Tuesday, August 4, 2015

What about stains that don't respond to tooth whitening?

A common desire for a healthy looking smile is to have bright teeth.  For most people the different whitening products can do a great job of brightening their smiles'.  Some people have stains that do not respond to the most common methods of whitening.  (see blog post :Ways to whiten your teeth)

Here are some reasons why teeth may night respond to whitening.

Tartar stains
You may notice the yellow on the sides of the teeth mainly
on the bottom teeth in front, these are stains from tartar.
Tartar naturally can build up on your teeth and will appear yellow and chalky.  Tartar builds up mostly between teeth and near the gums.  More brushing will not removed the tartar, it's bound to the tooth.  The Dental hygienist has the tools and skill need to remove the tartar and give you a brighter smile.

Cavities
The by products produced by the bacteria in cavities results in a brown to black appearance.  The tooth will be soft and eventually start to break apart.  Cavities will not whiten with tooth whitening, the cavities need to be removed to get ride of the stain, not to mention all the other problems they can cause.

Demineralized tooth structure
Prior to the tooth getting a cavity it first start to demineralize from the acid it is exposed to. The demineralized tooth with often appear a chalky and different shade of white or even yellow.  These stains are commonly seen once braces are removed because of plaque or other acid exposure build up around the brackets but doesn't extend under.
Staining before microabrasion
After one treatment of microabrasion

These stains will not respond to traditional tooth whitening.  The key here is to remineralize the tooth. There are several ways this can be accomplished including microabrasion and adding a no drill filling that is absorbed into the demineralized area of the tooth.

Fluoride stains
With all the benefits teeth get from fluoride one of the draw backs is that at high levels during tooth development the fluoride can stain the teeth.  The difficulty with fluoride stains is that they are deep in the tooth because the develop into the teeth as they develop from the inside out.  They look similar to the staining of demineralized teeth but with a shiny surface instead of a dull surface.  The no drill filling is not an option but microabrasion can be successful.

Tetracycline stains
The dark grey staining that results from the use of the tetracycline antibiotics during tooth development is one of the most difficult to address.  Again since this occurs during tooth development the staining is deep inside the tooth.  About the only treatment that can get rid of these stains to to crown the teeth with a porcelain crown that has a metal interior that will block out the stain.