Tooth Bleaching - Causes of Tooth Discoloration

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 )