Stained teeth tend to result from poor choices. After all, a smile can turn yellow or brown from meals, poor oral hygiene, smoking, etc. However, you may question whether your lifestyle is the only factor at work. Perhaps you’re even wondering, “Can genes cause tooth stains, too?” It’d certainly make sense if you are. Well, your Bedford dentist is here to answer that question. Read on to learn how stained teeth can be hereditary and how cosmetic dentistry would help out.
Tooth Stains Can Be “In the Genes”
In school, you may have learned that genes impact your looks. How they’re combined and arranged can influence your height, hair color, bone structure, etc. As it happens, these biological markers can also cause (or prevent) tooth stains.
Firstly, some genetic disorders lead to stained teeth. A key example is dentinogenesis imperfecta – a condition that causes grayish enamel and weak teeth. Another one is amelogenesis imperfecta, which results in yellow and soft enamel.
Of course, genes can affect also affect staining in other ways. Some may find their thicker, whiter teeth “run in the family.” Yet others will inherit transparent enamel from their parents. Such effects wouldn’t amount to a disorder, but they’d still be rooted in your biology.
How Would Cosmetic Dentistry Help?
Luckily, cosmetic dentistry can treat gene-related tooth stains. The field has several procedures that would brighten up your grin. Some of the most notable ones are:
Teeth Whitening
Sadly, store-bought whiteners often don’t work on stubborn tooth stains. Their ingredients are usually too weak to do so. Still, pro-whitening would solve the problem.
You see, a dentist’s teeth whitening treatment would easily remove your smile’s stains. It uses a strong bleaching gel to erase dark coloring from your enamel. As a result, the process should leave your grin six to eight shades whiter. These effects can then last 1-3 years with proper care.
Tooth-Colored Restorations
If teeth whitening isn’t an option, don’t worry. There’s still another great way to hide smile stains from view. In particular, you could opt for tooth-colored restorations.
Tooth-colored restorations (per their name) are materials that blend with your smile. Once placed over your stained teeth, they hide any discoloration from view. All anyone will see is a bright grin that seems naturally white.
While genes can cause tooth stains, they shouldn’t keep you from having pretty pearly whites. Consult your dental provider about ways to make your smile brighter.
About the Practice
Meadow Park Family Dentistry is based in Bedford, TX. Led by Dr. Durga Buchupally, our practice works to give healthy and happy smiles to each patient. We offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services to that end, as well as emergency dental care. Whether your grin needs to be stronger or prettier, our dental team will get the job done. For more details or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (817)-464-8655.