The foods we eat, the beverages we drink and age itself work against our teeth, causing discolouration over time. Teeth can become yellow due to stains — both deep and surface-level — as well as other causes that aren't always under our control. Whether the discolouration is due to staining or other factors, learn how to get rid of yellow teeth through over-the-counter products and professional whitening at the dentist.
What Causes Yellow Teeth?
- Food and Drinks Coffee, tea and wine are all major causes of tooth discolouration due to their dark colours. In addition, acidic drinks like soda and certain fruits and vegetables can cause yellow teeth.
- Smoking Tobacco products, like cigarettes, contain teeth-staining particles that stick in the microscopic ridges of tooth enamel. The particles build up and stain the teeth, with discolouration becoming darker and more difficult to remove over time.
- Thin Enamel Although coffee and cigarettes leave stains on your teeth, thin tooth enamel also makes teeth look yellow. Tooth enamel is the hard surface of your teeth, and underneath it is a pale brown substance called dentine. Thick enamel looks white, but thin enamel allows dentine tones to show through, making teeth look yellow. Enamel naturally wears thin as people age, but acids from food and drinks also thin the enamel by eroding its surface.
- Medications Other causes of yellow teeth include taking antibiotics and other medications. Excessive fluoride intake in young children can cause yellow-stained adult teeth later on. More often, though, antibiotics and high fluoride levels cause blotching rather than an overall yellow tone to the teeth.
And sometimes, yellow teeth are just genetic.
