A healthy tooth has a white, milky color with minor deviations – these are pale shades of blue, gray, or yellowish. The natural color of teeth is affected by several factors. It largely depends on the dentin’s nuance. This substance is located under the enamel and is mostly genetically determined. Also, the enamel’s appearance and transparency significantly affect the natural color of the teeth.

Besides these genetic factors, there are other reasons why your smile is not snow white. Every day, the entire oral cavity is exposed to various agents you ingest through food and drink. Their impact can be minimized with proper oral hygiene, and the color change will be almost invisible. To know more on the basics of dental hygiene, read here.

But if you do not take enough care of your oral hygiene, the remnants of everything you put into yourself would settle on your teeth as well. Soft deposits, known as dental plaque, and colored spots form on the enamel. It is good to understand what causes these changes in order to prevent them on time.

Impeccable Oral Hygiene

Tooth decay is one of the leading causes of tooth erosion and discoloration. It occurs as a result of the deposition of bacteria on the teeth. If not treated, it results in the weakening of dental tissue and, eventually, tooth loss.

Good oral hygiene should do the trick. You should use a paste and toothbrush after every meal. Still, if you cannot do that, do not forget to brush and floss your teeth at least before going to bed at night. That way, you will remove food residues that will deposit in your mouth over the night, causing tooth decay and the appearance of ugly spots.

Use Quality Oral Care Products 

When you visit the dentist, they will suggest various techniques and products to prevent dental stains. They may recommend the right oral hygiene product such as a mouthwash, toothpaste with hydrogen peroxide, or any at-home whitening set. You can even try some DIY methods. If you follow their advice and use these products regularly, you should avoid most stains.

Washing your teeth with hard-bristled toothpaste can weaken the enamel on them. To strengthen this coating, you should rinse your mouth with a good mouthwash, which contains fluoride. If you do not have this product, a glass of tap water will do.

Oral care products enriched with fluoride are the best aid for proper oral and dental hygiene. These help with mechanical teeth cleaning. On the other hand, these products contain enough fluoride to strengthen and protect the enamel from harmful influences.

Limit the Intake of Colored Food

The most effective way to prevent dental stains from forming is to avoid eating foods high in coloring agents and simple carbs. When you consume sweets, candies, fruit juices, or any type of colored food, these agents act on the enamel. Mustard, colored spices, and salad dressings can also affect the color of your teeth. 

It is also possible for the enamel to become stained from tea and coffee, although these drinks are not considered to cause teeth damage. Even berries, which are known as superfoods, can harm your teeth. So, whenever you eat or drink colored things, take a glass of water right after. Rinse your mouth and, as soon as you can, brush your teeth. 

Avoid Carbonated Drink

If you enjoy sodas, avoid drinking them during meals. The carbonation within them can act with food particles and cause ugly spots on your teeth. You can prevent this discoloration if you use a straw for drinking sodas or anything containing colored agents. That way, you will direct the liquid right to your throat, with almost no contact with the oral cavity.

If you cannot completely abstain from soda pops, simply drink plenty of water. This simple action will help you rinse harmful molecules off the teeth. Plus, water intake goes a long way towards improving your oral health. 

Quit Smoking 

Even though you know that tobacco is harmful to you, oral health is not the first thing you think of when talking about the consequences of smoking. You should know that any type of tobacco can harm you in the mentioned aspect, whether you smoke, use a pipe, or chew it.

Smoking can discolor and weaken teeth, as it can cause cavities and gum infection. If you are a heavy smoker, you have probably noticed that your gums are more susceptible to irritation, bleeding, and pain.

If you smoke at all, you should quit. In case you are a passive smoker, try to avoid smoky areas whenever you can. Refrain from chewing tobacco products, too, as these have also been known to stain teeth in a much faster way than smoking.

Dental Treatments

Even when you have impeccable hygiene habits, you cannot completely give up on some things that have been proven to change the enamel’s color. That makes you a good candidate for a whitening treatment. You can opt for one of the popular whitening kits, as seen on https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Teeth-Whitening-At-Home-Sensitivity/dp/B07GZ75Y3F/, or entrusting your oral cavity to dental experts.

Look for products that contain peroxides, such as stripes or foils. Their application is quite simple, and they can be frequently used as they do not damage the tooth enamel. Still, the whitening effect is not long-lasting and not as noticeable as if an experienced dentist did this treatment.

You can also try the bleaching tray, which belongs to the home-bleaching program, but under a dentist’s supervision. The dental expert makes a mold (tray) based on the imprint of your teeth. You should wear it for a few hours every day, for a maximum of two weeks. 

Before putting the tray, pour bleaching solution into it, which acts on the enamel as long as you wear the mold. The results are significantly better than when using whitening products, but the procedure itself is more expensive.

Healthy oral health care habits should be established from an early age. Throughout life, your teeth will be exposed to various ‘challenges,’ which is normal. It is up to you to preserve them by not giving up on proper dental hygiene and healthy living habits.