Almost anyone who smokes, or chews tobacco, knows that it is not good for their health. Smoking can cause a myriad of oral health issues such as bad breath, inflammation of the salivary glands, oral cancer, gum disease, increased plaque buildup, and poor wound healing.
Chewing tobacco and smoking cigarettes are also known for staining teeth. Even vaping and using electronic cigarettes can leave stains.
Most people do not want their teeth to be brown or stained. Whether you have recently quit smoking or want to remove old nicotine stains, our Stony Brook dentist offers teeth whitening near you that can help brighten your smile.
As you already know by now, nicotine and tar, substances found in tobacco, can easily stain your teeth. The enamel (hard outer surface of the teeth) is porous, much like your skin’s surface. Nicotine gets easily trapped in these pores.
Even though it is colorless, nicotine turns to brown or yellow when it is exposed to oxygen. Your teeth are not safe when you consume smokeless tobacco. This includes vape juices and chewing tobacco.
In fact, when you chew tobacco, you are setting yourself up for bad staining. When your saliva mixes with tobacco, this causes your teeth to bathe in the dark brown tannins present in tobacco leaves.
Your teeth have rough surfaces that provide the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. When you add nicotine in the mix, you have a recipe for disaster. This is because nicotine causes dry mouth, and bacteria love such an environment. Also, smoking restricts blood flow, meaning that your wounds will heal way slower than normal.
Either way, if you consume nicotine products, general tooth discoloration is inevitable.
The silver lining is that nicotine stains are extrinsic, meaning that the stain is on the tooth’s outer layer. Fortunately, our cosmetic dentist can provide teeth whitening near you to remove the stains.
Ideally, proper oral hygiene should do the trick. This means that you have to brush, floss, and use antiseptic mouthwash every day. However, this is not always effective, especially when you have stubborn stains.
Our dentist near you can help you brighten your smile professionally. You can also go the DIY route but always remember that all DIY projects come with some risk. It can be a health risk or a durability risk. When it is done professionally, these risks reduce exponentially.
That being said, here are some in-office solutions for nicotine stains:
Professional cleaning is an excellent way of dealing with stains. With cleaning, you hit two birds with one stone. Our Stony Brook dentist removes the stains and the tartar buildup that makes the teeth appear brown. Cleaning is an essential step before you undergo teeth whitening in Stony Brook, NY.
In the process of cleaning your teeth, our dentist can also check to see if you have gum disease. If gum disease is present, our dentist gets to treat it, since the disease exposes the root surfaces prone to staining.
Dental bleaching is a fast and non-invasive process. This can be done in a single visit. During the procedure, our dentist will place a protective gel to shield your teeth; then, the whitening solution is applied. Your teeth will be exposed to a special light or laser to improve the results dramatically. In-office whitening can lighten your teeth several shades during a single visit.
If you want to do it at home, our dentist can prescribe at-home bleaching kits that come with a whitening gel and a tray. The home-whitening kits whiten your teeth over time.
There are cases where the other options may not seem to work; this is where porcelain veneers come in handy. Veneers change the overall appearance of your teeth. However, this option is a bit pricey as compared to the other solutions.
If you use nicotine, you should take care of your oral health. Besides losing your teeth’s aesthetic appeal, you can get gum disease and other severe health issues. Proper oral health has a significant impact on your quality of life.
Give Stony Brook Dental a call today to schedule a consultation for teeth whitening.
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