Hi, I’m Dr James, one of the gentle dentists here at Dental House Group.
I just finished a consultation with a new patient, Stephanie, from Diggers Rest. She came in for a check up and clean. When sharing her smile concerns with us, she asked me, James, why is one my teeth becoming discoloured?

This is something we often see with our cosmetic patients, so I thought I’ll make a video about this, just in case you also have the same concern.

Teeth that become discoloured do so for a reason, so it’s always good to have the tooth checked out to find out why. Teeth can turn brown, yellow or even gray in some cases.

• Firstly, the most common reason may be due to staining from foods and drinks we consume, certain medications that we take or from smoking. Some teeth may be more resistant to staining than others. Enamel, the white shell on the outside of our teeth, is porous and may attract more staining on one tooth compared to another. If you haven’t had a dental clean in some time, it is possible that a clean can remove these external stains from the teeth.
• Another common reason one tooth has become discoloured may be due to trauma to the tooth, such as falling off our bike or injuring our teeth during sport. This trauma may occur as a child or as an adult. Depending on the age this happens, the tooth may or may not be able to heal by itself.
• Sometimes, the tooth may heal itself and become more yellow or brown over time. Other times the tooth may die and slowly become a bluish-gray or brown colour. Depending on the timeframe that this change occurs, there may not be any signs or symptoms associated with the colour change. If this concerns you, let us know and we can have a closer look for you.
• Teeth can also become discoloured from tooth decay and may show up as black or brown. Oftentimes it is quite difficult to spot these areas of decay until it is too late. If we leave them long enough, they may lead to pain and infection. Sometimes this may also cause the tooth to turn gray as it starts to die.
• Finally, teeth can become discoloured from previous restorations on the tooth. If you have been bleaching your teeth, the discolouration may become more noticeable as crowns, veneers and even fillings do not whiten like natural teeth do. Over time, certain types of traditional style crowns may also show up darker around the gums if they start to shrink away from the tooth.

So if you have noticed one of your teeth is becoming discoloured, it is a good idea to get it checked out as early as possible.

Simply give us a call on 1800GENTLE, DM us on social media, or complete the form on our website, and we will help you organise your consultation. Bye for now.