Yellow Teeth

What causes Yellow Teeth?

There are many reasons that your teeth can become stained or yellow. These include drinks (coffee, tea & red wine), foods (heavily coloured or dark foods), tobacco, wear of teeth and the natural ageing process. With all of the amazing restaurants and cafes along Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn, this could happen quite quickly! 

How can I stop my teeth from becoming stained or yellow?

Apart from avoiding smoking or staining foods or drinks, you could consider rinsing your mouth following having these things to reduce buildup. Also, your ongoing home hygiene (such as using an electric toothbrush and flossing daily) as well as regular professional cleans will help to reduce stains from building up too heavily. Preventing excessive wear of your teeth (such as from grinding of teeth) can also prevent your teeth from becoming yellow over time.

What can I do to remove stains and make my teeth whiter?

There are a few options to help to remove stains and whiten your teeth. Many stains can be removed with a professional clean which will bring your teeth back to their natural colour. If you would like your teeth to be whiter than this, we can look at whitening gels to improve the shade of your teeth further, or possibly veneers which mask the colour of your teeth.

Do whitening toothpastes work?

Many whitening toothpastes will improve the shade of your teeth over time. However, many of these toothpastes tend to be quite abrasive and can excessively wear your tooth away over time if used on a regular basis. This could possibly lead to sensitive teeth due to your teeth being less protected from heat, cold or sweet substances. We generally do not recommend the regular use of whitening toothpastes. If you are worried about the colour of your teeth, teeth whitening gels could be a safer and more effective way to achieve this.

Do teeth whitening booths work?

Have you ever walked past a teeth whitening booth in the shopping centre and wondered how safe or effective they are? These booths are generally run by casual staff with minimal training to issue teeth whitening products for you. The ingredients that they supply are generally safe, but there are a few points to consider. As the staff are not professionally trained, they will be unable to advise on your dental health and if there is any potential issues with whitening your teeth. For example, any dental work in your front teeth which currently look good may not change colour and then become mismatched with the rest of your smile.

Also, any small holes in your teeth could react poorly to teeth whitening substances and lead to pain or discomfort.  The materials that whitening booths are allowed to provide you are generally quite inefficient in whitening your teeth due to safety regulations. Often, due to these regulations the staff are not allowed to place anything in your mouth and sidestep these laws by making you place any materials in your mouth yourself.

As qualified dental professionals, we can provide you with much more efficient and effective whitening gels for your use to ensure your teeth can look their best in a shorter period of time in the comfort of your own home!