Coffee, tea, tobacco and foods such as berries can permanently stain tooth surfaces; antibiotics such as tetracycline, certain illnesses and injuries, and excessive fluoride can stain teeth internally. Commercially available over the counter tooth whiteners do not work and they tend to be unnecessarily abrasive and damaging.

However, there are dental techniques that can safely give you a brighter smile. Your dentist will be able to diagnose and treat the problem. The following options are some commonly used methods:

Bleaching
For teeth that are stained internally and externally, bleaching may be very helpful. This is simple, painless, and both in office and home methods are available. The kit for home treatment is only available through your dentist. Bleaching is the most thorough way to whiten teeth, and it causes no side effects. The inside of the mouth is shielded so that only the teeth are exposed, and a chemical agent is applied. Depending on the color of the teeth, in office procedure requires one or more visits (each visit lasting less than an hour). Home treatment would take longer.

Bonding
For chips, cracks, or conspicuous gaps between teeth, as well as severe stains, bonding may be the answer. In this method, an acid etch solution is used to roughen the tooth surface and make it easier for a glue like bonding agent to stick to teeth. Over this, a malleable plastic resin is applied to reshape the tooth, fill in gaps or chips, or cover stains. Finally, the bonded surface is polished smooth. This procedure is usually performed in one visit. Bonding is sometimes used for small filling on front teeth, or, in som, ~cases, even as a substitute fo~ o~olar teeth   but the materials used are never as strong a actual teeth and therefore may require periodic replacement.

Laminate Veneers
Made of porcelain or a special resin, laminate veneers are thin shells affixed directly to the teeth. Impressions of your teeth are taken and veneers are custom made to match the color and shape of your natural teeth. Similar to bonding, the tooth surface is first etched, followed by the application of a resin that holds the veneer in place.

Crowns
When the structure of the tooth is weakened by previous fillings, veneer is not the best choice. It may be better to cover the entire tooth with a metal and/or porcelain crown. The whole tooth is reduced in size and shaped, an impression is made, and a dental laboratory fabricates the crown, which is then cemented to the shaped tooth. This procedure usually requires 3 to 5 office visits.