Coffee Stained Teeth or Something more?

Having a white, healthy smile can give you an immediate confidence boost, and it’s a relatively inexpensive and quick procedure depending on the teeth whitening kit you use. However, there are two different types of stains you can have on your teeth, and one of them can be more difficult to lighten and remove. If you’ve never heard of intrinsic staining and extrinsic staining, read on.

Types of Teeth Stains and the Difference

• Extrinsic stains on your teeth are the most common type of tooth stain. They appear on the surface of the teeth on the enamel layer, and they result from things like exposure to dark-coloured beverages like wine, tea, and coffee. Using tobacco can also result in these stains, along with normal wear and tear. While superficial extrinsic tooth staining can be easier to remove, the more ground-in extrinsic tooth stains can benefit from a teeth bleaching kit. However, if you don’t deal with these stains early on, they can be very difficult to remove so early prevention is key.

• Intrinsic stains on your teeth are slightly rarer, and they take longer to develop. They appear on the inside of your teeth, and they can be very tough to get rid of or reduce. These stains can be a result of acid reflux, excessive vomiting, aging, trauma, or exposure to excessive fluoride levels or minerals during the tooth’s formation. For a while, people thought that intrinsic tooth staining was resistant to tooth whitening or tooth bleaching kits. However, this isn’t the case, and you can remove even deep-set intrinsic tooth staining with at-home bleaching kits. The results will vary from person to person, but you should see an improvement.

Perform Routine Maintenance to Keep Your Teeth White

Once you’ve whitened your teeth, you want to perform routine maintenance to prevent the reappearance of extrinsic or intrinsic tooth stains. Things like brushing your teeth at least twice a day, using a tongue scrubber once or twice a day, and flossing will all help to keep your teeth whiter for a longer time.

In addition to all of this, you will want to perform routine whitening treatments as directed to keep your smile bright and healthy for years to come.