Everybody wants a bright, white, attractive smile. Unfortunately, many environmental factors can cause darkening and discoloration to the teeth making it difficult to maintain the look you want, and even causing you to be self-conscious about your smile.

Some things that can cause your teeth to darken are avoidable, while others are less so. Avoiding certain foods and beverages and maintaining excellent dental hygiene can keep your smile in better shape, but sometimes your enamel darkens anyway, leaving your teeth less than ideally white.

Some common factors that can cause the teeth to darken are:

• Coffee and tea


• Tobacco products


• Teeth grinding, or bruxis


• Trauma or injury to the teeth


• Lack of proper dental care


• Aging

Tooth whitening can help correct many of these issues, making your smile sparkle again. While over-the-counter tooth whitening products are popular, you’ll get the best results at your dentist’s office. A qualified cosmetic dentist can provide powerful whitening agents that can lighten your teeth several shades in a single treatment.

Other causes of tooth darkening are more difficult to correct and might require more aggressive treatment. Some of these include:

• Exposure to excessive fluoride


• Use of certain prescription drugs


• Genetics

Exposure to fluoride and use of prescriptions drugs, including some antibiotics, most often cause discoloration to the teeth while they’re still developing. In addition, some people are simply born with darker enamel. In these cases, tooth whitening products might not be able to significantly change the color of your teeth.

There are other options available, though, if tooth whitening isn’t sufficient for your particular issue. A cosmetic dentist might recommend porcelain veneers or crowns to restore a bright, white smile you can be proud of.

Porcelain veneers are very thin, custom-made shells that are bonded to the front of your teeth. Because porcelain is slightly translucent, like natural enamel, porcelain veneers can give your teeth a bright, white, natural look. Crowns can also restore the original color to your teeth if your dentist feels veneers won’t be appropriate for you. In both cases, the material of the veneers or crowns is carefully color matched to the rest of your teeth.

Taking good care of your teeth and avoiding discoloring foods, beverages, and tobacco can help prevent staining, but if your teeth have accumulated a great deal of discoloration, causing you to be self-conscious about your smile, you might want to consult a cosmetic dentist to see what he can do for you to restore your confidence.

If you’re in the Orange County, California area, please contact Dr. Norman Huefner at Sensational Smiles for answers to your questions about how tooth whitening can improve your smile.