Certain foods and beverages can lead to stained teeth, but what can one do to prevent stains between teeth? The outer layer of the teeth, called enamel, is the part of your tooth visible to the naked eye. The enamel serves as a protective coating from what we eat, drink, or expose our teeth daily. Besides cosmetic reasons, taking care of our enamel is vital for the long-term health of your teeth and prevents the development of more severe dental conditions.
The natural tooth color is determined by the enamel and the underlying dentin layer, the enamel has a hue of white, and the dentin has a shade of pale yellow. For this reason, it is why paying attention to the color of our teeth is important. In addition, the color of both layers says a lot about a person´s oral health conditions. Non-dental professionals might recommend home remedies that could damage the enamel of your teeth or worsen an existing dental condition.
Find the leading cause of tooth discoloration
One needs a professional consultation with specialized dentists in Tijuana for proper treatment. With so many over-the-counter treatment options, one might think all those medical treatments are safe and should work. One must know the type of staining it’s occurring between the teeth if it’s caused by:
- food particles
- gum disease
- medical treatments
- tooth decay (dental caries)
- genetic factors that might cause tooth discoloration
- Unhealthy lifestyle factors
Did you know that by not using dental floss as part of your oral hygiene routine, 35% of your teeth’ surface is left uncleaned? A dirty enamel surface can not only cause stains between your teeth, but it can also cause plaque to become tartar, and tartar makes that part of your teeth’s surface more prone to cavity formation.
What can I do to prevent stains between teeth?
It is imperative to make use of all the teeth cleaning tools available to prevent stains between teeth:
- The most important and non-expensive is dental floss
- Having good oral hygiene and doing a professional cleaning twice a year is the best way to prevent stains, especially between your teeth
- Avoiding foods and drinks with high natural or artificial colorants
- As well as changing lifestyle habits such as smoking, chewing tobacco, using your teeth to break or open hard objects, it is also helpful to evade stains on teeth or damage to the outer layer of your teeth
What can I do if I notice stains between my teeth?
Go to professional consultation, some home remedies such as baking soda or even over-the-counter whitening can help you diminish surface stains on your teeth, and that is okay. The problem is when we confuse cavities with surface stains and treat them as stains for a prolonged time in which the cavity keeps advancing until it causes major damage.
It is important to prevent tooth decay from progressing and spreading, which puts other teeth at risk of decay formation.
Only an oral health professional provider has the knowledge and the proper tools to remove tough stains and determine if a stain is a decay instead of a stain. Bitewing x-rays are essential during your biannual checkup because they show what’s between your teeth, prophylaxis and an oral evaluation are important, but this interproximal area is not visible to the naked eye.
Here at Dental Alvarez, our dentists in Tijuana will be more than glad to assist you with any questions you might have about teeth whitening in Tijuana or any other procedure you might be interested in.
