Stained Teeth No Matter How Much You Scrub? It's Time to Try Something Else

While brushing your teeth on a regular basis can help you to avoid your teeth becoming discolored, some people take it a step too far. If you've been regularly scrubbing your teeth in an effort to make your teeth look good and to get rid of stains — only to find that they still look discolored, then the process may have backfired on you. Here's what's going on and what you can do about it.

Why Teeth Are Discolored

For many people, discoloration on teeth occurs because stains are left behind by what they're drinking and eating. This is a common enough process, and brushing thoroughly can help to prevent this from happening. However, brushing too much or too hard can have the opposite effect.

Brushing this hard may indeed remove the stains that have been left behind on your teeth by food and drinks. However, it can also damage your tooth enamel. This is not only a problem for your oral health, but it can cause your teeth to look yellow or brown because the enamel has thinned and is revealing the surface underneath, which is naturally this color range.

Potential Damage

It's a good idea to not let this continue. You should consider brushing more gently and lightly right away. However, in the meantime, you may have existing damage to your teeth.

Once the enamel is broken down, it can no longer shield your teeth from things like bacteria and plaque that are responsible for causing cavities. This means that in addition to your teeth looking bad right now, they could also end up needing fillings in the future.

What to Do

The good news here is that there's someone who can help you with both the possible damage to your teeth as well as the discoloration: a cosmetic dentist.

Cosmetic dentists are equipped to handle this kind of situation perfectly with a solution called cosmetic bonding. Bonding is a process that uses the same material used in fillings to repair the surface of your teeth and to help replace the missing enamel. Dental bonding can ensure that you aren't at a higher risk of developing cavities anymore, but it can also restore the look of your teeth. Once the bonding is in place, your teeth will regain their opaque white sheen, rather than a discolored and yellow appearance, as broken-down enamel can sometimes lead to.

If you're upset with the way that your teeth look, you should visit a cosmetic dentist right away. They can help to protect your teeth from dental damage and give you the smile that you've been looking for all along.

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