Tooth Whitening

Introduction to Tooth Whitening

Tooth Whitening in the Office

Teeth Whitening Stats

Tooth Whitening Strips Review

Tooth Whitening Mystery

Tooth Whitening Toothpaste Review

General Review Notes

Tooth Whitening Article Archive - 1

Tooth Whitening Article Archive - 2

Tooth Whitening Article Archive - 3

Tooth Whitening Site Map

Why Do Teeth Get Stained?

There are many reasons why your teeth get stained or discolored. But first, let us talk about the basic structure of a tooth. In the middle of the tooth is a nerve cell and this is covered and protected by two thick layers, the inner dentin layer and the outer enamel layer. The dentin layer is more compact than the enamel layer. The enamel layer is made up of what chemists call hydroxyapatite (pronounced as hay-drox-si-a-pa-tayt) crystals. These crystals make the enamel somewhat porous.

Now, not everyone has pearly white teeth. Some are born with really white teeth and some are born with not-so-white teeth. Genetics play a role in how white your enamel is. Therefore, if you look at your teeth now, closely for the first time, and see something less than ideal, don’t despair. It may be due to your heredity. But then again, it may due to staining.

Tooth stains come from the stuff that you put in your mouth, such as food, drinks, and cigarette smoke. These materials stick to the surface of your enamel and form another surface called pellicle film. You can keep this pellicle layer really thin (and not affect the whiteness of your enamel) by oral hygiene. Your toothbrush can dislodge parts of it.

However, the icky pellicle layer can sit on your teeth for years and years. (Just how old are you now?) Eventually, those foreign materials sink deeper and become part of your enamel. This is when the real problem comes in. Your toothbrush, no matter how hard, cannot do anything about it anymore. Even whitening toothpastes can’t reach it. You will need to consult a dentist.

A dentist will inform you that there are two broad classifications of tooth stains: extrinsic stains and intrinsic stains. Extrinsic stains happen when the pellicle layer is discolored. Cigarette smoking, tobacco chewing, coffee, and tea can easily turn your teeth from yellowish to black. Fortunately, this can be easily removed by regular dental prophylaxis. This procedure simply involves cleaning, scaling, and scraping of your teeth that also remove plaque, that sticky coat covering your teeth where bacteria lived.

Intrinsic stains, on the other hand, are more difficult to remove. When you take medication for certain diseases, your teeth will suffer side effects such as tetracycline staining or iatrogenic discoloration. Mild forms will be the yellowing of your enamel. Worst forms will show dark gray stains that cannot be whitened anymore. When your water supply has too much fluoride, your teeth will also discolor via a process called fluorosis.

Your enamel will show brown or gray pigments. When your teeth is traumatized, bumped or punched, it will also darken. Lastly, another cause of intrinsic stains is a well-known, unstoppable process called aging. As you reach the wise years of 60 or 70, your teeth will eventually turn yellowish brown.