How to prevent the early onset of discoloured teeth.

Having white teeth is easily taken for granted if we are fortunate enough to have them. As time goes by though, most people find that their teeth start to gradually darken. Whilst this is, to a large degree, due to ageing, there are still factors which may cause this to happen prematurely.

Cleaning our teeth alone is simply not enough to keep our teeth white and bright. Even using tooth whitening toothpastes will have little effect due to the tiny amount of the whitening ingredient which is allowed by law.

So, given that brushing alone, even with specialist toothpastes, won’t make much difference to the whiteness of your teeth (though brushing will certainly help to keep them healthy), how can we avoid our teeth discolouring prematurely?

Lifestyle

The way we live affects our health. We all know that an unhealthy diet with no exercise is likely to lead to ill health and therefore it seems logical that what we do will affect our teeth too.

Smoking is by far the biggest factor in causing badly discoloured teeth, especially if you are a heavy smoker. The tar in the cigarettes will find its way into all the minute cracks in our teeth and any rough patches that enable it to stick easily. This will naturally cause our teeth to become very dark in a relatively short time. It should also be said that this habit may also well lead to cancer or lung and heart disease and so is definitely best avoided.

Diet

Many foods and drinks that we consume will also contribute to the colour of our teeth. Drinking tea regularly will certainly stain the teeth due to the tannin in it. Although we probably may not want to start the day without our ‘cuppa’, there are now many alternatives and herbal teas available which will not stain our teeth.

Coffee too is guilty of staining and is therefore not an efficient alternative.

Most soft drinks that we buy, including many which claim to have health benefits, are full of sugar of one sort or another. This sugar will eat away at the enamel on our teeth and create rough surfaces to which discolouring foods will attach and stain.

Dental Care

At Beau Monde Dental Care in Bristol, we continually advise our patients that, as well as cleaning their teeth, one of the most important things that they can do to keep them looking and feeling good, is to visit the dentist on a regular basis. Not only will this enable us to offer advice on ways to improve their oral health care but also that any damage can be spotted early and treated relatively easily.

In the event that a patient comes to us unhappy with the dark colour of their teeth, we can now offer two types of teeth whitening procedures to restore their former glory, namely the ‘WY10’ treatment or ‘Enlighten’. Both of these procedures offer simple and effective ways of restoring the whiteness to your teeth and you will no longer have to look back at the yellow smile that greets you in the mirror each day.

For more information about which option may be best for you, please call us at our Bristol practice on 0117 330 3495 to arrange a consultation where we can discuss which option would be the most effective in your own individual case.