Yellow teeth (tooth discoloration)

Yellow teeth and Tooth discoloration can arise from extrinsic or intrinsic polluters. But they can also be inherited from birth.

What are yellow teeth?

Tartar is the name given to solid deposits on the teeth that cannot be removed by brushing your teeth. It consists mainly of apatite, proteins and carbohydrates and is one of the most common tooth discolorations.

In the general understanding, yellow teeth and tooth discoloration are defined as non-white and yellowish-brown discolored, sometimes stained teeth.

All teeth can be affected equally or only certain teeth. For example, artificial or dead teeth are more likely to turn yellow teeth and show tooth discoloration.

Even if yellow teeth and tooth discoloration are seen as more of a cosmetic problem, they can also indicate other circumstances in individual cases.

causes

In most cases, yellow teeth and tooth discoloration are due to behavioral causes. If you like to drink black tea, coffee and rooibos tea, you shouldn't be surprised about yellow teeth and tooth discoloration. Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration are also common in smokers.

So-called extrinsic tooth discoloration summarizes all external influences. Frequent eating of carrots or poor dental care after drinking coffee or nicotine can cause yellow teeth and tooth discoloration in the long term. You can remove such tooth discoloration more easily if you practice proper oral hygiene. In the long term, negligent oral hygiene leads to yellow teeth and tooth discoloration.

Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration can be the result of certain dental materials. For example, plastic fillings are more easily colored by extrinsic factors than real teeth. This can lead to tooth discoloration. It is also important that certain drugs or antibiotics can cause yellow teeth and tooth discoloration.

Braces that are too tight can also cause yellow teeth and tooth discoloration. The intrinsic tooth discoloration is caused by natural dark discoloration and is hereditary.

Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration do not necessarily require a medical diagnosis. Most of the causes are poor oral hygiene. You can treat yellow teeth and tooth discoloration with whitening. Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration get worse with age.

Real teeth are preferable to artificial teeth despite possible tooth discoloration. If there are yellow teeth and tooth discoloration in children, it may be decayed milk teeth. Here it is worth questioning drinks, eating habits and oral hygiene so that the course of the tooth discoloration can be influenced.

Diseases with this symptom

• bronchitis
• Drug allergy

• Emphysema
• Nicotine addiction

• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Caries

Complications

White teeth are a desirable condition, but most people are actually more likely to have discolored teeth. There are harmless reasons for this that are difficult to avoid, but also triggers that should be prevented. First of all, yellow teeth are a cosmetic problem because they do not represent health and are not considered to be as visually attractive as a row of straight, white teeth.

Many people do not have yellow teeth treated at the dentist, but try bleaching or whitening methods at home, which actually harm their teeth rather than good. The greatest risk is damage to tooth enamel, which it probably already did with yellow teeth. Yellow teeth with damaged enamel carry the risk of developing tooth decay more quickly or, with tartar, of more damage. Prevention by the dentist would still be easy, as long as the teeth have only been discolored and not already damaged.

However, yellow teeth do not only harbor risks due to incorrectly performed whitening or a higher susceptibility to caries, a further complication can be their stability. A healthy tooth does not break, except in the event of exceptional stress or injury. However, depending on the cause, the substance of yellow teeth can already be damaged to such an extent that they break when you bite off an apple. This does not necessarily have to lead to a loss of function if only small pieces splinter, but this only makes the tooth more vulnerable.

When should you go to the doctor?

Yellow teeth or tooth discoloration can be genetic. Often certain dietary preferences and behaviors are also responsible for tooth discoloration. Black tea, rooibos tea, coffee, nicotine and even mouthwash and medication such as antibiotics or iron deficiency preparations can lead to yellow teeth or tooth discoloration. Basically, when it comes to the color of teeth, brilliant white is the exception as a natural tooth color.

Discolored teeth are not a symptom of a physical illness other than the teeth themselves. Of course, poor dental care can gradually lead to tooth discoloration such as yellow teeth and attack the tooth substance. Instead of talking to the family doctor, it is best if those affected speak to their dentist.

Tooth discoloration can occur if the tooth enamel is damaged. Other causes include tooth decay and damage to the tooth root. Even if yellow teeth or other tooth discoloration do not pose a direct health risk, they can be psychologically stressful. If you absolutely do not want to put up with it and have otherwise healthy teeth, you can have your teeth professionally whitened by the dentist or veneered with so-called veneers.

It is not advisable to try your hand at supposedly secret recipes or to use commercially available teeth whitening products. The dentist is the more trustworthy contact.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

Yellow teeth not only look unsightly, they are often a sign of dental disease. Medical teeth whitening can bring good results here.

Whether yellow teeth and tooth discoloration require medical treatment varies. It depends on dental health and cosmetic considerations whether the dentist acts. It is often also a question of the wallet.

Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration can prevent career success in professional life. This applies in particular to people appearing in public. No actor, news anchor or pop singer will want to please his fans with yellow teeth and tooth discoloration. Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration are an absolute taboo, especially in Hollywood. Here, white veneers or an all-round crowning ensure that yellow teeth and tooth discoloration are covered.

When tooth enamel is causing yellow teeth and tooth discoloration, you have no other choice. Teeth whitening often helps. The supposedly whitening toothpastes, however, rarely solve the problem. Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration can usually only be remedied by intensive tooth brushing.

But it is different if there is a small crack in the tooth enamel and gradually causes discoloration. There may be a damaged root or a carious area needs to be treated. Yellow teeth and tooth discoloration must therefore always be questioned in terms of their causes.

Outlook & forecast

Yellow teeth do not pose a particular health risk to the body or the oral cavity. They do not always look beautiful, but only in rare cases have a negative effect on oral hygiene. If the person concerned does nothing about the yellow teeth, the yellow color will not go away on its own.

The teeth are discolored by food and drinks and thus acquire a darker color. This has no direct effect on the teeth. However, yellow teeth show that the person concerned often consumes a lot of unhealthy foods. These can have a negative effect on the teeth and lead to tooth decay or inflammation of the gums. This means that disproportionately yellow teeth are also a warning sign of an unhealthy lifestyle.

The person affected can have their teeth cleaned by the dentist. The plaque is removed and the teeth can shine in a lighter shade again. With this treatment there is only slight pain, which subsides immediately after the treatment. There are no complications after and during treatment. The person affected can protect their teeth from the yellow coating by simply brushing their teeth.

prevention

The best prevention against yellow teeth and tooth discoloration is to consistently avoid coloring foods and drinks. Instead of black tea you can enjoy green tea, instead of coffee you can drink less staining grain coffee or spiced chai.

To avoid yellow teeth and tooth discoloration, it is best to avoid frequent consumption of red wine, nicotine, cola drinks, coffee, chocolate, beetroot and dark berry fruits such as elderberries or blackberries.

Everyone has to decide for themselves whether yellow teeth and tooth discoloration are worth it. Unfortunately, the aging process also leads to an increase in yellow teeth and tooth discoloration. Good dental care and oral hygiene are the best remedies against yellow teeth and tooth discoloration.

You can do that yourself

Yellow teeth do not necessarily have to be treated by a dentist. Often the person affected can do something about the yellow teeth himself. They are very often caused in smokers by the smoke and nicotine that is absorbed in the mouth. Should the patient smoke, the cigarettes must be stopped. This prevents the yellow teeth and leads to a whiter color again.

Food with coloring should also be avoided. This mainly includes soda drinks. However, coffee and tea also discolor the teeth, this process cannot be counteracted without further ado, as it is a common process.

Those who are not satisfied with the color of their teeth can have their teeth bleached and cleaned by the dentist. However, this treatment does not lead to a permanent result and must be repeated after several months. The yellow teeth can also be treated with a special toothpaste that bleaches the teeth. How high the chances of success are depends very much on the condition of the teeth themselves. Often it is not possible to avoid certain foods that stain teeth. Rinsing the mouth or chewing gum can also limit yellow teeth.