What is Teeth Whitening?
Teeth whitening is a simple cosmetic dentistry procedure routinely used to lighten the color of your teeth.
Is teeth whitening necessary?
The porcelain like enamel on the surface of your teeth is a mix of microscopic crystalline rods. Enamel is the hardest substance in the body and it safeguards your teeth from the effects of gnashing, chewing, acid attack caused by sugar etc. However acids from food and drink and continuous movement of teeth causes damage to enamel due to wear and tear. Another visible effect is yellowing of teeth and appearance of millions of micro cracks in the enamel. If left untreated these micro cracks gradually enlarge resulting more and more spaces between the individual crystalline enamel rods. Over time stains and debris fill these gaps leading to lackluster look.
Tooth Discoloration and types of stains
There are two types of tooth discoloration:
1 – Extrinsic Staining
2 – Intrinsic Staining
Extrinsic stains, as the name suggests, appear on the outer side of the teeth. Common causes are usage of dark colored beverages, tobacco and regular wear and tear. By brushing daily and prophylactic dental cleaning, extrinsic stains can be removed. In case of stubborn stains, additional efforts like teeth bleaching needs to be done. If not treated, persistent extrinsic stains can penetrate into dentin and become ingrained.
Intrinsic stains are the stains that appear in the interior of teeth. Intrinsic stains are caused due to aging, trauma, exposure to minerals like tetracycline during the tooth formation and/or excessive ingestion of fluoride. Intrinsic stains were thought to be very hard to be removed through bleaching.
Causes of tooth staining
There are number of reasons for tooth staining. Some of the common ones are given below:
Age: There is direct relation between color of teeth and age. Over the years, teeth start discoloring as a result of wear and tear and accumulation of stains. These days, most of the teenagers are facing immediate discoloration which left untreated might be harder to cleanse in the later stages.
Translucency and thinness: Every tooth shows some translucency due to the age. Every tooth shows some translucency. Those that are opaque and thick have an advantage: they appear lighter in color, show brighter and are responsive to bleaching. The front teeth which are thinner and thicker have less of the pigment that is necessary for bleaching. According to cosmetic dentists, transparency is the only condition that cannot be corrected by any form of teeth whitening.
Eating habits: Continuous consumption of red wine, coffee, tea, oranges, carrots and food & beverages which are rich in color can cause staining of the teeth. Acidic foods such as citrus fruits can also contribute to enamel erosion.
Smoking habits: Smoking is not only dangerous for your body, but also to your dental health. Nicotine leaves brownish substance in the tooth surface which leads to intrinsic staining.
Drugs / chemicals: Tooth damages are also caused by many drugs (prescribed & illegal). Usage of tetracycline during tooth formation causes brown/dark grey ribbon stains which are hard to remove.
Grinding & Trauma: Teeth grinding causes a lot of stress on the teeth leading to micro cracks with in the teeth. Cracks are also caused by any serious injuries which eventually lead to accumulation of stains and junks.