There are two factors causing tooth discoloration—internal factor and external factor
External factors causing tooth discoloration
Brown
and black stains on the surface of teeth
Teeth with black stains
Cause Habitual smoking or drinking of dark-coloured beverages, such as tea or coffee, result in the food colours being adsorbed onto the tooth surfaces.
Treatment The dentist will use:
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Dental pumice to remove the stain, and then prophylaxis paste to smoothen the tooth surfaces; or
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Prophyjet—utilizing air to spray a mixture of fine baking soda powder and water onto the surfaces of teeth to remove stains.
Prophyjet
cleansing
Teeth after black stain removal
Prevention Do not smoke and avoid drinking dark-coloured beverages to minimize food colours being adsorbed.
Green and orange stains at the surface of teeth
Teeth with orange stain
Cause Teeth has not been cleaned thoroughly, and the accumulated dental plaque has adsorbed food colours and has formed green and orange stains.
Treatment Dentist will perform scaling to remove accumulated dental plaque and stains.
Teeth after orange stain removal
Prevention Brush every morning and before bed at night, and use dental floss to remove dental plaque to keep the teeth white.
Internal factors causing tooth discoloration
Teeth
appear to be greyish-blue to brownish-yellow
Cause If tetracycline, a kind of antibiotics, is taken during the development of teeth, the dentine forming cells will absorb the tetracycline. The dentine thus formed will be yellowish-brown to bluish-grey which will show through as the colour of the teeth.
Disturbance during the development of a tooth If a deciduous tooth is so decayed that the pulp is exposed, the bacteria, via the apex of the tooth, will cause an infection in the vicinity of the developing permanent successor. This will disturb the development of the enamel of the permanent tooth, resulting in the formation of yellowish-brown patches.
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Fluorosis Long term excessive fluoride ingestion will alter the development of the enamel of the teeth. This disturbance will show as white patches on the teeth.
Treatment
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Early dental caries
Dentist can apply topical fluoride onto the surfaces of teeth so that the early caries lesion can be remineralised.
