What can be done about these white spots on the teeth? Read on to find out who’s at risk as well as what treatments are available for dental fluorosis.

Who Is at Risk for Dental Fluorosis?

Dental fluorosis can only happen in childhood, typically, age eight or younger [2]. This is because the permanent teeth are still developing underneath the gums at this age, and once the teeth come through the gum tissue, you can no longer get dental fluorosis. Unfortunately, once the permanent teeth come in and have white spots as the result of dental fluorosis, the condition can’t be reversed.

The White Spots Generally Aren’t Harmful to Your Teeth

Fortunately, dental fluorosis isn’t normally harmful to the teeth. However, it can result in a chalky white appearance on teeth that’s uneven in nature.

For some patients with dental fluorosis, the appearance of the white spots or streaks is subtle. In other cases, it can be a bit more obvious. In cases such as these, it makes sense that you would want to seek treatment to reduce the appearance of fluorosis on your teeth.

What Treatments Are Available?

Any treatment done for dental fluorosis is usually done out of cosmetic concerns, as it typically doesn’t affect your oral health in a negative way. However, for patients that want to improve the appearance of teeth affected by dental fluorosis, there are treatments available.

For some patients, a professional teeth whitening can help reduce the appearance of the white spots. If the fluorosis is a bit more apparent, your dentist may suggest a technique called microabrasion, in which a tiny amount of tooth enamel is removed to provide the patient with a more uniform appearance to their teeth [3].

In other patients still, total makeover options for their smile such as dental veneers may be the only way to completely absolve the appearance of dental fluorosis. Your dentist can let you know what treatments are available to you based on your preferences and the condition of your smile.

If you have white spots on your teeth and are self-conscious about your appearance, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with your dentist. Your oral healthcare professional can conduct an exam and discuss your concerns with you before reviewing your options for reducing the appearance of your fluorosis!

Sources:
1. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/f/fluorosis
2. https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/faqs/dental_fluorosis/index.htm
3. https://www.journal-imab-bg.org/statii-08/vol08_2_71-74str.pdf

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The severity of dental fluorosis varies and while many people won’t have their appearance
dramatically affected, others will. What exactly is dental fluorosis and what can you do about it?

Why Fluorosis Happens

Fluorosis happens when a person is exposed to too much fluoride as a child while the teeth are still developing. This fluoride could be from any source, whether it be drinking water or toothpaste with fluoride. Fluorosis usually presents as white spots on the teeth.

Once the teeth have erupted through the gum tissue, it’s no longer possible to get dental
fluorosis [1]. The change is exclusive to teeth that are still developing beneath the gumline, so usually the risk for fluorosis decreases once the permanent teeth begin to come in.

Available Treatments for Fluorosis

Once fluorosis happens, there’s no way to stop its effect on teeth. However, there are several available treatments for fluorosis that can help minimize or eliminate its appearance on your smile.

These treatments include a professional teeth whitening, microabrasion, and dental veneers[2]. For people who have mild fluorosis, teeth whitening can help reduce its appearance and may be the only treatment you need.

Microabrasion is a procedure your experienced dentist can perform that can help people who have more obvious fluorosis or white spots that won’t respond to a professional whitening.

During microabrasion, a small amount of tooth enamel is removed to restore the appearance of the teeth. Most dentists will use a fluoride treatment afterward to ensure tooth sensitivity is kept to a minimum following the procedure.

If the appearance of your dental fluorosis is severe or doesn’t respond to teeth whitening, you may opt for dental veneers. Dental veneers can cover the teeth affected by fluorosis and give you a new, brighter smile that permanently masks your fluorosis and looks natural.

Preventing Fluorosis

You can help prevent fluorosis in children, but once the permanent teeth are in, you’ll need to rely on professional dental treatment to improve the appearance of fluorosis.

To prevent this condition, ensuring your child gets the right amount of fluoride is best. You can talk to your dentist about your child’s fluoride exposure to determine if it’s appropriate for their age and health. Remember, the American Dental Association doesn’t recommend using fluoride toothpaste for children until they reach the age of two [3].

Your dentist can talk more with you about what’s best for your child to help prevent fluorosis from occurring.

Do You Have Fluorosis?

Do you have white spots on your teeth that have a somewhat chalky appearance? You don’t have to live with these spots and can receive dental treatment to help minimize their appearance on your smile. Schedule a consultation with your dentist today to discuss treatment for your dental fluorosis!

Sources:
1. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/f/fluorosis
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2883808/
3. https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(14)60226-9/fulltext?dgcid=PromoSpots_EBDsite_fluoride-toothpaste-young-children

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How does dental fluorosis happen and what can you do about it? Here’s what you need to know about this condition that can impact your smile.

Dental Fluorosis Happens in Childhood

Essentially, dental fluorosis is a hypomineralization of the tooth enamel. This is caused by consuming too much fluoride in childhood while your teeth are still developing.

Dental fluorosis can only affect teeth that are still forming underneath the gumline. Once teeth erupt through the gumline, fluorosis cannot happen. It only happens during the developmental stage, so a risk for dental fluorosis exists until about age 8.

Excessive consumption of flouride could be from any source, including swallowing toothpaste or consuming too much drinking water that’s been treated with fluoride. Your dentist can help you determine the proper amount of fluoride needed for your child—not too much and not too little—to help prevent dental fluorosis in children.

Does Not Affect the Health of Teeth

Dental fluorosis isn’t an oral disease and doesn’t actually affect the health of your teeth. In many cases, the visual effect of dental fluorosis is so subtle that it won’t need treatment. Sometimes the effect of fluorosis can’t be seen by anyone except your dentist during checkups. Other times, the chalky appearance of the white marks on your teeth will be visible to anyone who sees your smile. In this event, you’ll likely want to get your dental fluorosis treated to minimize the appearance.

Treatment for Dental Fluorosis

Although dental fluorosis can be treated, the white marks are permanent and cannot be made to totally go away, although you may be able to minimize or eliminate the appearance of these marks.

You have several treatment options that you can discuss with your dentist, including:

 Teeth whitening. This can help remove surface stains and minimize the appearance of your fluorosis, especially if it’s subtle.

 Dental bonding. This is a good form of treatment when dental fluorosis is limited to certain areas. Bonding involves using a composite resin that bonds to the tooth enamel to minimize or cover up the appearance of your fluorosis.

 Dental crowns. For some patients, this may be the only option to minimize the fluorosis or completely cover it up.

 Dental veneers. Veneers are a good option when fluorosis is extreme and is visible to the naked eye. It’s important to discuss this option thoroughly with your dentist, as this treatment is irreversible.

 Microabrasion. This involves abrading off the surface layer of the enamel. This will help normalize your appearance but you will lose some enamel in the process.

You may also have the option of combining treatments to effectively treat your dental fluorosis. Regardless of how dental fluorosis has impacted your smile and your confidence, you can talk with your dentist about treatment options to help normalize your smile. Are you ready to minimize the appearance of your fluorosis? Schedule a consultation with your dentist to reveal your beautiful smile!

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The appearance of dental fluorosis can vary from person to person. Some people may have white lines in their enamel that look subtly different from the rest of their teeth. Other may have white flecks or spots in their enamel. However, dental fluorosis could also be present as brown stains on the teeth. Your enamel may even be grooved and make these dark areas difficult to clean. The good news is that although dental fluorosis isn’t harmful, it can still be treated if you’re self-conscious of your white marks.

Causes of Dental Fluorosis

Dental fluorosis is caused by a lack of minerals in your tooth’s enamel. This usually comes from the excessive consumption of fluoride. Fluoride is naturally present in water, but some cities add additional fluoride to their drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Although fluoride is generally considered a good thing by oral health care professionals, too much fluoride is just as bad as not enough. Between multiple sources of fluoride such as those from drinking water, toothpaste, and mouth rinses, children may be exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride that could lead to dental fluorosis.

How to Prevent It

The interesting thing about dental fluorosis is that it only happens during the formation of teeth in the jaw. This means the only time dental fluorosis can happen is during childhood after the primary teeth fall out and before the permanent teeth come in. In fact, it’s impossible for dental fluorosis to develop after the adult teeth have come in. Talk to your dentist about how much fluoride your kids actually need and what fluoride sources they’re exposed to. Your dentist can advise you if you should cut back on the fluoride. Ensure your kids don’t swallow their fluoride dental products. Some kids swallow because they taste good, but this can increase their fluoride intake and be dangerous!

Treatment Options

Fortunately, dental fluorosis isn’t a disease, just a cosmetic problem. Sometimes the uneven whitening is only noticeable by your dentist. For others, the white areas are more severe. For most people who have dental fluorosis, the whitening isn’t severe enough to warrant treatment as the appearance will be subtle.

Although fluorosis won’t cause other dental health problems, the stains will be permanent. Treatment can help mask the stains and improve the appearance of your smile. Your dentist might suggest professional teeth whitening to even out the white areas, crowns, or veneers to help alleviate the appearance of your dental fluorosis.

Having dental fluorosis can be a nuisance to your physical appearance, but there aren’t any lasting effects of this condition on your oral health. Talk to you dentist if you’re concerned about the look of your dental fluorosis, or if you want to know more about the appropriate amount of fluoride for your children’s teeth!

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