The following are detailed explanations of the various types of teeth staining: Starting color: We have an inborn (or deafault) tooth color that ranges from yellow-brown to green-grey, and intensifies over time.
Those who fall more on the Yellow-brown side of the spectrum are generally more responsive to bleaching than those closer to green-grey.
Grinding: Most frequently caused by stress, teeth grinding (gnashing, scraping, etc.
) can add to micro-cracking in the teeth and can cause the biting edges to darken.
Many people do this in their sleep without even noticing.
Translucency and thinness: A pair of genetic traits that become more noticeable with age.
Everyone's teeth show some translucency, those teeth that are opaque and thick have an advantage, in that they appear lighter in color, show more sparkle and are more responsive to bleaching/whitening efforts.
Teeth that are thinner and more transparent - most notably your front teeth - have less pigment in them that the bleaching process utilizes.
Transparency, along with the starting color of your teeth, is one of the only factors cosmetic dentistry can't fix.
Age: There is a direct correlation between your age and the color of your teeth.
Over time, teeth darken as a due to wear and tear and stain build up.
Teenagers and young adults will likely experience immediate, dramatic results from whitening.
In the twenties, as teeth begin to show a yellow tint, teeth-whitening may require a little more effort.
Once most people hit their forties, the yellow tint gives way to brown one and additional maintenance may be needed.
By our fifties, our teeth have absorbed lots of stubborn stains which can prove difficult (but certainly not impossible!) to remove.
Trauma: Falls, accidents and other injuries can produce sizable cracks in the teeth, which collect large amounts of stains and debris.
Eating habits: The frequent consumption of coffee, tea, cola, and other deeply-colored beverages and foods causes considerable staining over the years.
On top of that, acidic foods like citrus fruits and products containing vinegar contribute to the erosion of enamel.
As a result, the surface of the teeth can become more transparent allowing more of the yellow-colored dentin to show.
Smoking habits: Tobacco products, and especially Nicotine, leave brown discolored deposits which slowly sink into the tooth structure and cause intrinsic (internal) discoloration.