Hello doctor, I have a large white spot on one of my front teeth. My teeth are yellow and it makes my smile look bad. When I was young, I had used a paste given to me by my dentist. I cannot remember the name of it, but I was supposed to scrub it on my teeth, leave it for five minutes and then spit it out. I no longer have it and it did not make a difference. I do not know how to get rid of the spot and I do not feel comfortable talking or even smiling because of embarrassment. Please help.
Hi. There are two ways by which tooth gets discolored: a) External factors b) Internal factors  a) External factor: The change in the color of the tooth topically by external agents. 1) Black and brown stains on the tooth surface. Causes: - smoking - consumption of tea and coffee 2)Yellowish stains on the tooth surface. Causes - deposition of plaque (dental plaque is the deposition of a thin layer containing numerous bacteria around the tooth).  b)Internal factors: 1) Brownish-yellow discoloration of tooth. Causes - Consumption of tetracycline during the formation of teeth. Deciduous tooth formation takes place when the baby is in the womb. If the pregnant lady consumes tetracycline antibiotic during second half of pregnancy onwards, that causes staining of the tooth. The permanent tooth formation takes place before the age of 8 yrs, if in that duration the child is put on tetracycline medication it will cause staining of the teeth. 2)Greyish-yellow discoloration of tooth. Causes: -Dental caries: breakdown of tooth structure by bacterial action. -Pulp necrosis: it is a condition in which tissue inside the tooth dies.  c)White patches on the tooth surface. Causes - Enamel hypoplasia.  d)Brownish discoloration of tooth. Causes - Excessive intake of flouride (dental fluorosis). Depending upon the causes of the tooth discoloration, the following treatment can be decided: 1. Oral prophylaxis (dental scaling). 2. Bleaching. 3. Dental laminates. 4. Veneer. 5. Crowns. 6. Root canal treatment. Attach the picture of the affected tooth and follow up with a dentist online.--->