Worried about tooth stains..!! Here's what you are doing wrong with your teeth..!!!

This is one of the most frequently asked question that why do teeth stain with time. Teeth are poly-chromatic so color varies among the gingival, cervical and incisal areas according to the thickness, reflections of different colors and translucency of enamel and dentin. Teeth have a thin enamel layer on the outer surface. The enamel layer is whiter and semitransparent, and contributes blue, pink green tints to the tooth color. The underlying dentin layer is darker than enamel, yellow-brown in color, and less transparent. Dentin forms the bulk of the tooth substance, The normal color of primary teeth is bluish white whereas the color of permanent teeth is grayish yellow, grayish white or yellowish white. Tooth color varies according to race, gender and geographic region. Females generally have slightly whiter teeth than males, partly because females' teeth are smaller, and therefore there is less bulk of dentin, partially visible through the enamel layer. For the same reason, larger teeth such as the molars and the canines tend to be darker. There is 2 type of tooth discoloration – internal and external . Internal discoloration can be classified into 2 categories 1.) Tooth discoloration at the time of tooth development which could be due to diseases like alkaptonuria, hematological disorders, amelogenesis imperfecta ,liver diseases , use of tetracycline , fluorosis etc. 2.)Tooth discoloration acquired later in life which could be due to caries, trauma, dentin hyper calcification, restorative materials, aging etc. External discoloration is common and is attributed to many reason : Plaque which gives your tooth a yellow appearance, this is mostly due to bad oral hygiene and improper brushing technique. Beverages like soft drinks, tea, coffee, wine if taken in excess amount . Tobacco contains tar results in brown to black appearance. Chlorhexidine mouthwash binds to tannin, meaning that prolonged use in persons who consume coffee, tea or red wine is associated with staining. · Metallic stains which is mostly occupational. The good news: Tooth discoloration can be treated with a procedure called tooth bleaching The goal of bleaching is to restore the normal color of tooth by decolourising the stain with a powerful oxidizing agent.