Brighter, whiter teeth—who doesn’t want them? If you’re wondering why you have discolored teeth, here are a few possible reasons for that:

Chocolate

Love eating chocolate? If you aren’t vigilant about brushing your teeth every time you eat chocolates, then this could leave your teeth stained. Eating chocolate throughout the years without properly brushing your teeth could lead to discoloration over time.

Aging

As we age, our eating habits can wear down our enamels. Enamels can also get thinner with age. This allows the dentin underneath the layer to show through, resulting in a yellow cast to your teeth.

Drinks

Coffee, tea, wine cola and other types of drinks could leave your teeth stained as well. You might want to reduce intake of these drinks if you want the results of your teeth whitening treatments to last.

Smoking

Smoking leaves your teeth stained with the nicotine. That creates the yellow cast or discoloration. Kicking the habit just in time, though, could prevent further discoloration.

Trauma

Blunt force and trauma could also result in stained or discolored teeth. Consult with a dentist on how to treat the condition. If there’s internal bleeding, that’s going to need to be addressed before any of the discoloration problems, says Colgate.

Medication

Some types of medication could leave your teeth discolored. This could be why your teeth now appear yellow or gray. Consult with a dentist regarding possible teeth whitening treatments you could go for.

Getting help

Knowing the root cause of the discoloration will help your doctor figure out which treatments will be right for you and your teeth. Find a competent, experienced and reputable one to help you explore what those teeth whitening options are and book an appointment today. Engaging the services of a dentist is one way to get your pearly whites back in the quickest way possible.