What Makes Teeth Yellow?

While the difference might only be obvious to a dentist or a dental hygienist, tooth-related stains can broadly be grouped into three categories.

Extrinsic Teeth Stains

These are the stains where the cause and effect is most obvious as they are on the outer surface of the teeth – the enamel. Extrinsic stains are mostly caused by the pigmentation in what we consume and so staining on the tooth enamel gradually worsens over time.

Common culprits include tobacco, wine, carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks, and (annoyingly as you’re reading this whilst sipping a Latte) tea and coffee.

Extrinsic staining is difficult to avoid as so much in our diet is a potential cause; luckily these are also the stains that are simplest to remedy. More on that later.

Something a little different: Old Dentistry

As enamel wears away, metal fillings may give teeth a noticeably “grey” appearance and old veneers and composite bonding can darken with time (and can appear even darker if you whiten your natural teeth).

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