If you’re an avid coffee drinker, you probably love having a few cups a day. But you know what most people don’t love? Coffee stains on teeth. Black tea, coffee, and red wine can discolor the enamel, but there is new technology now more than ever to try out to handle stains.

The Cause of Stained Teeth 

According to the ADA, tea, wine, and coffee all have pigments that are called chromogens, and this alters the tooth enamel color, which is the outer part of the teeth. Teeth whitening products have bleach that penetrates past the outer layer, breaking this down with hydrogen peroxide, and also carbamide peroxide.

Some of the causes of stained teeth do include:

• Aging 
• Injury 
• Genetics 
• Illness 
• Medications 
• Using tobacco products 
• Fluorosis 

How you can whiten the teeth at home is usually done in different ways.

Ways to Whiten teeth 

Here are a few products that’ll help whiten the teeth that you have. First, you’ve got whitening toothpaste, which is specifically made to both brighten, and polish the teeth, so you’re removing the stains and making this better. Mouth rinses do also come with some agents for bleaching, and they can get rid of the surface stains if you do use them on the regular.

The bleaching products that are over the counter such as gel trays and strips are available at the stores. They do hit below the main surface stains, and also break up the various stains on the enamel, to make them better and brighter. 

Then there is at-home whitening, which is basically something that your dentist may prescribe to you. They have more of the chemicals that brighten the teeth than those that you buy over the counter, and usually are pretty effective, but still a bit less than an in-office treatment. Still, this is the most affordable way to whiten your teeth decently.

How dentists can help.

Dentists can help with whitening the teeth through various different ways. There is the professional whitening, where they’re able to offer higher amounts of the whitening agent than what you get at the store, and also from the at-home products.

They usually do an exam at first to check the effects of this, and they’ll look for any veneers and crowns that shouldn’t be whitened.

They also use different concentrations of various gels that are there, and they also monitor the procedures. This can also create some sensitivity though, so be mindful of such. 

They also just offer better results compared to the items that you get from the store. While the store items are good for more superficial whitening, if you want to make your teeth many shades brighter, this is the way to do it. It’s important to look into this, because you will see immediate results, especially when you’re leaving the dentist.

If you’re someone who has stained teeth, you can always just go in and talk to the dentist. Some may just have to clean up the teeth, others may require more detailed means to get the white colors you want, so talk to your dentist.

And remember, the best way to avoid this, is to try and not eat the foods that actually create the staining you’re trying to avoid. If you do have these, try to avoid this by also looking at the way that you brush. Try to make sure that you get in between the teeth too, especially if you’re worried about the effects of this in the process, and the results of this too.