Does Your Child Have White Spots On Their Teeth?

Whether you're still taking care of your child's teeth yourself or you just perform regular inspections, you might be concerned if you notice white spots on your child's teeth. Here's what you need to know about this condition, how it can affect your child's appearance, and some ideas on how to proceed.

Fluoride

As you probably know, fluoride is utilized in things like toothpaste and drinking water to help boost the strength of teeth. Fluoride can be absorbed by being applied to teeth, but the fluoride that you physically consume also has an impact when teeth are developing. This fluoride plays an essential role in whether or not your child develops white marks on their teeth.

Fluorosis

An excess of consumed fluoride can result in a condition called fluorosis. This is, essentially, a condition where your child consumes an excess of fluoride during their early years. This condition typically can't happen to adults, as the teeth develop their white spots while they're still being grown in the body, prior to emerging from the gums.

As a result, most parents will notice this problem with their child's adult teeth as they start to come in. Don't panic; it's highly unlikely that your child has a cavity or another issue in this scenario.

What You Should Do

At the end of the day, fluorosis is actually a harmless condition. Unfortunately, it can cause some issues with the way that your child's teeth look, but it won't make them any weaker or increase the risk of developing cavities.

If one of your children has fluorosis and you also have younger children in your home, you might consider consulting with your dentist about their fluoride intake. Reducing the amount of tap water that your child drinks or using a fluoride-free toothpaste may be a good option if your child is getting too much fluoride. This could help to prevent your other children from having these marks show up on their teeth.

As for the child that already has them, you can always talk to your dentist about having those marks removed once your child's teeth have fully grown in. A simple tooth whitening session will help to even out the color of the teeth and make them look normal. In the meantime, just make sure to regularly visit your kids' dentist to ensure that their dental hygiene is good and that their teeth are healthy and clean.

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