A heavy smoker and heavy drinker of coffee/tea are the most common cause of stains like this.
Stains usually make the surfaces of teeth rough. Rough teeth surfaces retain more dental plaque than an average clean and smooth surface. A rough and uneven surface is like a hiding place and a protective roof for plaque. Oftentimes, your toothbrush misses spots under stains. When plaque stays for a long period of time without being disturbed, it calcifies or hardens to what we call a Calcular Deposit. Calcular Deposits harbor even more plaque than stains, and it is practically impossible to remove these calcular deposits with just toothbrushing.
Aside from bad breath, stains like these can indirectly cause heart problems and other health conditions. Dental plaque is the most destructive material for your gums and bone, even if it is easy to remove. It causes gum infections like gingivitis and bone infections like periodontitis. Infections in gum and bone directly affect the blood flow that leads to your heart and other parts of your body. Your body will also be in a constant state of trying to heal itself from the infection and that is not good for your health.
That's why not missing your regular dental check-up is very vital especially when you have excessive smoking and coffee/tea drinking habits. We want to avoid heavy consequences.
To also aid in the prevention of dental stains, the following are some tips that may help you:
Brush your teeth before smoking/drinking. Yes, even before the deed. This way, your teeth surfaces are smooth, lessening plaque on tooth surfaces that absorbs stain.
Of course, brushing your teeth right after finishing your cigarettes and beverages help remove stains while it has not settled that much on your teeth.
For coffee and tea drinking, avoid drinking them for long periods of time. If you can, drink your beverage in a span of 15-30 minutes then brush right after. I know that this is hard to do especially since most of us like to enjoy and savor our cup of coffee/tea, but this significantly avoids long and dreadful oral prophylaxis scaling.
Use a reusable straw when drinking coffee/tea, hot or cold. Try containing the beverage on your tongue and avoid letting it flow to your teeth.
Do not gargle these beverages. Some people enjoy playing with coffee/tea in their mouth, avoid this.
Get your oral prophylaxis regularly. Some dentists may require a 3-months oral prophylaxis interval rather than the 6-month interval if stains are very hard to control.
Visit Dr. Rafaelle Dental Clinic (DRDC) to check how the status of your teeth stains to get the proper treatment.
I hope you learned from this and enjoyed this as much as I did working on the case and writing this blog. I try to make the explanation as simple as I could for the general public to appreciate and understand. If there are certain areas that still confuse you or you want a deeper understanding, you may email me at dr.rafaelle@gmail.com. If you have questions regarding your personal case, I am more than happy to give you a consultation. Just book an appointment with us via email, SMS/WhatsApp/Viber (+639778130101), or through this link: Book an Appointment.
Take care!
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