Focus on Smiles Blog

Many people suffer from stained or discolored teeth. It is part of the aging process and it can make a person feel self-conscious about their smile. Besides aging, pigmented foods and drinks stain the teeth, and also certain minerals in our drinking water.

Fluoride Can be Over-Used
Most city water has fluoride added. Fluoride helps to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent decay and it can help teeth repair themselves if minor decay has started (a process called remineralization). But too much fluoride can discolor the teeth and can cause a condition caused skeletal flurosis, where the bones become brittle and break easily.

Most often, fluoride discoloration is found in children. If the drinking water is fluoridated and the parents also give a fluoride supplement to their children and have them use fluoride toothpaste, staining can result. When the teeth are stained early in life, as they are developing in the child, that is deep staining that will be harder to remove with any teeth whitening procedure than the surface stains from pigmented food and drink.

Other minerals that stain teeth are iron and manganese, which cause brown stains. Well water may contain these minerals as well as city water.

Teeth Whitening a Good Remedy
Most tooth staining can be removed by a teeth whitening procedure done by a qualified dentist. Dr. Fialka-Eshenko offers an in-office tooth whitening treatment that will give you dramatic whitening results in about 90 minutes. She also offers whitening kits you can use at home. They are far superior to store-bought whitening kits, as she will have two trays custom-made for a snug fit on your teeth, upper and lower, and will supply professional-grade whitening gel.

If you live in the Edmonton area and are interested in teeth whitening, please contact Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko for a consultation. We will help you select the whitening option that's right for you.