Causes of Tooth Discoloration
A child's deciduous teeth are generally whiter than the adult teeth that follow. As a person ages the adult teeth often become darker due to changes in the mineral structure of the tooth, as the enamel becomes less porous and phosphate-deficient. Teeth can also become stained by bacterial pigments, food-goods and vegetables rich with carotenoids or xanthonoids. Certain antibacterial medications (like tetracycline) can also cause teeth stains or a reduction in the brilliance of the enamel. Ingesting colored liquids like coffee, tea and red wine can also discolor teeth.
Other causes:
- Tetracyclines
- Enamel hypoplasia
- Fluorosis
- Age of the tooth: the teeth become more yellow or opaque and generally have a darker hue, usually after 50.
- Tea
- Coffee
- Tobacco ( tar and nicotine )
- Mate
- Wine and cola drinks consumed in excess
- Other foods and oral tobacco products with strong content of pigments
- Chlorhexidine (chemical bactericidal and bacteriostatic used as antiseptic in mouthwashes and toothpastes for the treatment of gingivitis and halitosis )
Read more about this topic: Tooth Bleaching
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