Stains between teeth are a common cause of concern amongst dental patients. Luckily, they can be easily removed (or prevented) by making changes in our everyday life.

These dark spots might appear anywhere on tooth enamel and come in different colours, shapes, and sizes, sometimes appearing as irregular brown lines and sometimes as blotchy patches.

Also, these dark stains can be Intrinsic, meaning that they are located below the tooth’s surface, or Extrinsic, which means they form on the tooth enamel’s surface.

Recognising this difference becomes especially important. Why? Because identifying the type of stain helps determine the better method to remove these stains between teeth.

In this article, we’ll address everything about in between teeth stains, their causes, ways you could prevent them, and how to remove them.

Causes of Teeth Staining

Stains between teeth are a product of multiple factors, some of which are much more common than you might think. Some of these include:

Foods and dark beverages:

Certain foods and dark beverages contain artificial dyes and chemical agents like tannic acid or chromogen. These might stain your teeth’ enamel and, over time, permanently damage it. 

Tobacco and nicotine:

Aside from being an all-around bad habit, smoking releases microparticles that stick to the microscopic pores in your teeth’ enamel, eventually staining your teeth due to repeated use.

Also, stains caused by smoking or chewing tobacco are usually darker and much harder to remove. 

Genetics:

Many specific factors determine each person’s teeth colour. These include tooth enamel strength, response to acids and pigments, and how much wear and tear tooth enamel is exposed.

However, developmental and hereditary conditions (like Dentinogenesis Imperfecta) might also play a factor in improper tooth formation. 

Treatment

Like we said before, specific foods, beverages, or lifestyle habits cause most tooth stains. Thus, you could eliminate such stains by changing said habits and using simple remedies such as:

• Use a mix of baking soda and water to brush your teeth 2-3 times a week.
• Wash your mouth once a day using a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution (Remember to rinse your mouth with water immediately afterwards).

There are also many free-sale products to help you remove stains in between teeth (expect to see results after 1-2 weeks of use, although there are no guarantees):

• Change to a whitening toothpaste (preferably use those containing Sodium Hypochlorite).
• Look for whitening mouthwashes that contain Hydrogen Peroxide
• You can also try any whitening strips system containing Carbamide Peroxide bleaching gel.

In case of teeth stains produced by tartar or other medical conditions, the due course of action is to visit your dentist (or dental hygienist).

A professional has the instruments that allow them to blast, rub, or scrape plaque, tartar, or any other stains between teeth away.

Also, your Hornsby dentist can perform any minor procedures (such as bleaching or applying topical fluoride) required to whiten and protect your teeth from further decay.

Nonetheless, when your dental health is at play, there is no substitute for correct hygiene and a periodical visit to your dentist. Until next time!