Focus on Smiles Blog

Almost everyone has some sort of tooth discoloration, whether it is gray, brown or yellow in shade. This discoloration can make us self-conscious about our smile. A certain amount of discoloration is expected with age, but some factors speed it up:

• Drinking a lot of dark liquids such as coffee, black tea, red wine or dark sodas. They contain pigments that stain the teeth, and the same is true of pigmented foods like blackberries or blueberries.
• Smoking or chewing tobacco. The nicotine causes yellow staining on the teeth.
• Taking in too much fluoride. There may be fluoride in your home's water supply, and it is in most toothpastes and mouthwashes. Supplements are seldom necessary and may harm the bones as well as the teeth.
• Trauma to a tooth - a broken tooth invites bacteria and decay and may become necrotic, the tissue darkening as it dies. However, this would be painful and most people would contact a dentist fairly quickly.

Tooth Whitening Choices
These days, after all the media coverage of tooth whitening and TV programs about dental makeovers, the stores are full of products to whiten the teeth. Most of them are ineffective or give uneven results, or even damage the teeth. Toothpastes that claim to "whiten" your teeth will actually yellow them over time, as they contain abrasive ingredients that scrape off tooth enamel.

1. Professional tooth whitening can be done in a dental office. This form of whitening will give you the best results and we offer a highly effective procedure in our office that takes about 90 minutes. We also offer At-Home tooth whitening, where Dr. Fialka-Eshenko will have customized trays made for you and the kit will contain professional-strength whitening gel.
2. Dental bonding, where individual teeth can be whitened if a trauma or accident has discolored them. Dr. Fialka-Eshenko would apply dental composite and shape it to correct or hide the defect.
3. Porcelain veneers, where very thin pieces of tooth shaped porcelain are bonded to the front surfaces of your teeth. They provide an entirely new surface, hiding the old stained one.

If you suffer from dark or discolored teeth and are interested in tooth whitening, please contact our Edmonton cosmetic dentistry office today to set up a consultation. We will evaluate your condition and help you choose an option that best suits your needs.