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Why The Teeth Yellow

Teeth yellow because of micro abrasions on the surface that store impurities or because of internal causes. Luckily it's easy to find an at home teeth whitening gel or teeth whitening kits that removes the stains.

Teeth yellow with age from both intrinsic and extrinsic causes. Extrinsic causes come from outside the body while the intrinsic ones happen inside the body, like hereditary conditions, use of antibiotics, or just plain natural color variations.

Smoking Makes Your Teeth Yellow

Extrinsic stains happen on the surface of the tooth. Food, wine, coffee, and smoke penetrate micro fissures and cracks on the tooth surface. They interact chemically with ingested substances and even saliva. The resulting decayed, yellowing color has nothing to do with the color of food ingested. An excessive layer of decayed matter turns into plaque. A teeth whitening gel found in teeth whitening kits removes these offending particles from the surface.

Other Things That Cause Teeth Yellowing

Many people don't know that drinking soda hurts the teeth. Soda contains acids that burn and eat into the enamel causing cavities, not to mention accelerated teeth yellowing. It also increases the aging process. If you must drink soda then use a straw so that less of the staining sugar touches the teeth.

The same is true for coffee and tea. The culprit in soda is the sugar and phosphates. In coffee it's both the heated liquid and the coloring itself which hastens the teeth yellowing. Either soda or coffee can cause micro abrasions on the tooth surface which allows food particles to enter, stay, and deteriorate. One suggestion is to drink cooler coffee using a straw. Brushing the teeth after drinking tea, soda, or coffee helps.

Having teeth yellow from extrinsic causes happens to nine out of ten people, but this imperfection will bleach out quite easily with a teeth whitening gel.

Intrinsic stains come from inside the tooth. It could be from something that happened either before or after the teeth are born. The usual suspects are hereditary traits, a high fever before being nine months old, the mother's use of tetracycline in the second half of pregnancy, excessive use of fluoride during the early formation of teeth, and an unnatural color variation. All these conditions respond to treatments although results may be uneven among individuals.

Trauma is a common cause for having teeth yellow or darkened. A trauma to the tooth causes necrosis (death) of the pulp. These type of stains also respond well to at home teeth whitening kits.

After their teeth yellow, some people resort to a hydrogen peroxide solution for brushing their teeth. It is not a pleasant way of bleaching the teeth. It spread too widely it not only affects the teeth but the entire mouth as well.

The usual procedure is to make a toothpaste formulation from baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mixed together. The idea is to use the paste two to three times a week. In the long term some individuals are able to keep their teeth white. Needless to say this formulation doesn't taste very well.

Using A Teeth Whitening Gel

The very best counter punch to having teeth yellow is to use a teeth whitening gel. These teeth whitening kits have been laboratory tested and may even come with a guarantee. If you are using medications, consult your doctor to insure the ingredients don't interact with your prescription.

As a general rule, products found online and over the counter are generally more cost-effective than having your teeth bleached in the dentist's office. Although people's teeth may respond differently to a teeth whitening gel depending upon the cause and other issues, it's usually the most reliable solution outside a dentist's office.

The previous article is on Anti Aging Supplements.

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