Is your smile not as bright as it used to be? There are actually quite a few reasons why your teeth may have a duller or yellow appearance. Below we’ll outline the most common reasons why teeth turn yellow and offer solutions for brightening your smile.
1. Diet
What you eat and drink can affect the color of your teeth. Foods and drinks that are highly acidic wear down your enamel easily. If you tend to eat and drink a lot of citrus fruits, candy, soda, or alcohol, your teeth are at risk for enamel erosion, especially if you don’t consistently brush and floss. Try to eat leafy greens, nuts, and dairy for stronger and healthier teeth!
2. Poor Oral Hygiene
A common cause of yellow teeth is poor oral hygiene habits. Not brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day means that your teeth are breeding grounds for plaque and bacteria that can wear your enamel down. Once the enamel erodes, your teeth are more vulnerable to staining and decay.
3. Genetics
Sometimes the color of your teeth is just due to genetics! If your parents and grandparents have naturally yellow teeth, chances are you’ll have yellow teeth as well.
4. Medication
Oral contraceptives and some antibiotics have been known to cause staining.
5. Smoking
Smoking is damaging to your immunity, which makes it harder for your body to fight bacteria on the surface of your teeth. It also causes surface stains in itself.
6. Weak Enamel
Some of us just have naturally thinner enamel, giving your teeth a stained appearance.
7. Trauma
Chipped and cracked teeth signal enamel damage, which puts teeth at risk for stains.
Don’t stress out about yellow teeth. Although it’s important to determine the cause of your staining so you can make any necessary lifestyle changes to promote better oral health, teeth bleaching can whiten your smile significantly whatever the cause of the discoloration.
At Signature Smiles Dental, we’re proud to offer KöR® Whitening Deep Bleaching™ to lift deep stains and whiten your teeth by up to 16 shades in just two in-office treatments!
