8 causes of yellow tooth in young and old people
The teeth are the components of the human body, located within the mouth, which is essential for the breakdown of food particles, giving shape to the face, and the pronouncement of words. Remove the teeth from the body and these three important roles played by the teeth would suffer greatly. It is worthy of note that just like many other components of the body that need to be taken care of, the teeth is also not exempted from this rule and as the human body ages, the teeth, alongside other parts of the body undergo certain changes which most often than not are undesirable.
One of such changes is the discolouration of the teeth which occurs when the colour of the teeth change from the bright, whitish natural colours of theirs to brown, yellowish colouration. However, in many young people, tooth discolouration has been observed as well, with such discolourations capable of causing embarrassment to such young people. Many times, when these discolourations take place, it is often the outer covering of the teeth called enamel that becomes worn out, weakened, stained, and losing its characteristics natural white colour.
While ageing is one of the most potent causes of tooth discolouration/yellow tooth in many people, there are some other causes and they are highlighted below:
1. Foods/Drinks;
2. Tobacco (smoking or chewing tobacco);
3. Poor Dental Hygiene;
4. Genetics;
5. Trauma;
6. Medications;
7. Dental Materials.
From the foregoing, it is obvious that drinks and foods occupy quite a vantage position in the causal factors of tooth discolouration in many people. Many of the foods and drinks consumed by people with yellow or discoloured teeth often possess certain qualities which enable them to either erode the outer whitish covering of the teeth called enamel, or cause permanent colour changes to the teeth. It, therefore, becomes necessary to know such foods and drinks with a view to taking extra precautions whenever they are consumed.
With that in mind, let us briefly highlight some of the foods and drinks that are capable of causing tooth discolouration in people below:
1. Dark Berries
2. Tomato-based Sauces
3. Curry
4. Coffee
5. Black Tea
6. Red wine
7. Dark Cola
8. Fruit Juice
9. Energy Drinks
For emphasis sake, not saying you should completely avoid the aforementioned foods and drinks, merely that extra precautions (such as immediate washing of teeth and brushing of teeth) be taken after their consumption. This is because many of them don’t just wear out the enamel, they also contain certain compounds such as tannins that can cause certain compound colours to stick to the teeth.
