Super white teeth are trending across the globe now more than ever before. Celebrities with spotless pearly whites sparked the whitening fad, and it isn’t slowing down. Between in office whitening and at-home kits, we will do anything for the bright white look. But as we try to achieve perfection, who else notices that some of your teeth are darker than others? These troublesome yellow canines catch my eye every time I look in the mirror.
For most people, the canines on top (next to the middle 4 teeth) and the 4 middle incisors on the bottom are more yellow than other teeth. But how is it that some teeth are more discolored than others when they all receive the same brushing, rinsing, and whitening treatment?
Internal Color of Teeth
Enamel is the glossy, white exterior of a tooth. Underneath the enamel is dentin. Dentin is a color that naturally ranges from pale yellow to dark brown. This color is normally masked by enamel, but it shows through weakened, thin enamel. When enamel is at its thickest, teeth appear bright white. But as enamel weakens and becomes translucent, yellowing will appear. The color of dentin and thickness of enamel are both hereditary. Whiter teeth are covered in thicker enamel, and yellow teeth the opposite. You cannot increase the thickness of your enamel, but you can change the color of dentin through bleaching.