In today's modern world with coffee houses on every corner,soda machines in every convenience store, and more dyes in our food than we canpossibly name, it is no wonder that so many people have issues with toothdiscoloration.

Unfortunately, many people find this issue quite disturbingand it has led to a booming industry for those in the business of making toothwhitening products. There are three basic types of tooth discoloration:extrinsic discoloration, intrinsic discoloration, and age-relateddiscoloration.

Extrinsic discoloration is classified as discoloration ofthe outer tooth enamel from ?outside? influences. This includes discolorationand stains from things like coffee, food, soda, tea, wine, and smoking.Extrinsic discoloration is the number one cause of tooth discoloration, asthere are so many things that we consume on a daily basis that will causediscoloration to our teeth.

Intrinsic discoloration occurs when the inner part of thetooth becomes discolored. The inner part of the tooth, called the dentin, candarken or get a yellow tint and cause tooth to appear visibly discolored. Thisform of discoloration is often caused by excessive exposure to fluoride as achild. It can also by tetracycline antibiotics.

Age-related discoloration is of course the normaldiscoloration of teeth as we age. Not only do the teeth become thinner whichcan cause them to appear discolored, but the long term effects of bothintrinsic and extrinsic discoloration add to the wear as well.

There are of course a handful of other factors that cancause discoloration to the teeth. Teeth that have been damaged or injured canbecome discolored. There are some illnesses as well that will causes adiscoloration to the teeth. For the most part though, tooth discoloration isthe result of outside factors, and can easily be controlled with proper androutine dental hygiene.