Young, healthy smiles often appear white and bright. As time goes on, however, our teeth can accumulate unsightly stains and discoloration. This may happen because:
· Staining foods and drinks—like wine, berries, chocolate, coffee, tea, and soft drinks—leave dark deposits on our dental surfaces
· Our dental enamel begins to thin—this makes the tooth more susceptible to staining, and it allows more of the yellow dentin (which resides below the enamel) to show through
· The tooth becomes damaged in some way—if the root or nerve of your tooth is damaged, you’ll likely notice that your tooth starts to look gray and dark
The good news is that no matter how or why your dental discoloration develops, our O’Fallon cosmetic dentists can help you regain a bright white smile again. Here are some ways to refresh dark or stained teeth:
1. Dental cleaning—many patients are amazed at how much brighter their teeth look after a simple dental cleaning. A thorough professional cleaning will help to minimize newly formed surface stains.
2. Dental whitening treatments—when a patient undergoes professional teeth whitening treatments, our dental team applies a whitening gel to the patient’s enamel. This gel infiltrates the enamel and busts up stains, helping to restore the tooth to its previous level of whiteness. Some patients achieve full results after one treatment, while other complete a series of sessions.
3. Dental Lumineers—Lumineers are actually individual porcelain restorations that our dentist permanently attaches to a patient’s teeth. They can make a smile look straighter, whiter, and less damaged. Lumineers can be placed on one tooth, a few teeth, or an entire smile.
Our dental team will help you figure out the perfect treatment when it is time to restore the luminosity to your smile. Please call our O’Fallon cosmetic dentists when you are ready to get started!