CAUSES OF TOOTH DISCOLOURATION

Tooth discolouration is the reason many people cannot smile in public hence a low self-esteem.

Tooth discoloration can affect a single tooth/more than one tooth (localized) or all the teeth (generalized).

The causes of tooth discolouration are:

Hereditary and acquired causes

Hereditary causes:

Inherited from one or both parents in forms of amelogenesis imperfect and dentinogenesis imperfect. This results in appearance as shown below which is quite unsightly!

 

Acquired causes include:

1.  Trauma


14 year old Nigerian male

From fall, domestic violence and motor accident.

Trauma is the commonest cause of a single tooth discoloration which hinders your smile.The colour varies from grey to brown and results from hemorrhage and products of pulp death. This can be taken care of by the dentist to improve your smile and ultimately regain your self-esteem. What you need is pulp therapy and an advance restorative procedure which could be a veneer or a jacket crown to cover the teeth amongst other treatment options which is case specific. 



2.Infection
e.g measles and syphilitic infection of the pregnant mother will cause abnormal development of the developing baby teeth giving  appearances such as this shown below.

 

 
 

3. Drugs
e.g tetracycline intake during pregnancy and in infancy. The drug crosses the placenta to affect the teeth of developing baby to give the appearance shown below.

 

 

4. Poor oral hygiene
From improper tooth brushing techniques and inadequacy of tooth brushing will result in plaque and calculus accumulation in the mouth,this inturn causes periodontitis and subsequent abscess.If this is left unattended to,it causes osteomyelitis of the jaw.
 

5.Others:
Smoking, Excess fluoride in water, Malnutrition e.g Vitamin D deficiency and maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy are other causes of tooth discoloration.  
Stains from food,colanut ,beverages and blood tonic are included in the list.         

Which of the above conditions best describe what you have? Contact us for help towards an improved smile and ultimately restore your self-esteem.
Make your complaints heared on this blog for help towards a healthy oral health.