Nobody really likes to see yellow stains on teeth, least of all on your own! But yellow teeth aren’t always the sign of poor hygiene that people think, and the right methods can remove stains.
What causes yellow teeth?
Yellow teeth stains — a form of mild discolouration — occur in two main ways: extrinsic surface staining and intrinsic staining.
Extrinsic staining occurs more often but is also easier to clean, typically only affecting your enamel and not anything deeper. Common causes include highly coloured foods and beverages, like red wine, coffee and berries. If it would stand out on a white shirt, it will stand out on your teeth.
Along with food and drink, tobacco is the biggest cause of extrinsic staining. While there are an abundance of other health issues that might take precedence, it will definitely create significant dental stains.
Intrinsic staining is a bit less common in comparison, but harder to fix. Stains occur within the tooth itself, and teeth often take on a greyish colour instead of yellow. Causes include trauma and injury, exposure to certain medications, and overall poor oral care.
Beyond these two main categories, teeth also become discoloured simply through ageing. Dentine — the tissue making up the core of your teeth — naturally yellows over time. As enamel thins with age, dentine begins to show through.
Are yellow teeth bad?
As we noted, your dentine naturally yellows over time, so seeing yellow is not the worst thing in the world. Some people genetically have thinner enamel as well, which means that yellow shows through easier, even with great hygiene. This is why you might often be asking: “why are my teeth yellow when I brush them everyday?”
The answer a lot of the time: it’s in your genes.
However, it can also be a sign of poor cleaning practices and oral health. When you don’t clean your teeth regularly, plaque accumulates on your teeth and often takes on a yellow hue, making it very noticeable if you’re cleaning your teeth poorly.
The modern world idealises pearly white teeth. Even when yellow teeth come from genetics more than bad habits, it can still significantly affect someone’s self-confidence.
How to remove stains from teeth
More than anything, getting rid of stains on teeth requires a lot of effort and regularity. You need to commit to brushing and flossing your teeth twice every single day, and you can benefit from regularly using mouthwash, brushing after eating chewy and sticky foods, and potentially using some other dental treatment measures.
Before taking any extra measures to fix yellow teeth though, you need to have an established oral health routine that will help you sustain cleaner teeth going forwards. To brush, rinse your mouth and put a dab of toothpaste onto your brush, gently moving it back and forth on your teeth at a 45 degree angle. Brush the inner and outer surfaces, and then your tongue. Follow that up with flossing in between your teeth to ensure a thorough clean.
Can yellow teeth become white?
In short: absolutely! With the right oral health routine in place, there are a number of other options you can check out to fast track your yellow stained teeth back to bright and white:
- Dental scale and clean: While a dental clean is recommended every six months to maintain oral health, it also comes with the benefit of removing some surface stains by providing a deeper removal of plaque. However, a general clean cannot affect deeper, intrinsic stains.
- At-home whitening: Many people opt to undergo teeth whitening treatment at home using special kits. However, while you can buy many of these kits online or over the counter, we recommend to only use kits recommended and provided by a dentist.
- In-chair whitening: In chair whitening is the fastest option to brighten your teeth, getting your teeth several shades lighter in as little as 90 minutes. Whitening treatment in the chair is done by a professional, ensuring that you are experiencing the safest treatment as well.
- Dental veneers: Veneers are made of porcelain or resin composites and attach to the surface of your teeth to help those issues that can’t necessarily be fixed by a whitening treatment. Veneers are designed to be a permanent treatment, so the decision to get them needs to be made carefully and with professional consultation.
Zoom Whitening at Oakleigh
Going from yellow to white teeth doesn’t need to be a massive struggle. With our in-chair Zoom Whitening treatment, your stained yellow teeth can quickly become several shades whiter in a single appointment!
Ready to finally get the brilliant smile you’ve always wanted? We’re here to help you smile.
