Why Do Teeth Darken?
If you read a dental journal you will quickly realize that teeth can darken because of a wide variety of factors. Whilst some of these factors are within our own control, some are also largely outside of it.
Smoking is a cause of teeth staining and discoloring that is 100% in the control of the individual. Quite simply, apart from being good for your overall health, if you want nice bright and white teeth stop smoking now. Then, follow a course of teeth whitening treatment and never smoke again.
Our diets are another factor that can determine how stained and discolored our teeth are. The list of foods and drinks that affect the whiteness of our teeth is simply to long to record here. However, drinks like red wine, tea and coffee are well known for their staining effects as are foods that have high amounts of sugar or dyes in them. These stains can be effectively dealt with by teeth whitening products. The maintenance of good white teeth can then be achieved by using products in your normal oral hygiene routine that are formulated to help keep your teeth bright and white.
Teeth can also darken, or become discolored, simply as part of the ageing process. In this respect, as we age two important things happen to our teeth. First the enamel thins and secondly the dentine, which is underneath the enamel, thickens. Dentine has a naturally yellowish color, subsequently with it thickening the yellow become more intense and as the enamel thins it becomes even more visible. A double whammy to tooth discoloration! Again, teeth whitening products can combat this effect, but will sadly not be able to reverse it.
If your teeth have stains that are a blue-gray color on them, this could well be due to having been prescribed the anti-biotic Tetracycline when younger. Whilst Tetracycline is a very effective and necessary medicine, it is known to result in teeth staining if large doses of it were required. Whilst not an impossible discoloring/stain to remove, it is a difficult one and will probably require a dentist carry out the treatment program. (NB. Ironically over exposure to fluorides, compounds that can benefit our teeth, can also lead to tooth discoloration.)
It is a fact that just as some people might have dark hair whilst others have light hair; so too can people have darker or lighter teeth. In other words the exact color of your teeth may well be part of your genetic makeup. In which case rather than thinking of your teeth as possibly being dark you should think more that they are their own natural shade of whiteness. In such cases a course of teeth whitening treatment will lighten the shade of your teeth, but it will not be able to totally change the color of them.