Have you ever had a problem with stained teeth or met someone with really yellow teeth? Then you’ll know that it can cause a person to feel very self-conscious about themselves. Speaking from experience. ?
The good news is that it is actually treatable and preventable, to a certain extent! Here’s everything you need to know and what you can do to keep your chompers looking white and pearly.
1. Our teeth can get stained from both the outside and inside
As if it’s not bad enough that our teeth can look yellow on the outside, they can also get stained on the inside, making it even harder to get rid of. In case you didn’t know, tooth discolouration is divided into not one, but three categories! ? They are:
- Extrinsic stains – affects the tooth enamel (the outer part or surface of your teeth). The most common causes are:
- Food
- Beverages
- Tobacco
- Intrinsic stains – located inside the tooth, these stains are more resistant to whitening products. This type of stain often appears greyish in colour and causes include:
- Certain medications
- Trauma or injury to a tooth
- Tooth decay
- Genetics
- Ageing – this happens when the enamel on your teeth begins to wear away, which often results in a yellow appearance. Most times, age-related discolouration is caused by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors.
2. All the curry we eat and coffee we drink can stain our teeth without us even realising!
Drinking coffee is one of the sure-fire ways to get stained teeth
Every time we eat our roti canai with curry or have our favourite rojak covered in thick, dark sauce, our teeth will eventually stain too. That’s because certain foods come with a lot of natural (and unnatural) colouring. This just proves how much we Malaysians looove our food.
If you’re wondering what’s been causing the stains, you can tell based on the colour of your teeth:
- Yellow stains:
- Foods with ingredients that have a lot of natural colouring like curry
- Dark and acidic substances like dark juices or balsamic vinegar
- Snacks high in simple sugars like ice cream or boba tea
- Certain medications
- Brown spots:
- Dark sauces like soy sauce or rojak sauce
- Drinks like tea, coffee, cola and wine
- Fruits like blueberries, blackberries and pomegranates
- Purple stains (yes, got such thing okay):
- Drinking a lot of red or white wine
- Foods with a lot of unnatural colouring
That’s why, if you can, just try to eat less of those foods and brush your teeth regularly to keep your smile nice and white! Yay!
3. If you have a habit of smoking or grinding your teeth, be prepared for stained teeth!
Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Aside from food, our lifestyle choices can also affect our teeth. Here are some lifestyle causes & changes you can make to prevent tooth staining:
- Smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco – Try to cut back or quit completely as nicotine is known for causing yellow teeth stains.
- Not visiting your dentist regularly – You should visit your dentist every six months to get your teeth cleaned!
- Not brushing your teeth regularly & with proper technique – If possible, brush your teeth after every meal to prevent staining.
- Grinding your teeth – Try squeezing a stress ball with your hands instead to prevent hairline cracks in your enamel that collect stains.
It’s not that difficult, right? It’s time to kick some nasty habits and be kinder to your teeth. Imagine having bad habits AND discoloured teeth. Yikes!
4. The good news is, you can get rid of stains at the dentist or prevent it yourself at home
You can get in-office whitening treatments at the dentist
There are many products out there that can help whiten or reduce the stains on your teeth. You can even visit a dentist to get them cleaned and whitened. Here are a few broad options you can try out:
- Get your dentist to treat your teeth
- Dentists can whiten your teeth with a higher-than-normal concentration of hydrogen peroxide. This typically works quickly and the effects last longer than other methods.
- Try out some DIY home remedies
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- Activated charcoal mixed with water
- Baking soda with hydrogen peroxide to remove plaque
- Citric acid from lime and lemons are an effective bleaching agent to whiten teeth
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Apart from these, if you’re looking for a much simpler and less expensive way to reduce or prevent teeth stains at home, choosing the right toothpaste can go a long way. Just make sure that the toothpaste you use contains fluoride and a safe formula that is gentle on your teeth.
Not sure which is the best toothpaste to use? You can consider Darlie Whitening toothpastes to help keep your smile stain-free!
It is specially formulated with known, natural whitening ingredients that remove stains effectively and protects against future stains.
On top of that, the Darlie Whitening toothpaste range also comes with these benefits:
- Powered with Micro-Whitening Agents for twice the stain-dissolving power
- Contains fluoride that fights cavities and strengthens teeth
- Effectively removes extrinsic stains and prevents future staining when used daily
The Darlie Whitening toothpaste is available in three variants that are infused with known home remedial whitening ingredients:
- Charcoal Clean
- The natural Korean bamboo charcoal enriching formula helps to deep clean and remove stains
- Infused with a unique taste & freshness from the bamboo aroma
- Lime Mint
- Natural Lime Mint-infused formula whitens and brightens teeth shade
- Infused with the zesty refreshing essence of Lime and Mint for fresh breath and wonderful aftertaste
- Baking Soda
- Infused with food-grade baking soda for gentle polishing
- Comes with extra dense foam for a pampering brushing experience
We personally love the Lime Mint flavour for its fresh aftertaste and ability to keep bad breath at bay. 
You don’t necessarily have to stop binging on your favourite foods or cut down on coffee every morning, just remember to use Darlie Whitening toothpaste consistently so your teeth can remain stain-free! And don’t worry, it’s also Halal-certified to suit everyone!
Stock up on Darlie Whitening toothpaste today and get 20% off when you purchase two tubes of any Darlie Whitening toothpaste from the official Darlie store on Shopee!
If you’d like to find out more about other Darlie products, head over to their official website and check out more ways you can keep those stains at bay!
Keep visiting your dentist regularly to make sure your teeth have no serious underlying problems. Remember that prevention is still better than cure!
