Stannous fluoride stains on teeth are not permanent because they can be removed with a dental cleaning but the more severe ones do require additional teeth whitening.
The intraoral photo above is an example of what stannous fluoride (SnF2) stains can potentially look like on your teeth. It looks like a dark brown or black line that typically follows the scalloping of the gums.
Teeth cleanings remove stannous fluoride stains
Stannous fluoride stains on teeth can be removed with a dental cleaning and it usually doesn't require any professional teeth whitening.
Why it can be removed with cleanings: SnF2 stains are extrinsic stains, which is a type of tooth stain that is located on the outside of the tooth or rather on top of it.
This means that it can be mechanically/physically removed by your dentist or hygienist.
That is not the same as an intrinsic tooth stain which can only be chemically bleached out due to it being located on the interior of the tooth.
How it gets removed: The easiest way for your dentist or hygienist to remove it is with an ultrasonic scaler that vibrates at tens of thousands of rpm, which obliterates it.
After the ultrasonic scaler, they will usually use a hand scaler to remove any residue that may be left over.
Finally, they will use a polishing paste to make the teeth smooth, polished, and glistening white for you.
The photo above shows what the teeth looks like before and after a teeth cleaning. As you can see, a lot of the extrinsic brown stains can in fact be scaled off the teeth during the prophy.
Your teeth will look much whiter after SnF2 stains have been removed despite not having any "whitening" done at all. This is additional proof that chemical bleaching of the teeth is not required to remove these type of dental stains.
Stannous fluoride stains are not permanent
In case you wanted further proof, the toothpaste warning label even says that the stains are not permanent because it can be removed by your dentist!
If you read the "Other information" on the toothpaste label above it states:
Products containing stannous fluoride may produce surface staining of the teeth.
Adequate toothbrushing may prevent these stains which are not harmful or permanent and may be removed by your dentist.
Ultimately, products with SnF2 are required by the FDA to include the warning label about potential staining.
Teeth whitening can improve results
While it isn't necessary to get professional teeth whitening to remove stains from stannous fluoride, it can be helpful especially if yours are very severe.
Below is a photo of what mild SnF2 staining looks like.
Now compare that to the photo below of what severe SnF2 staining looks like.
When you have very severe staining like the photo above, the regular teeth cleaning may not remove all of the stains. There may be some specks left over. If that is the case, you may benefit from some whitening afterwards just to get the rest of it off!
Takeaway
If you have stannous fluoride stains on your teeth, you should schedule a dental cleaning with one of our dentist in Long Island City. We'd be more than happy to help you get rid of all of those unsightly discolored stains. We'll get your teeth to be pearly white again in no time. Worse case scenario, we can also provide professional whitening to get them even whiter if you wish.
