by Malavi Sivakanesan • 28 March 2025 • 5 min read
Your beautiful smile can easily be ruined if your teeth have a stain i.e. calcium stain on teeth. These stains can be caused by several reasons. For instance, if you do not maintain the right oral hygiene, your teeth will start appearing pale yellow, or they will get black and brown stains. These teeth stains can be developed on the surface or underneath the teeth enamel. However, some people can have both types of stains on their teeth. To prevent these stains, you must know the types and possible causes. For this, keep on reading this post.
What are the Types of Tooth Discolouration?
Before discussing what stains your teeth, you should keep in mind that they are of different types that define the colour of the stains. Below is some important information concerning the same. Take a look:
- Extrinsic: These stains typically appear black or yellow in colour. This stain type affects the tooth’s outer layer i.e. enamel. This stain is caused by lifestyle and dietary choices such as drinking soda and coffee and smoking.
- Intrinsic: This stain type is harder to remove with normal dental hygiene treatment. They affect the tooth structure and have brownish and yellowish tints. In general, these stains are caused by sudden trauma or injury and certain medications.
- Age-related: These stains are clearly visible when the enamel dentin can be shown through. Although the age factor cannot be prevented, extrinsic and intrinsic aspects also contribute to stained teeth whitening.
Stain Teeth Causes
The main reasons for brown teeth and other types of stains include the ones listed below:
Lifestyle and dietary choices
- You may or may not know, but certain food and drink types can cause sudden teeth discolouration. If you consume starchy foods such as pasta and potatoes along with soda and red wine, your teeth will become stained. In addition to this, chewing tobacco and smoking can also make your teeth stained.
Poor oral hygiene
- If you fail to maintain the right dental hygiene, sooner or later, your teeth will become stained. For instance, if you do not brush daily or skip flossing and mouth rinsing, you are more likely to develop plaque due to bacterial build-up. When ignored, it will turn into tartar that is hard to remove. Thus, you should maintain the right oral hygiene and opt for air flow cleaning & polishing every 4-6 months.
Gum and other diseases
- Some diseases can also prevent tooth enamel growth. When this happens, your tooth will look discoloured. For instance, if you are going through neck and head cancer chemotherapy and radiation, your teeth may look stained.
Injury and trauma
- Yes, dental or mouth injuries and sudden trauma can also cause staining on the teeth. When your tooth looks stained due to an injury, it is because of the damaged enamel. In addition to this, sudden trauma can also impact the blood flow which can cause discolouration. With proper dental hygiene treatment and other solutions, the condition can be reversed.
How Stains are Removed from the Teeth?
Even though a rigorous dental care regimen along with regular air flow cleaning & polishing are needed to keep your teeth stain-free, you can also do the following:
- Avoid stain-causing foods and opt for super foods to keep your dental health great.
- Brush twice daily and floss after every meal.
- Use teeth whitening for stained teeth.
- Wear veneers to prevent staining.
Final Thoughts
Be it tetracycline tooth discoloration or fluoride stained teeth, everything depends on your oral health, dental history, and so on. Based on the same, the dentist will also determine the best treatment such as air flow cleaning & polishing. To have your dental check-up for stained teeth, book your appointment with Complete Smiles now.
Malavi Sivakanesan
Malavi Sivakanesan is the principal dentist and co-founder at Complete Smiles in Harrow, Greater London. She is responsible for establishing the Complete Smiles brand throughout the United Kingdom and Europe and has 5 successful practices under her strong leadership.