Coloring of teeth, does whitening help?
Smile is the first thing you notice when you meet somebody. Sometimes it can say more than a thousand words. The most often question is “what I can do for a beautiful smile and whiter teeth?”
It is said that women have whiter teeth. It is not just because they perform whitening more often than men, but also because of the fact that women naturally have higher amount of enamel. Men´s teeth have more dentin and that is why men´s teeth look darker. This is the same reason why more robust teeth are a little bit darker than the other. Have you ever noticed it?
In general, yellow teeth are colored by congesting of pigment spots. It covers natural color of teeth (external factors). There may also appear inner teeth color changing (inner factors).
What are the most often factor of teeth color changing?
- Plaque. The little amount of plaque occurs on our teeth every day. The pigments congest into this. The color of plaque could be caused also by chromogenic bacteria from genus Actinomycetes. It is common on the primary teeth. Bacteria produce hydrogen sulphate which reacts with iron in saliva. This complex makes typically black coloring usually in gingival spaces.
- Tartar. If the plaque is not removed completely, it will continue to build up until it hardens into tartar.The color of tartar is from yellow through brown up to black.
- Food and drinks. Teeth have tendency to absorb color particles from food. Probably the biggest problem for coloring white teeth is drinking coffee or tea (mostly black and green). We drink it every day and over some time our teeth become darker, rougher and with more pigmentations. Good example is a tea cup. If it is not completely cleaned every day, it would get darker by these pigments inside. Red wine, color drinks, juices, curry, soy sauce, etc. work likewise.
- Smoking is the most significant and most frequent reason for coloring and pigmenting teeth. Cigarettes contain tar that is naturally dark and in combination with nicotine causes yellow to brown pigments on teeth. These are hard to clean at home.
The best option to keep your teeth white without external factors of coloring is regular dental hygiene. We cannot talk about a change of original color of teeth. It is just removal of plaque, tartar and pigmentations. Dental hygienist tells you how to clean your teeth and gums correctly to keep your smile bright and white. Some people think that dental hygiene can make teeth whiter, but this procedure cannot change your original color. If you are not satisfied with your color even after dental hygiene, you can undergo a whitening procedure.