In thinking a dentist should know what it is?!

[Nicknameinvalid]

My ds developed 'staining' on his teeth at a really young age.. It's like a black/brown line over his gum line and spreads onto the actual teeth.. We were told at the time it may have been antibiotic related and that it wouldn't affect his new teeth.

Fast forward several years - he now has his big teeth growing through and the staining whilst lighter is appearing on those as well :( :(

It is REALLY obvious.. His dentist said there was little they could do about it as the actual teeth are incredibly healthy (no filings etc) but it's 'one of those things' and some people are just more sensitive to staining.. He doesn't drink fizzy drinks or juice (just water and milk) and brushes his teeth twice daily..

I wasn't happy and asked for a second opinion and the second dentist has now said the same - that they are basically flummoxed and have no idea what's causing it but as it's not affecting the health of his teeth that it's 'not a big deal' (tell that to a school aged child who has brown stains over all his teeth!!)

I have no idea what to do now! I've tried whitening toothpastes etc - apparently he's not eligible for actual whitening treatment due to his age and the fact the teeth are still developing but I don't know anyone who had had this issue before (black teeth from drinking coke through bottles etc I've heard of but not just staining!)

Does anyone have any other options or have heard of this before?

[Laurel1979]

Cumfy - what a ridiculous statement to make!

The OP has at no stage mentioned that her child had been given Tetracycline and if you knew anything about general practice, then you would know that it hasn't been used in children for years. Why don't you get a job writing for the Daily Mail? Just in case they run out of GP-bashing ideas for headlines........

[Sinful1]

Doesn't too much fluoride (what's in toothpaste) cause a brown staining, maybe he's using lots of.extra toothpaste or brushings to try and get rid.of it and making it worse, are you giving him.any fluoride supplements or.high fluoride toothpaste

[Nicknameinvalid]

My ds teeth are identical to that picture.. To the point where I copied the picture and sent it to DH and he said 'why are you sending me pictures of ds teeth?'

Unfortunately I'm still no closer to an answer as to what it's called, what causes it or how to get rid of it! It's bizarrely reassuring that it's not just my child tho

[Nicknameinvalid]

Sinful, thanks but it's not flourosis x

[caroldecker]

try this

[sarahtigh]

I think the black line staining is related to iron does DS by any chance take multivitamins with iron and chew them (a long shot I know) but have seen patients with black tongues from chewing rather than swallowing iron tablets, though some seem to be prone to it and get black tongues even with swallowing

[Nicknameinvalid]

I've seen the iron warnings before but the pictures don't seem to match up with what ds has.. Plus according to the dentist there is no sign of plaque.. He has his teeth professionally cleaned every 2 months at the dentist to keep it down as best as possible and I'm ridiculously anal about him doing it twice a day.. He doesn't take iron supplements..

[sarahtigh]

I know it was a long shot and was prepared for you to say no as I am sure if it was that simple another dentist would have picked it up earlier

Sorry I can't help you my sympathies it is a pain, dental defects always seem to happen to kids with good oral hygenie,

[WafflyVersatile]

Looking at the various links it looks like it's down to the particular bacteria your son has in his mouth and possibly the interaction of that bacteria with a naturally occuring (?) high iron level in your son. And it looks like the solution, if there is one, is in dental hygiene.

I'm not a dentist so maybe one here could advise?

Would there be an anti-bacterial mouthwash that is suitable for him at this age, such as hydrogen peroxide solution (administered under adult supervision!) ?

Would one of those sonic electric toothbrushes be worth a try?

[Dayshiftdoris]

Has he seen a GP?

Only if its haemoglobin related then surely he should have it properly investigated between the dentist and a paediatrician?

An optician would write to a GP I'd they saw anything that was unusual / potentially had underlying causes outside of their speciality

[Thymeandthymeagain]

So, does he take a multi vitamin?

[MadonnaKebab]

As I said upthread, it's called Chromogenic Staining and is caused by the particular bacteria that have colonised her plaque
It's rare but will not harm the teeth
Unfortunately I don't think there is much more to be done than the regular scale & polishes you are already doing
Unless there is a way to wipe out the plaque bacteria and recolonise with a more typical strain

[crae]

You probably have this long figured out by now, but just in case...I also had these same types of stains. It started a few years ago with black lines around the gum area and then spots on the surface area. Very noticeable and embarrasing. :P My hygiene was good, brushing morning and night and flossing daily, so could not figure out why the stains started all of a sudden. I tried the Augmentin 875 as suggested by someone but unfortunately it didn't work for me (it was a generic brand, so that might be why). I also tried brushing with activated charcoal, swishing with hydrogen peroxide, oil pulling, and even not drinking coffee and tea, but the stains kept reappearing.

In March I went in for an early cleaning since my stains were so bad. The hygienist said it wasn't a plaque problem and that I have good hygiene, so wasn't sure what was causing the stains. She recommended using an electric toothbrush at least once a day and swishing with water after drinking coffee and tea, etc. SO I started using an electric toothbrush at night with Earthpaste, and my usual Bass toothbrush in the morning with OraWellness HealThy Mouth blend (and flossing at night with the HealThy Mouth blend). I had seen an OraWellness video about saliva swishing and started doing that for 3 minutes after drinking coffee or tea or anything that might stain. I also added tongue cleaning to my health regimen, and brush my tongue with the HealThy Mouth blend afterwards. THE AWFUL STAINING HAS STOPPED!!!!!!! Hallelujah is all I can say. I am so thankful and hopefully this information can help you or someone else. It has added some steps to my routine, but is so worth it and not really a big deal once you get used to it. Blessings!