If you're here, you know that having brown spots on your teeth is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, taking care of your gums and teeth doesn't just help prevent cavities, bad breath and gum disease. You should know that it also helps to avoid and be on the lookout for brown spots on your teeth.
Here is a guide on how to remove brown stains on teeth.
What are brown spots ?
Brown spots on your teeth can be visible or subtle. They range in color from almost yellow to dark brown. Some brown spots look like marbled spots and others look like lines. They can be irregularly shaped or almost uniform. They are often a sign of poor oral hygiene, but other reasons can accelerate their appearance. It is important to know the causes and to start with small actions that will limit the appearance of brown spots and then resort to appropriate treatments depending on the severity of the situation.
The main causes of brown spots and the solution for each
Tobacco
Tobacco is a common cause of surface stains on teeth. Nicotine is found in tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, cigarettes, pipe tobacco and cigars. The main solution is to use baking soda. Indeed, you can put a spoonful of baking soda on your toothbrush and brush your teeth with this product.
Food and drink
Tooth discoloration, including brown, gray and yellow stains, can be caused by what you eat and drink. Good oral health is made possible by ingredients that do not harm your teeth and gums. Therefore, there is a large list of products that cause brown spots on teeth but the most common are: coffee, tea and red wine. Ideally, you should stop consuming these products.
Here is why each of them causes brown spots on the teeth:
- Coffee: It contains acidic polyphenols that lead to staining of the teeth and it modifies the PH balance of the mouth.
- Tea: If it is not of good quality, it will inevitably create brown spots on your teeth.
- Red wine: It contains an acidic substance found in the skin of the grape that stains the teeth.
Tooth decay
When tooth enamel, the hard outer layer of your teeth, begins to erode, tooth decay results. This happens when you eat foods that contain sugar. If plaque is not brushed regularly, the acid will break down the enamel on your teeth, resulting in brown spots and cavities. It is important to know that untreated cavities will prevent the brown spots on your teeth from disappearing.
Tooth tartar
When you don't remove plaque regularly, it can harden into tartar. Tartar ranges from yellow to brown and appears along the gum line. It forms on the crown of the tooth and under the gums. It favors the growth of plaque by giving it more surface area, which will encourage its growth. It is this multiplication of bacteria that causes brown spots. It is therefore necessary to brush your teeth twice a day.
Trauma
A trauma to the mouth can damage the nerve of a tooth. It often results from an impact on the tooth and concerns the incisors or canines. Premolars and molars are rarely affected except in the case of a more important trauma during an accident for example. The tooth may have suffered a fracture, a displacement or a complete expulsion. This can result in brown spots on the tooth or a complete brown discoloration.
Chlorhexidine mouthwash
This mouthwash treats gum disease. One of the side effects is brown spots on the teeth. This is because chlorhexidine binds to hard tissue more than soft tissue. So, if your dentist prescribes this type of mouthwash following treatment for gum disease, you should try to reduce your consumption of coffee, tea, red wine or foods that stain the teeth.
Aging
As people age, their teeth may become darker or stained. This can be caused by a combination of factors that worsen over time, such as surface stains caused by food, drink or tobacco, darkening of the dentin, which is a substance that surrounds each tooth and includes the layer underneath the tooth enamel, or thinning enamel.
Genetics
Tooth color varies from person to person and can be genetic. Some people naturally have very white teeth and others are slightly yellow or beige. There are also genetic disorders, such as dentinogenesis imperfecta, which cause brown spots on the teeth. Only in this case, you don't have to worry about it. All you have to do is to use peroxide tooth whitening.
The material to use in case of brown stains on the teeth
The most effective whitening material is either used by a dentist or can be found in self-service stores or on the Internet. Here are the two main teeth whitening materials that can be found:
- Anti-stain dental gum: This is an anti-stain dental gum for all tea or coffee drinkers who have teeth that stain quickly. It removes stains caused by tea, coffee, tobacco that are resistant to the usual toothpastes.
- Tooth Whitening Pen: The tooth whitening pen contains a high quality gel that is applied to the teeth and visibly whitens them. It is gentle on the gums and enamel and is also suitable for pain sensitive teeth. The whitening pen contains only natural active ingredients.
Preventing brown spots on your teeth
Taking care of your teeth will help them stay bright, white and stain-free. One of the best things you can do is to watch what you eat and drink. Always brush after eating or drinking things that stain your teeth. And be sure to add calcium-rich foods to your diet. Calcium can help you avoid enamel erosion. Also, don't use toothpastes that have too much fluoride. They destroy the enamel on your teeth and promote plaque.
If you can't get the brown stains out of your teeth, you can use a fluoride-free toothpaste that helps limit the appearance of cavities. You can also use interdental brushes. These are small brushes that allow you to clean the hard-to-reach areas between your teeth. It removes all the food residues that you cannot remove with your electric or manual toothbrush. There is also dental floss, which has the same purpose as interdental brushes. However, it is much easier to insert between your teeth.
We hope that this guide has helped you understand what brown spots on the teeth are. We hope that you have understood the causes of this oral problem as well as the solutions to adopt to solve it. It is important to solve this problem in general with accessories or methods, but above all to seek the help of a dentist.
