Effective Ways to Remove Discoloration Around Teeth

Teeth darken over time from food stains, smoking, age and even medications. The good news is that it is easier--and more affordable--than ever to whiten teeth with toothpastes, mouthwashes, over-the-counter kits and bleaching procedures at your dentist's office.

While more serious issues can cause a single tooth to darken, such as the need for a root canal, a simple cosmetic whitening application may solve the problem.

Things You'll Need

• Whitening toothpaste, mouthwash or strips
• Dentist (for exam and dental whitening options)

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Instructions

• 1

  Try an at-home whitener, such as a toothpaste, mouthwash or whitening strip that can be applied directly to the tooth and allowed to remain there for a short time before being rinsed or removed. Follow the manufacturer's directions for use, and allow the recommended time to see if the product works. Some whitening products claim to show results in as little as a week.

• 2

  Have your dentist examine the tooth for any underlying problem causing it to darken, such as a dying root. Ask if tray bleaching--using a plastic mold of your teeth to hold whitening materials against them while you sleep--will work to whiten this one tooth. If the root is dying, tray bleaching will not work, and you will require a root canal and crown; this entails removing the dead root, filing down the tooth and covering it with a fake tooth.

• 3

  Get a laser whitening treatment at your dentist's office. A translucent bleaching gel would be applied to the tooth, and a laser light would activate crystals in the gel to absorb energy from the laser light. The procedure penetrates the tooth enamel to lighten teeth, and is usually successful in one visit. Costs vary from $300 to $2,000 for an entire mouth to be whitened; ask your dentist what the cost would be for just one tooth.

• 4

  Cover the tooth with a porcelain veneer, which can also be done by your dentist. In this procedure, a thin layer of porcelain is bonded to the tooth to cover the darkened area. The result is a perfectly white tooth. The cost per tooth varies from $1,000 to $2,000.