How To Get Rid Of Yellow Teeth

One of the most common complaints of people walking into a dental clinic is that of "having yellow teeth". What they are usually referring to is discoloration of the teeth that can be caused by a wide variety of factors. Here are some of the common cause of "yellow teeth" and how to treat them.

Cigarette Smoking

For most people, the chief cause of discoloration of their teeth is cigarette smoking. The kind of staining that cigarettes cause is very easy to spot. They will result in a brownish-blackish discoloration most prominently visible on the inner half of the teeth but that may affect the outer half as well.

Cigarettes contain nicotine and other contaminants that attach themselves to the teeth and cause external stains that can be easily removed over a short period of time but also cause a permanent change to the color of the teeth.

The treatment for this is pretty straightforward. The affected individual has to quit or decrease cigarette smoking as much as possible. There are a lot of serious health hazards associated with cigarette smoking but if a cosmetic reason is the one that finally drives people to quit, no one is complaining!

Poor Oral Hygiene

If one thinks about it, keeping good oral hygiene is not that difficult. All that is required is brushing your teeth for a minute or so twice a day and seeing your dentist at least once every year. The problem is that when people ignore such small things, they end up causing harm to their teeth that add up over time.

One of the main reasons why people complain of yellow teeth is because they just have not been cleaned professionally in a long time. It is natural that some amount of plaque gets accumulated on the teeth even if you brush diligently twice every single day. For those people that do not, this process is greatly accelerated.

What most people do not know is that once tartar starts to form on the tooth, it is not possible to remove it from the teeth with the help of a brush. The tartar will get stuck, promote the formation of more plaque, more tartar and eventually start turning the color of the tooth to a dirty yellowish color.

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The treatment for this is very simple. Get a professional cleaning, also called a scaling, and then follow the oral hygiene methods prescribed by your doctor.

Natural Color Of The Teeth

There are some people that try and keep their teeth as clean as possible but they still end having a yellowish hue. This is most likely due to the presence of a thinner than normal layer of enamel. Our tooth is made of three layers. The outermost layer is enamel, the one underneath is dentin and the innermost one is the pulp.

The enamel is white in color and also slightly translucent. The underlying dentin is yellowish in color. When the enamel is thinner than usual the color of the underlying dentin becomes more prominent, giving the teeth a yellowish tinge.

How To Make Yellowish Teeth White?

This can be quite problematic when it comes to correcting, from the doctor's point of view. The patient does not have anything "wrong" with their teeth that can be corrected. Like there are variations in the skin tone among different people, so are there variations in the color of the teeth from one person to another.

Some of the treatment options that are available to such patients include bleaching (teeth whitening) and the use of veneers.

Bleaching   

To whiten the teeth, a use of an acidic preparation at a specific concentration is done to change the moisture content of the enamel and make it appear less translucent than it usually is. The process can be achieved in a single sitting in the dental office or over a longer period of time through the use of home bleaching kits.

A number of such kits are available over the counter, however, it is recommended that people first take an opinion from their dentist to understand the pros and cons of this procedure.

The process is pretty effective in removing some persistent extrinsic stains and lightens the shade of the teeth as well. What needs to be remembered is that this process is not permanent and that the teeth will eventually return back to their original shade.

The time that this takes to happen can vary from six months up to a year depending on many variables.

Some people also complain of sensitivity after this procedure has been completed. If this does occur, then remember that the next time this procedure is performed, the sensitivity is usually a little bit worse.

Veneers

Covering the outer surface of your front teeth with veneers is a pretty drastic option for the treatment of yellow teeth, although it is increasing in popularity around the world. It should be reserved for cases where the teeth of the affected individual need drastic alteration or the appearance are becoming a hindrance in their personal/professional life.

The procedure is pretty straightforward. The dentist will grind the outer surface of the front teeth a tiny bit and then take impressions. These impressions will go to the lab where the veneers will be fabricated.

READ How Much Do Veneers Cost? (And What Else Should You Know About Cosmetic Veneers?)

The shade and even the shape of the teeth can be corrected with the help of these veneers. The amount of tooth grinding required is minimal and does not require root canals or cause increased sensitivity.

Conclusion

The above-mentioned treatment options are enough to correct the shade of the teeth, however badly affected they may be. The current trend of selfies and constant social media exposure has made people a lot more aware of their appearances and this includes their teeth as well.

We recommend talking to your dentist and starting with the least invasive procedures. This way patients have the chance to see if they are happy with the shade of their teeth before opting for something drastic and irreversible.