Why do teeth lose their whiteness?
Most of us have some sort of discoloration on the teeth. Brilliant Smile Sweden explains the most common reasons why teeth lose their whiteness.
Discoloration can be a result of genetics, medication, poor oral hygiene, aging, smoking, certain foods and beverages, or a combination of all the above causes. Food, coffee, tea, wine, soft drinks and tobacco discolour your teeth over time which is quite natural and difficult to avoid completely. In reality, discoloration is small particles of these foods that attach to the tooth surface and eventually are packed into the enamel. Good oral hygiene can slow down the process, but some stains are harder to get rid of than others. Ultimately, the individual’s tooth structure determines how receptible you are to pigment being absorbed. In addition, tooth whiteness usually decreases over the years, partly because the enamel wears and becomes thinner. Some of us have less white teeth already from birth, we are all different.
There are also more unusual types of discoloration caused by, for example, stroke, trauma, medications and certain diseases. Excessive intake of fluoride during the formation of the permanent teeth (during childhood) can also make the teeth discolored. This is called fluorosis and it appears as white or yellowish/brown spots on the teeth.
The vast majority can get considerably whiter teeth from tooth whitening treatments. However, a small part of the population is, for various reasons, difficult to treat. Examples of difficult cases are very darkly discoloured teeth, thick teeth, gray discoloration, translucency, fluorosis, medically induced discoloration and red pigments. In these cases, a prolonged treatment duration may be needed in order to achieve the desired result. A very small portion of people will not get any results at all, but this is a very rare occurrence. These patients usually have discoloration that is not organic and is therefore not affected at all by the teeth whitening.
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