What Causes Tooth Discolouration?

Hi, Dr Thea here from Dental House Group.

I just saw a new patient Mark from Gisborne this morning. He came to us because he notices his teeth colour is getting more and more discoloured and yellow over time. During our consultation, he asked me, Thea, what causes teeth colouration, and how can we fix it?

We see this problem quite often. So I thought I’ll make a quick video sharing with you what I shared with Mark, just in case you also want to improve the colour of your smile.

Tooth discolouration falls into three different categories: extrinsic, intrinsic, and age-related. With extrinsic tooth discolouration, the stains are only affecting the tooth enamel or the surface of the tooth. The most common causes of extrinsic stains include food or highly-coloured sauces, beverages such as coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco.

On the other hand, intrinsic stains are located within the tooth, which makes them more resistant to over-the-counter whitening products. It often appears grayish rather than yellow. The causes could be certain medications, trauma or injury to a tooth, tooth decay, or genetics.

There are many products and procedures that can whiten your teeth and eliminate or reduce the appearance of discolouration.

These include whitening options such as in-chair whitening treatment, take-home whitening kits or the use of over-the-counter products. Here at Dental House Group, we provide in-chair whitening treatment through Philips Zoom Whitening, as well as take-home whitening kits which include custom-made trays and whitening gels.

We can also improve the appearance of your teeth by placing restorations on them. This can be done through resin bonding, dental crowns, or with dental veneers. These options can also protect, restore damaged teeth and whiten your smile as we can customise the shade to match your other teeth.

Additionally, make sure you visit your dentist for regular dental cleanings. Regular checkups and professional cleans can help to reduce the appearance of stains and spots.

I hope you found this video useful. If you are not happy with the colour of your teeth, we would love to help. Simply call us on 1800GENTLE, complete the enquiry form on our website, or direct message us on social media, and we will be in touch to organise a consultation for you. See you in the next video.

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