White spots on teeth – What causes it and how it is treated?
Dr. D.Sendhil Nathan MDS, DNB Prosthodontics And Implantology
Do you have tiny white spots or discolored lines over the teeth surfaces? Apart from yellow stains and brown spots, the white-colored mark on teeth is the common problem which affects smile aesthetics.
In general, the dental white spots do weaken your teeth but the existence of those marks is a warning sign of problems like dehydration, malnutrition, calcium deficiency, etc.
What causes white spots on teeth?
The white spots on teeth occur mainly because of decalcification also known as demineralization. It is a process that removes calcium and phosphorous from the teeth surfaces. Various factors trigger such extraction of minerals in the enamel layer and leave our teeth white-colored marks. The common causes include:
1) Oral Bacteria
Accumulation of bacteria in the mouth causes various oral diseases and problems like formation of white spots. The acidic environment developed after taking foods make the microbes thrive inside the mouth. They mix with saliva to produce highly acidic fluids.
The constant exposure of teeth over the acids erodes the enamel and develop discolored lines or dental spots on teeth.
2) Dental Fluorosis
You might hear that fluoride can strengthen your teeth enamel. Yes. It is true but you should take it in a limited manner. Otherwise, it will gift your teeth with permanent dental white spots.
Dental fluorosis is a disorder occurred with excess fluoride intake. Kids in the age range between 1 and 8 are highly susceptible to this problem because their teeth and enamel are still in the developing stage. Constant exposure of fluoride over the developing teeth will make the enamel does not develop properly.
It is termed as enamel hypoplasia which is characterized by the deep spots on the teeth surfaces.
3) High Fevers
The sense of dehydration while having fever makes one to drink less water. If you do not drink enough water, then your mouth will become dry which helps the bacteria to thrive and attack the teeth. Likewise, the dry mouth removes the mineral contents present in enamel also. Kids have high chances of developing such dental spots due to fevers.
If a kid suffers from high-temperature fever, then he/she will be having dreaded white-colored marks. This is known as Contemporaneous Hypoplasia.
4) Mouth Breathing
When you sleep with your mouth open, you will become susceptible to various oral problems like dry mouth, bad breath, crooked teeth, etc. Dental white spots are also developed due to mouth breathing because it causes dehydration in enamel that extracts calcium and phosphorous present in that layer.
5) Wearing dental braces
The metal brackets are attached over the teeth with an adhesive material. The mineral components in the tooth region stick to the brackets.
Likewise, cleaning the teeth is also a quite difficult task while wearing a dental brace. Such poor dental cleaning increases the acidic environment and bacterial breeding. These also aggravate the removal of mineral components in enamel and lead to white spots after removing the teeth straightening appliance.
What are the treatment options to fix such white spots on teeth?
Depending on the severity of the cause, the dental white spots can be treated. The most common treatment options include:
- Teeth Whitening – Teeth whitening (or) Dental bleaching is a common cosmetic dental treatment applied to remove stains, discolorations and other things stick to the teeth surfaces. It involves various dental appliances like whitening strips, teeth whitening paste, gels that contain peroxide-based bleaching agents.
- Enamel Microabrasion – It involves removing a small concentration of enamel to fade the white spots.
- Fixing dental veneers – Dental veneer is a thin tooth-colored shell. It is utilized to treat teeth with deep stains and eroded enamel. The custom made veneer made up of porcelain is glued over the teeth surfaces with the help of a special cementing agent.
- Similar to veneers, adhering composite resins are also helpful in hiding those white spots.
- Applying topical fluoride is also beneficial as it increases the mineral content in enamel to reduce the dental white spots.
Bottom line
Your oral habits and food items you eat are the main things that nourish the bacteria in the mouth to cause white spots on teeth. Preventing them is possible by adjusting your lifestyle and certain habits.
The recommend things to avoid dental white spots include:
- Avoid using excess of fluoride toothpaste
- Don’t drink fluoridated water
- Avoid sugary and acidic foods
For more queries, feel free to ask in the comment section or contact us.
