Teeth Stains: Causes, Types, and How to Get Rid of Them.

If you've ever wondered why your teeth are stained, you're not alone. Learn more about how teeth stains happen and what you can do to remove and prevent them, and restore your best smile.

IN THIS ARTICLE

Tooth stains aren't limited to having naturally dark teeth or just drinking a lot of coffee. Sometimes the reason you’ll see a discolored front tooth is because of some trauma that happened many years ago. Understanding what causes discolored tooth enamel and being able to identify the various types of staining can help you determine the right way to handle it. Not all teeth stains can be removed with teeth whitening. Some dark stains are more serious and need to be treated by a dentist and others are simple and easy to remove.

Your smile can reveal a lot about you, including the stains on your teeth. For most people, these stains develop gradually over time. However, certain foods and drinks (like coffee or red wine) can cause them to yellow or discolor. There are many factors that can contribute to this, such as diet, lifestyle, aging, or underlying medical conditions.

So, how can you get rid of them? Let's break down how teeth really get stained and discuss the different types of teeth stains, the biggest culprits of teeth stains and finally, how to prevent and get rid of them.

Why Does Tooth Staining Happen?

Discolored tooth enamel is caused by trauma, external factors, or abnormalities during tooth development. To understand what causes discoloration, it's important to know the basics of tooth anatomy. The outer layer of enamel has tiny, porous openings called "tubules" which trap stain particles over time. The layer underneath enamel, called dentin, has a natural yellow hue which can make teeth look stained. Physical changes inside a tooth during development, due to medication or minerals, can alter tooth color.

Cavities vs. Teeth Stains

There is a common misconception that if you see a dark spot on your tooth, it is a cavity. However, this is not always the case. Cavities can cause dark stains, but usually only if the decay is already large and invasive. If you have a cavity, you may also experience symptoms like sweet sensitivity, tooth pain, or a visible opening inside your tooth.

Stained teeth usually affect multiple tooth surfaces, rather than just one. You may see the stain across several teeth or on different tooth surfaces. Stain can be removed through professional dental cleanings, whitening, and prevented with great home care. However, the only way to remove discoloration caused by cavities is by getting a dental filling.

Different Types Of Tooth Stains And Colors

Teeth can become yellow or discolored for various reasons. Tooth stains can be caused by a variety of factors, including colored foods and beverages, medication, fluoride, tobacco, aging, or trauma to the tooth. Depending on the severity of the stain and its type, some people may not benefit greatly from teeth whitening. However, everyone will benefit to some degree from whitening, so it's important to consult with your dentist prior to use to ensure you have realistic expectations.

Teeth stains can be broken into two categories: extrinsic, which are on the surface of your tooth's enamel, and intrinsic, which are in the layers beneath the enamel. The dentin layer below the enamel is what gives your tooth its color. This is where teeth get stained, because the enamel layer is porous and staining particles from coffee, tobacco, wine, tea, etc. can seep through the pores of your teeth and penetrate into the dentin. The more of these particles that get through, the more stained your teeth become.

If you have a specific color of stain on your teeth, it can help you figure out what is causing the discoloration. If the stain is on a front tooth, it may be caused by something different than if all of your teeth are discolored. Knowing where and what you see can help you identify the cause of your discolored teeth.

White Teeth Stains

There is such a thing as white teeth stains. Most of the time, these stains are caused by demineralization, which is the first stage of tooth decay. However, the cavity is often "stopped" before it gets to the point of forming a hole. In these cases, the area will remineralize and a white stain will be left behind. Sometimes, though, white stains on teeth can be caused by traumatic injuries or illnesses.

The best way to prevent white teeth stains is to practice good oral hygiene. This means brushing along the gumlines where plaque tends to accumulate. If you have braces, it is especially important to brush around each bracket to remove plaque. If you have white spots on your teeth, your dentist can help treat them through resin infiltration or by bonding over them.

Yellow Teeth Stains

Everyone's teeth naturally have a yellow tint due to the dentin under the tooth enamel. However, poor oral hygiene, aging, or smoking can also cause yellow staining.

The best way to treat yellow teeth is to have them professionally cleaned, practice good homecare and whiten your teeth by using custom teeth whitening trays and teeth bleaching gel at home. If your teeth are severely dark, you could also get porcelain veneers to cover the teeth you see when you smile.

Brown Teeth Stains

Most brown staining is just cosmetic. Your tooth is probably fine, it just absorbed stain particles from what you eat and drink. Sometimes brown discoloration is caused by cavities, especially along the chewing surfaces, gumline, or where teeth touch each other.

The best way to prevent brown stains on your teeth is to clean them regularly, floss daily, and use fluoride when appropriate. You should also consider omitting tobacco products and cutting back on your caffeine intake. Rinsing with water right after a cup of coffee or drinking through a straw can also help!

Purple or Blue Teeth Stains

The majority of these stains are related to wine or fruit (such as blueberries or blackberries). If you drink a lot of smoothies, red wines, or other fruit-based products, there's a good chance you'll have bluish stains. Tetracycline antibiotics can also cause bluish stains if taken during tooth development.

Berry and wine stains can be tough to get out on your own. If it's on a white shirt, you might have to throw it away. But Lumos professional-grade whitening products that can lift the stains out of your teeth (when used as directed). Try to rinse with water after drinking wine, to prevent new stains from forming. Medications like tetracycline can cause tooth stains, so they're usually not prescribed as often (especially not to children or pregnant women).

Black Tooth Stains

A black stain on a tooth can be a sign of a cavity, especially if it's in a deep groove or pit. Otherwise, a black line along the gumline or speckled black staining is usually from vitamins or smoking.

If you see a black stain on your tooth, it's important to see a dentist right away. The stain is usually a sign of a large cavity or tooth decay that has spread to other teeth. A professional cleaning can remove the stain and help you avoid further dental problems.

Causes Of Tooth Stains

We’ve all been there. We eat something a dark shade of purple, and the next time we look in the mirror, our tongues are black and our teeth coated in color. Teeth stains can be caused by many different things, including certain foods and drinks, the transparency of your tooth enamel, and other biological factors. Some of these causes can be prevented, while others are out of your control. Scan this list of top foods and drinks known to discolor teeth, and try to rinse and brush after having them. When that is not an option, use water to flush them out of your mouth.

Certain foods and drinks, like coffee, tea, and colas, can stain your teeth. Smoking or chewing tobacco can also cause stains. And finally, poor dental hygiene habits, like not brushing or flossing enough, can leave plaque and other stain-producing substances on your teeth.

Disease can lead to tooth discoloration. Treatments for conditions like radiation and chemotherapy can also cause teeth discoloration. In addition, certain infections in pregnant mothers can lead to tooth discoloration in their babies by affecting their enamel development.

Some medications can cause teeth discoloration in developing children, including tetracycline and doxycycline. Mouth rinses and washes containing chlorhexidine can also cause staining. Other drugs that may cause teeth discoloration include antihistamines, antipsychotics, and drugs for high blood pressure.

Dental materials can affect the color of teeth, with silver sulfide-containing materials causing a gray-black color. Aging and genetics can also play a role in the color of teeth, with the outer layer of enamel wearing away with age and some people having naturally brighter or thicker enamel.

Fluoride exposure from the environment or from overuse of fluoride products can cause tooth discoloration in young children whose teeth are still developing.

Foods & Drinks

Vitamins & Supplements

Stain on teeth can be caused by taking certain vitamins or supplements, or by vitamin deficiencies. When our body doesn’t have adequate levels of certain vitamins, it can alter calcium levels along with tooth and bone density. This can create a chain reaction where—when other infections like gum disease come in—plaque buildup or decay may be what’s actually causing the staining.

Make sure you take vitamins and mineral supplements as prescribed. This is especially important when you’re pregnant or giving them to a young child. Getting plenty of natural sunlight is also a good way to get enough vitamin D. If you have questions about vitamin deficiencies, talk to your doctor.

Tobacco & Vaping

Tobacco use is one of the most common causes of tooth staining. This is because the dark color of tobacco products seeps into the tiny pores and tubules of your teeth, causing the stain particles to build up over time. In addition, tobacco use can also stain your clothing, furniture, and other household surfaces.

Lumos teeth whitening can help temporarily, but the best thing to do for your health is to give up tobacco, smoking, or vaping for good. Your dental team and/or physician can help you come up with a plan to break the habit.

Poor Oral Hygiene

Not brushing or flossing correctly allows plaque to stay on teeth which, over time, will change the enamel's appearance due to bacteria build-up and physical changes.

It's important to brush and floss twice a day for at least two minutes, especially along the gumlines and in between teeth where plaque is heaviest. Cavities tend to form in these areas, so they need extra attention when cleaning your mouth. You can also ask your dentist for a fluoride supplement to help combat tooth decay.

Medications

There are some medications that are known to stain or discolor tooth enamel. Some of them are so bad that they are not prescribed anymore or are only given to certain people. For example, tetracycline can permanently stain developing teeth and cause them to look blue, brown, or grey if it is given to pregnant women or small children. Others may only cause temporary discoloration, like chlorhexidine, which can be polished off during a dental cleaning.

Always follow your medication instructions exactly. If you think you might be pregnant, tell your doctor or pharmacist. If you are using a chlorhexidine rinse as prescribed by your dentist, don't use it more than the prescribed amount, and have your teeth cleaned again in a few months.

Age-Related Teeth Stains

Trauma

If you've ever had an injury to your mouth, you might not see the side effects until years later. Suddenly, one tooth may start turning brown, grey, or blue compared to the teeth on either side of it. These traumatic stains can take years before they flare up, because the tooth's nerve takes a long time to die.

If you have a tooth that has become discolored due to physical trauma, you will likely need root canal treatment. Internal tooth bleaching may also be an option to help lighten the color of the enamel. However, most dentists will put a porcelain crown over any tooth that has had a root canal. To help prevent this type of trauma, make sure that any athletes in your family are wearing a protective mouthguards.

Fluoride

If you ingest too much or too little fluoride in your enamel, it will result in hypermineralization (too many minerals) or hypomineralization (too few minerals) in your enamel. This, in turn, can leave white and brown stains on your teeth, as well as pits in your enamel. However, these side effects may not be visible for years, as they occur while your teeth are in the early stages of development and have not yet erupted.

It is important to regulate fluoride intake, which is why dental professionals recommend drinking municipal water with fluoride. Other water sources, such as well water and bottled water, may not be regulated and can contain too much or too little fluoride. If you are on a well water system, your pediatrician or pediatric dentist can prescribe an appropriate amount of fluoride to supplement with, depending on your water's mineral levels.

How To Get Rid Of Tooth Stains

So, all this talk about stains is interesting, but how do you get rid of stained teeth? We've all had teeth stains at one point or another, as mentioned above, extrinsic stains can usually be removed with good oral health, brushing your teeth (hopefully with an electric toothbrush and whitening toothpaste!) and regular dental checkups. But, for those more stubborn and intrinsic stains, clinically proven ingredients, like carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide can help you achieve the best at-home teeth whitening results.

The active ingredient in whitening gels is peroxide, which bleaches teeth by breaking up large chromophore molecules into smaller, less-colored molecules. There are only two types of bleaching agents in whitening gels: carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide.

Carbamide peroxide must be converted into hydrogen peroxide to work as a tooth bleaching agent. However, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced is much lower than the concentration of carbamide peroxide. Nevertheless, carbamide peroxide is used in many tooth whitening gels because it is more stable and has a longer shelf life.

Not all teeth whitening products are created equal. That's why the key to successful teeth whitening at home is the delivery device. Custom-fit teeth whitening trays ensure even and constant coverage of whitening gel on all teeth surfaces. Tray-based teeth whitening with carbamide peroxide gel was first introduced in 1989 and has been shown to be safe and effective in numerous studies. It is widely accepted by the dental community as the gold standard for teeth whitening.

How To Prevent Tooth Stains

We've all had teeth stains at one point or another. To help prevent these stains, try to rinse and brush after having foods and drinks that are known to discolor teeth. When that is not an option, simply use water to flush them out of your mouth.

Knowing what causes tooth stains is important for both treatment and prevention. If you think certain foods are staining your teeth, avoid or limit exposure to them. Drinking through a straw can help reduce staining on your teeth. You should also avoid tobacco use, and talk to your healthcare professional about any medications, illnesses, or recent tooth traumas. Getting your teeth professionally cleaned every six months can also help minimize staining. In between cleanings, brush and floss regularly to prevent tartar buildup and help keep your teeth naturally white!

How Often Can You Whiten Your Teeth

You can whiten your teeth at a speed that suits you, based on how stained your teeth are, your daily habits, and frequency of indulgences of the biggest staining culprits.

We recommend starting with a 45-minute to 1-hour long whitening treatment, and gradually increasing the length of time as your teeth become more comfortable. If you have sensitive teeth, start with shorter sessions and use the Lumos Desensitizing Gel after each application. For best results, use Lumos Smile 5-7 days in a row for your initial treatment, and then 1-2 times per month for maintenance.

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When To See A Dentist

Even if you take good care of your teeth, they can still become stained over time. It's important to see your dentist regularly so they can identify any teeth that may need urgent attention. If the stain is superficial, they can usually just polish it off during a regular cleaning. However, if you have a discolored front tooth that stands out from the others, you should see a dentist as soon as possible.

Kate Hernandez, BS, RDH

Kate is a licensed dental hygienist who works in cosmetic dentistry and co-founded Lumos Smile, believing that good oral health leads to improved overall wellbeing.

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Teeth Stains: Causes, Types, and How to Remove Teeth Stains

Teeth Stains: Causes, Types, and How to Get Rid of Them.

Why Does Tooth Staining Happen?

Cavities vs. Teeth Stains

Different Types Of Tooth Stains And Colors

Causes Of Tooth Stains

How To Get Rid Of Tooth Stains

How To Prevent Tooth Stains

How Often Can You Whiten Your Teeth

When To See A Dentist

Kate Hernandez, BS, RDH

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