Teeth as white as snow, shining in a beautiful smile, is a dream of almost everyone. Even 20 years ago, to achieve this, we brushed our teeth with salt. Today, dentists know excellent ways to get rid of discoloration. Some of them can also be removed with preparations available in pharmacies and drugstores. But to do this effectively, you first need to know the cause of the discoloration.
Berry spots
The easiest way to get rid of surface discoloration. They appear most often in people who smoke cigarettes, even occasionally. Strong discoloration that requires intensive brushing, e.g. with smoker’s paste, can also leave red wine, blueberries, coffee, tea, and some spices on the teeth, e.g. curry mixture. External discoloration also sometimes occurs after taking iron supplements.
External discoloration is easy to remove. Many of them disappear immediately after using a specialized toothpaste 2-3 times, which helps to remove the plaque. If that is not enough, the problem is almost always solved by tartar removal at the dentist’s office (usually with ultrasound) followed by sandblasting. It is a painless procedure and takes about 15 minutes. It consists in pouring water with dental sand, baking soda and air bubbles onto the surface of the teeth. Removes plaque and discoloration, as well as bacteria that easily multiply, for example between teeth and around their necks.
Fluoride is easy to overdose
The most difficult thing is to get rid of the discoloration that develops in the tooth after antibiotic therapy, mainly those from the tetracycline group. However, these are not drugs that we take as adults, but those that our mothers took during pregnancy or administered to us until the age of 7. Here, the dentist’s help is necessary, and sometimes even after a dozen or so treatments, the discoloration cannot be completely removed. Sometimes the only solution is to put on veneers, i.e. thin porcelain flakes fixed on the tooth surface.
Discoloration can also appear when we overdose on fluoride. Until recently, fluoride was added to water in many countries, and there are also places (in Poland, e.g. around Malbork, Kwidzyn, Kielce) where the safe level of this element in water is naturally exceeded and water treatment stations remove excess fluoride before releasing water into taps. The body needs it, but it is very easy to overdose. The most dangerous is fluoride from industrial pollution. Patients with fluorosis develop not only stains and erosions of the enamel, but also pain in bones and joints, and even liver damage.
If your tooth suddenly turns blue, black or otherwise discolored, see your dentist immediately. It is likely that the tooth develops inflammation, caries, or it has been mechanically damaged, e.g. as a result of an impact. The teeth in which we have had old-type fillings, the so-called amalgam. You just have to replace them with new ones!
Teeth also change color with age. Already in our 40s or 50s, we can notice that they are more yellow than when we were teenagers. It’s a completely natural process.
Try the ApaCare Zahncreme Remineralizing Toothpaste for Discoloration at an affordable price on Medonet Market.
Home whitening
In pharmacies and drugstores you can find a lot of preparations for self-whitening teeth. They help not only get rid of discoloration, but also lighten the teeth, naturally yellowish or slightly blue. The most popular are strips that stick to the teeth for half an hour. We can also buy dust to be applied with special sticks, gel in an applicator resembling a pen, and even a lamp with blue light to illuminate the teeth after applying the whitening gel. The British Dental Society examined 16 preparations available in pharmacies and drugstores. The results were alarming: only in 2 of these preparations the permissible concentration of the bleaching agent, i.e. hydrogen peroxide, was not exceeded. In one of the products, its level exceeded the safe norm 230 times!
– The whitening itself is not dangerous – says Dorota Leśniak, a dentist currently working in London. – Hydrogen peroxide may cause tooth hypersensitivity, which, however, passes after a few to several days. However, it is worth asking the dentist for advice when choosing a preparation (you can really buy good and effective agents in pharmacies!) Or undergo bleaching in his office. The effect of such whitening at the doctor’s office lasts much longer than at home whitening, and most importantly, it is done in a way that is safe for the teeth and gums. Preparations in which there is too much hydrogen peroxide can even burn the gums and the entire inside of the mouth! Before whitening, it is also necessary to fill in any cavities, replace old, partially broken fillings, heal gingivitis, etc. We only whiten healthy teeth, this is the basic rule.
- Take care of your oral hygiene by using the Vitamma Vivo sonic toothbrush, which is now at a promotional price on Medonet Market! Check also other sonic brushes available in the store at attractive prices.
Treatments, both in the office and at home, cannot be repeated more often than once a year.
Text: Liliana Fabisińska