Brown teeth

by Armida, answer by the dentist

Brown teeth problem. One of the reader has submitted a question about a common problem:

The lower four teeth in my boyfriend's mouth are brown on the inside, and in between them are dark and they bleed easily? What is it?

Brown teeth in the anterior part of the lower jaw is a common problem and is usually due to excess of stained, hardened plaque that easily collects on the inside of the lower teeth. This is called calculus, which is calcified plaque.

Plaque forms when bacteria adheres to a surface (here: teeth), use substrates from saliva and foods and grow in colonies. Calculus forms when this plaque stays on the surface for a certain period of time, and minerals from saliva and foods fastens to the plaque and make this hard. The reason why this occurs more often in the anterior part of the lower jaw, is because of the salivary glands having their ducts right near the lower teeth and therefore the minerals to be deposited on the plaque is nearer.

Brown teeth stains come from food and drink. This is especially true with coffee, tobacco, red wine, but also other foods.

At this level you cannot remove the calculus by using a toothbrush, now it's time to hit the dental office and get a professional debridement and cleaning. The reason why it's bleeding is the inflammation in the gingiva due to all the bacterial masses laying toward the gingiva. This can be avoided by daily toothbrushing and cleaning and maybe most importantly: use of toothpics or flossing.

My best advice is to get a professional cleaning of the brown teeth areas at the dentist, and in the future avoid plaque and calculus formation by brushing the teeth thoroughly, also on the inside! Ask your dentist for advise on how to adjust the brushing technique to make sure plaque is removed efficiently everyday.

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