Causes of Stained and Discolored Teeth

There are many different reasons why you might have discolored or stained teeth. These are some of the most common reasons.

Tobacco/smoking – The chemicals, tar, and nicotine from tobacco products such as cigarettes can stain your teeth yellow.

Certain drinks and food – Drinks such as soda, cola, coffee, tea, or red wine and foods such as berries and dark chocolate can cause staining. Drinking through a straw or avoiding these all together can help prevent stains in the future.

Fluorosis  – When there’s an overproduction of fluoride in the body, it can leave stains on teeth.

Genetics – Genetics may cause some people to have darker enamels than others.

Tetracycline – Use of this popular antibiotic in the 60s and 70s has caused severe tooth stains. In most cases, professional teeth whitening won’t work well enough and veneers or Bioclear Matrix are required to hide the stains.

Am I a Candidate for Professional Teeth Whitening?

If you’re unhappy with the color of your teeth, you’re likely a good candidate for teeth whitening. We do, however, require that patients who receive treatment at our Carlsbad dental office have good oral health and are free of gum disease and tooth decay. If you do have these issues, we will address them before a whitening treatment.

If you have dental crowns, porcelain veneers, dental bridges, or any other type of restorative dentistry treatment in your smile and the color of them currently matches your teeth, we also don’t recommend professional teeth whitening. This is because restorations do not respond to teeth whitening. If you were to get teeth whitening with restorations in your mouth, your teeth and restorations would not match in color. If your restorations are whiter than your natural teeth, we recommend teeth whitening to help your smile look more natural.

Some patients may have staining that professional teeth whitening doesn’t respond to. In these cases, we will recommend porcelain veneers, crowns, or Bioclear Matrix.

Opalescence BOOST Whitening Procedure

At Elevated Smiles, we use Opalescence Boost Whitening to help our patients achieve whiter smiles. Opalescence Boost is an in-office whitening procedure that has your smile brighter in less than an hour. Opalescence is the perfect whitening solution for patients who are prone to tooth sensitivity. The special bleaching formula also includes potassium nitrate and fluoride to strengthen teeth in the process.

To complete your procedure, our cosmetic dentists, Dr. Luu will first apply a protective barrier around your gums to protect them from the whitening gel. Next, they will apply the whitening gel directly to your teeth. You will wait for approximately an hour and your teeth will look shades whiter!

Get Professional Teeth Whitening in Carlsbad, CA Today

Whether you have a big event coming up or you don’t want to deal with store-bought whitening kits that don’t work, professional teeth whitening is the perfect cosmetic dentistry solution to achieve a radiant smile. Contact Elevated Smiles today to schedule an appointment with our cosmetic dentist. Please call (760) 622-3010 to schedule a free cosmetic consultation.