may choose to try over-the-counter whitening agents to help bring back that whiteness.

If you do take care of your teeth though and none of these other reasons seem to fit your situation, you should schedule an appointment with your dentist. It could be a sign of an underlying condition which should be handled promptly. In most cases though, if you follow these tips, you’ll start to love your smile again!

Looking for a 100% all-natural liquid tooth oil and mouth rinse? Check out OraMD Original Strength and OraMD Extra Strength. Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral health and skincare. If you are looking for more health resources make sure to check out the Trusted Health Resources list.

Written By:

Jennifer Raskin is a freelance writer, wife and mom that loves cold weather despite her location in Florida, cooking, reading, watching ‘80s movies, weight-lifting, and wine tasting.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

Photo by Candice Picard on Unsplash