What factors influence the color of teeth?
What causes teeth to stain or discolor?
At any one point during their lifetime the specific color a person's teeth take can be influenced by a number of a factors and events. Here are some of them:
Teeth have a baseline intrinsic color.
There is no "normal" shade of white a person's teeth are supposed to be (or should be). Just as two people with blond hair would not be expected to have the exact same hair coloration, human teeth can and will show variation in their specific shade of white, while still being considered to fall within the range of normal or natural.
Tooth discoloration can be caused by surface staining.
It is the nature of teeth to pick up surfacing staining during that time which elapses between professional dental cleanings. Once you have had your teeth cleaned you may find that the intrinsic coloration of your teeth is already quite pleasing and that the use of a peroxide-base teeth whitening product is not needed.
Certain life events can stain and discolor a person's teeth.
The cumulative effects of a number of different processes can affect the color of a person's teeth:
- Chromogenic foods:
- The term "chromogenic foods" simply refers to foods (beverages mostly) that when consumed over time have the ability to produce a staining effect on teeth. Coffee, tea, cola, and red wine are all well-known chromogenic agents.
- Tobacco products:
- The cumulative effect of the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and even smokeless tobacco can cause tooth staining.
- Medications:
- The use of some medicines can cause tooth discoloration. As an example, the antibiotic tetracycline (as well as its derivative compounds minocycline and doxycycline) is well documented as producing blue-gray tooth staining if it is ingested during those periods when tooth formation is occurring. For this reason, as a general rule pregnant women and children 8 years and under are not given tetracycline products.
It has been documented that the use of minocycline can cause tooth discoloration even in adults. Minocycline is sometimes used to treat facial skin conditions.
You may find it surprising that fluoride is another medication that is known to cause tooth discoloration. If a child ingests excessive levels of fluoride during tooth formation tooth staining can occur. Fluoride stains can range in color from chalky white to brown.
A common way an excess of fluoride can be ingested by a child is by way of swallowing toothpaste. It's been estimated that children under the age of 5 years swallow essentially all of the toothpaste placed on their brush. A common rule suggested by dentists is to avoid the use of fluoridated toothpaste with a child until that age when they can be counted upon to reliably spit out.
- Physiological processes:
- There can be a number of physiologic processes, both normal and pathological, that can have an affect on a tooth's color. Especially related to the fact that a person's tooth discoloration might be caused by tooth pathology, it is always best that all teeth whitening efforts should begin with an examination by a dentist.
- Aging:
- It is a normal event that a person's teeth will darken with age.
- Tooth decay:
- Locations where tooth decay exists are typically brown to black in color. The decay itself may be on an aspect of the tooth that is not directly visible but the staining it causes can be visible through portions of the tooth that seem intact.
Of course teeth whitening products cannot resolve the problems caused by tooth decay. Obviously the needed solution in this type of situation is for the person's dentist to repair the damage caused by the decay way of placing dental restorations (fillings, crowns, etc...).
- Tooth trauma:
- Teeth that have experienced trauma (like being hit in an accident) can discolor. In some cases this discoloration may be an indication that the nerve inside the tooth has died. While the use of a teeth whitening product may lighten the color of a necrotic tooth it will not resolve the underlying problem. In this type of situation not seeking an evaluation and subsequently receiving treatment from your dentist can lead to a serious tooth flare up.
Tooth discoloration associated with existing dental work.
Existing dental work can be the cause of some types of tooth discoloration. It is normal that white fillings can experience staining as time passes. Metal fillings, even if not directly visible, can show through translucent tooth structure or even be the cause of tooth staining.
Teeth whitening products will not change the color of existing dental work (the possible exception being dental veneers). The appropriate solution for this type of situation is to have your dentist place new dental restorations (after you have completed your teeth whitening efforts).
