E) White spots on teeth can be caused by ineffective home oral hygiene practices.
White spot lesions.
Some people may find (as compared to what existed previously) that certain locations on their teeth have developed an opaque whitish discoloration.
Typically this change has taken place on that portion of the tooth that lies nearest the gum line. If so, it is likely that the discoloration is a "white spot lesion."
White spots on teeth can be an early sign of tooth decay formation.
White spot lesions are the earliest visually detectable stage of cavity formation. They form in those regions where dental plaque has been allowed to remain on a tooth's surface for extended periods of time.
When dental plaque accumulates on the enamel surface of a tooth the bacteria that live in the plaque excrete acid waste products that can dissolved away a portion of the enamel's mineral content. This loss in mineral content causes a visible change in the enamel's appearance. It looses its gloss and shine and instead appears chalky.
Important point : There can be other, less ominous, explanations for the appearance of white spot teeth stains. One of them is fluorosis.
Learn more : Can teeth whitening treatments improve the appearance of teeth that have white spot lesions?
White spot lesions and orthodontic treatment (braces) - A significant complication.
The formation of white spots on teeth during orthodontic treatment is a serious event. It indicates that the patient is not practicing effective oral home care (presumably due to the increased difficulty of cleaning around their orthodontic brackets, bands and wires) and cavity formation has begun.
Possibly the advancement of the decay process can be kept in check, even indefinitely, with improved oral home care, the appropriate use of fluoride, and regular evaluations by a dentist. But absolutely due diligence must be paid to the formation of any white spot lesions.
When braces are removed, the presence of white spot lesions can create a cosmetic dilemma.
There can be an especially disappointing cosmetic phenomenon associated with the formation of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment.
That dental plaque that accumulates around a patient's orthodontic brackets will damage exposed tooth enamel but not that enamel protected by the brackets themselves. If white spot lesions are allowed to form, once the brackets are removed the patient will find that their teeth appear as if they have small white "bull's eyes" on them.
[ Our graphic above shows how the appearance of white spot lesions that have formed during orthodontic treatment might be masked by the use to tooth whitening treatments. ]
F) Some types of teeth stains are due to deteriorated dental work.
A person's existing dental work can be the source of the tooth staining (or relative tooth discoloration) that they have noticed.
1) Existing white dental fillings may stain.
It is the nature of white dental fillings that they will discolor as they age. And while teeth whitening treatments can be used to lighten the color of tooth enamel, they cannot be expected to produce a color change in dental work (with a few exceptions). In the case of white fillings that have stained, the only solution your dentist is likely to offer is to replace them.
2) A person's natural teeth may darken over time and as a result no longer match previously placed dental work.
There can be cases where the color of a person's existing dental restorations has remained stable over time but the person's untreated teeth have become stained or discolored. The net result is a cosmetic mismatch.
This type of situation is especially commonplace in situations where dental crowns are involved. The glass-like nature of porcelain will not pick up stains over time like tooth enamel can.
This means that a dental crown that matched its neighboring teeth perfectly when it was first place will, as the person's untreated teeth undergo the natural and gradual staining process, appear too light.
Learn more : Can dental whitening be used to resolve color mismatches between natural teeth and those teeth that have existing dental work?
G) The health status of a tooth's nerve can affect the tooth's coloration.
Those teeth whose nerve tissue has degenerated (or have had root canal treatment so to treat this problem) often undergo a generalized darkening.
One theory explaining this phenomenon suggests that the staining effect is caused by the release of iron pigments from decomposing hemoglobin-containing red blood cells within the tooth. These iron compounds penetrate into the dentin layer of the tooth, thereby creating a staining effect.
Learn more : Can bleaching treatments be used as a way to lighten darkened endodontically treated teeth?
Tooth trauma
Tooth trauma can cause tooth nerve degeneration, either on a brief or extended (years) time frame. The darkening of any individual tooth, especially one that has a history of trauma such as having been bumped in an accident, can indicate that there is a problem with the health of the nerve inside. For this reason, any individually darkened tooth should always be evaluated by a dentist.
