If your teeth are starting to look dull, yellowish, or discolored in any way, you may wonder why this happens and how you can prevent your teeth from looking worse. Discoloration of teeth naturally occurs as people age, but it is also something that speeds up when people consume certain types of beverages or use tobacco products. Here are several things you should know about this:

Why Teeth Turn Yellow

As mentioned, teeth will naturally start to discolor from age, and part of the reason is due to the enamel slowly wearing off teeth as people age. Enamel is white and bright, and it is the substance that covers the outer parts of your teeth. It is there primarily to protect your teeth, but it does tend to wear off over time. As this happens, your tooth may lose their whiteness and start turning yellowish or brownish.

Teeth also turn yellow from using tobacco products and from eating and drinking the wrong things. Your teeth will not naturally stay white, and that is something that is important to know.

Habits That Cause Yellow Teeth

Exposing your teeth to things that stain them will lead to discoloration, and using tobacco products is one type of habit that always leads to yellowish teeth. Drinking beverages that stain teeth also cause discoloration, and this includes drinking coffee, tea, and red wine. If you eat a lot of highly acidic foods, you may also experience discoloration, and this is because acid eats away at the enamel on your teeth. When the enamel fades, the inner parts of your teeth are exposed. The inner parts of teeth are not white like the enamel on your teeth.

Steps To Take To Prevent This

If you want to keep your teeth white and bright, you may want to stop drinking coffee and tea. You may also need to develop better brushing habits, or you might even want to consider getting your teeth professionally whitened by a dentist.

In addition, you could start using a toothpaste that is designed to whiten teeth. Switching to a whitening toothpaste will not cause your teeth to instantly become white, but it will slowly help remove the stains so you can regain the white, bright smile you once had.

Living with discolored teeth can be embarrassing, but there are things you can do to change this. If you would like to find out more information, contact a family dentist today.