How to Clean Stains from Your Dental Bonding

Dental bonding can be a great way to create a beautiful smile at a relatively inexpensive price. Unfortunately, due to the fact dental bonding is comprised of a composite material, it is susceptible to staining. Knowing what creates these stains, as well as how to get rid of these stains, will keep your smile beautiful for years to come.

What Causes Your Teeth To Stain?

There are a number of offenders that will cause your teeth to become stained. Most stains are either caused by habits you have, or the foods and beverages that you eat and drink. The worst offenders are the brightly, or intensely colored foods and beverages that you consume. This is because the color comes from highly pigmented molecules called chromogens, which are quite fond of adhering to your dental enamel. For example, grape juice will stain far worse than apple, or pineapple juice.

A general rule of thumb is, if you would not want to have to try to get the food or beverage spill out of your white blouse, then it is probably causing some level of stain to your teeth. Unlike being spilled on your white blouse, the saliva in your mouth helps to minimize, as well as rinse the some of the stain off of your teeth. But unfortunately, over time the stain will build up and begin to show.

While brightly colored foods are the worst offenders, there are others. These include:

• Highly acidic foods and beverage—The acid content of these cause staining, as well as erosion of your tooth enamel, by softening your enamel. This makes it easier for the chromogens to adhere to. 
• Foods high in tannins—These foods give chromogens additional abilities to attach to your teeth's enamel.

How Do You Get Rid Of Staining?

One of the best ways to get rid of staining on your bonded dental material is to have your dentist polish it off. Their ability to do so will often depend on the severity of the stain, as well as the type of bonding material that was used on your tooth. Most cosmetic dentist are pretty successful in removing most types of stains. If your stain cannot  be polished off, your dentist may suggest resurfacing the stained area of your tooth with additional composite.

However, in addition to polishing, there are ways you can help to avoid staining. Some of these are:

• Do your part in keeping your teeth clean—In addition to brushing, ensure you floss to remove the plaque between your teeth and along your gum line.
• Eliminate the use of tobacco products—Tobacco is very high in tannin, and will quickly stain your teeth. Tobacco products include those you smoke, as well as those you chew.
• Choose your beverages wisely—If you choose to drink a beverage such as red wine that you know will have a staining affect, follow it with sips of water to help to rinse your teeth. Brush as soon as you can after consuming foods and beverages that have the propensity to stain.
• Use a straw to drink through when consuming beverages that might stain your teeth—This will reduce the amount of beverage your teeth are exposed to. This will help to eliminate the stain, as well as the erosion from the acids.
• Last but not least, ensure you see your dentist at least twice per year for an examination and cleaning—This will not only help to reduce the amount of stains that your teeth will have, but will ensure that your teeth remain healthy.

Whether you've recently gotten dental bonding or it's been a while, consider talking to your dentist to learn more about how you can keep it clean and healthy.

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