You can blame dark foods and condiments for tooth discoloration.  These include: Curry, soy sauce, berries, cherries, balsamic vinegar, and others that have a lot of pigment. When you eat acidic foods like citrus fruits, it opens up the tooth enamel’s pores.  This can cause your teeth to become stained quite easily.

Staining can be created by drinking things like coffee, dark soda, teas, red wine, and cranberry juice. If it will stain a white T-shirt, it will stain your teeth.  This is a good rule of thumb to keep in mind. Be careful of drinking hot or cold liquids, as this can be painful. These drinks can change the temperature of your teeth.  This causes your teeth to contract or expand. This permits the teeth to become stained easier.

Of course, smoking plays a major role in aiding the staining of teeth. If you catch it early, you can remove most of the staining that is caused by smoking.  If you let it go, the stain sinks in, and it can be very hard to remove from the enamel. After a while, your teeth will be stained permanently by smoking.

Chewing Tobacco:  Tooth enamel on people who chew tobacco can have brown or black stains. This type of stain is noticed more on the bottom front teeth as this is where the tobacco is in the mouth.

Poor Dental Hygiene:  You can make a big difference in keeping your teeth white and healthy by brushing and flossing daily and making regular visits to your dentist.  Be sure to have your teeth cleaned on a regular basis.

Overbrushing – is that possible? Could you be brushing your teeth too much? Of course! Excess brushing with coarse toothpaste (as majority whitening toothpastes) and a stiff brush may really remove the enamel of your teeth eventually. When you do this, it may cause the dentin that underlies the enamel to show.  This causes a yellow appearance. This is why a dentist may suggest using a soft bristle toothbrush.

Disease and Medications:  Tooth discoloration can be caused by some medications like arthritis treatments, antihistamines, acne medications and antidepressants.  This is especially true with long term use.  Doxycycline and tetracycline, two types of antibiotics, can create discoloration. These can especially affect young children.  There can be discoloration of a tooth as a result of chemotherapy.  If you use a mouthwash that contains cetylpyridinium chloride or chlorhexidine, it may stain your teeth.

As people get older, their teeth will collect more stains. Regular wear and tear can create thinning in enamel. This produces the yellow dentine layer to appear completely, and formulates teeth emerge yellow and dry.

Teeth may become discolored from high fluoride levels in the water. Fluorosis especially affects children.  They often get this from swallowing toothpaste while brushing. White, chalky patches or lines on a tooth can be created by Fluorosis.

Genetics:  The tooth enamel of some people is just naturally white and bright.

Damage:  A truly solid strike may produce nerve troubles which will tarnish a tooth. Whitening can momentarily whiten the exterior of the tooth, but it must require a dentist’s consultancy.

You have two basic options for a teeth whitening system:

1) buy commercial teeth whitening products for your at-home use; or

2) seek professional teeth whitening service from a cosmetic dentist.

Whether you opt for an at-home DIY teeth whitening system or go for an in-office procedure, both treatments involve bleaching of your teeth using either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is quick to react once released from its suspended phase. When applied, the compound breaks down into water (H2O) and a nascent oxygen anion species that acts on the teeth stains.

On the other hand, carbamide peroxide is hydrogen peroxide with urea added. Urea stabilizes the bleach compound enabling it to be stored longer. However, it also slows down the reaction. In contrast to hydrogen peroxide that immediately acts on the stains, carbamide peroxide needs to stay on the teeth for hours before the oxidation process can begin.

If you wish to try whitening products that are available over-the-counter, check out the whitening strips by Crest or test a tube of peroxide-based toothpaste. If you use these at-home teeth whiteners properly, they can help lighten the color of your teeth although it will take a while before you can see any results.

For a more effective teeth whitening system, you will need to visit the dental office for professional teeth bleaching. Again, you will have to choose because in cosmetic dentistry, there are two approaches to teeth whitening — the tray-based teeth whitening treatments and the laser whitening system.

A tray-based system like the Opalescence kit is essentially an at-home teeth whitening treatment supervised by a dental professional. The dentist takes an impression of your teeth based on which custom fitted trays are made. Then, he will give you the bleaching gel containing carbamide peroxide that you will put on the trays. You wear the trays over the teeth intermittently for a period dependent on the severity of the staining and discoloration.

The other option is an in-office teeth whitening technique that uses a light source to hasten the reaction of hydrogen peroxide. The lips and gums are first isolated to avoid their getting irritated with the chemicals. Then, a special gel formulation is painted on the teeth. The bleaching light is shone on the gel to activate the whitening process. The treatment usually lasts about an hour and the results are very noticeable.

It is best to spend some time studying the different options before deciding which teeth whitening system you will avail of. Try to get as much information as you can about the different teeth whitening systems offered in the market. Read teeth whitening reviews on the effectiveness of Opalescence, Zoom and similar professional teeth whitening treatments. Scan product reviews on strips and toothpastes to see if they can indeed whiten teeth.

Most importantly, pay attention to oral care. Keep your teeth and gums healthy and decide on an effective teeth whitening system. Before long you will be flashing a brighter, whiter smile.

By www.10minteethwhitening.com – effective teeth whitening system.