To keep your smile shining all summer long, you can make a few changes to your routine. You can also talk to our team about cosmetic dentistry! In today’s blog, Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA, talk about how we keep smiles bright all summer long with better oral hygiene and cosmetic treatment.
The Causes of Teeth Stains
What causes teeth stains to form on our smiles? The most common type is extrinsic discoloration, which means this forms on the surfaces of your teeth, often due to factors like poor brushing and flossing and a diet high in sugar and starch, which can create plaque buildup that makes discoloration more visible. Consuming beverages with dark pigments, such as soda, red wine, tea, and coffee could be a factor too, as could smoking and tobacco use. Lack of professional cleanings could leave teeth discolored too!
But there is also intrinsic discoloration, which forms beneath the outer enamel. These could be caused by factors like injury to the teeth, fluorosis, or the use of certain medications at a young age. These are often more difficult for whitening alone to remove, and may need to be addressed with a different treatment option.
Teeth Whitening and Dental Bonding
Teeth whitening allows our team to take a professional routine to brighten your smile. We don’t need to use toothpastes or store-bought strips, which only offer minor results that are also pretty short-lived. Instead, we will use a professional system that can brighten teeth by several shades, so you feel confident in your smile and have results that can potentially last for months to come!
While teeth whitening is great for extrinsic stains, what if we find you have intrinsic teeth stains? If this happens, we could simply mask the discoloration with dental bonding, another cosmetic treatment we offer our patients. With this option, we will use a composite resin to cover the stains. The material is shaded to blend with the rest of the smile, and is also used in our filling treatments to take on cavities. In addition to masking stains, this can repair minor damage and address other common cosmetic complaints, like gaps between the teeth.
Keeping Stains Away
Following treatment, you can take steps to help limit discoloration. Be sure you brush and floss daily, and limit the sugar in your diet. Following beverages with dark pigments with a glass of water to help rinse away the tannins. You should also avoid tobacco products and see our team for a cleaning every six months.
Dental Impressions Helps Brighten Your Smile
To brighten your smile and prevent unsightly discoloration, we can offer cosmetic dental care! To schedule an appointment for a brighter smile, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
