AIBU to feel cheated about DD's teeth? (Pic included)

[Notplannedforthis]

DD9 has come home from school upset that another DC has been making remarks about her "rotten teeth".

DD has yellow/brown discoloration on her front teeth and I can't fathom why.

She doesn't like sweets or fruit, never drinks fruit juice or pop, didn't have a dummy, didn't have bottles, eats a mostly healthy diet, had fluoride treatments and regular dentist appointments up until the pandemic, we brush her teeth twice a day in quadrants using an electric tooth brush.

We've tried so hard to keep her teeth healthy. AIBU to be annoyed that despite this, DD is still having to put up with comments about her teeth? Why on earth are they brown?

Agree about the antibiotics, speak to dentist about what can be done. Kids can say some horrible things, your poor dd.

How long have the marks been there?

Some interesting suggestions. DD has had multiple fluoride treatments, always on dentist advice and had 'adult' toothpaste from when she first got adult teeth. Again, on dentist advice. So maybe fluorosis. Or something in pregnancy.

I'm crossing my fingers that it's surface staining though, as a quick Google suggests not much can be done for the other options.

DD already has to put up with kids making comments about the 20 warts that she has on her hands that apparently there's nothing that can be done for. I'd love to be able to take this problem away for her.

Im a dentist and also second what the hygienist above said, it just looks like surface staining that will polish off

There’s also a condition called enamel hypoplasia. My daughter (also asthmatic) has it. It was spotted when she was 3 but her dentist said we couldn’t do anything about it and to carry on as normal. We then managed to switch to another dentist who saw her every 3 months and helped her and us a lot. It could have been caused by antibiotics I had (for blood poisoning) whilst 30 weeks pregnant.

It's hypoplasia - my son had it on his baby teeth. He's been lucky that it's only on his back adult teeth though. Like your daughter, he doesn't have sweets, juice or fizzy pop. Not my good parenting, his brother would indulge 24/7 if he could which makes it even more unfair because his teeth are fine. I was I'll at about 19 weeks pregnant plus he needed IV antibiotics as a newborn so they could have been contributory factors. When I look at my childhood photos though, I had it too though and apparently it can be hereditary. The dentist can fix it though - either with filling material or something more permanent when she's older. Sometimes they want to wait till all their adult teeth are through though - I know my dentist did when we were speculating about my son

I looks like surface staining to me - I think it will polish off.

I'd get her an electric toothbrush to keep the stains at bay.

I've got flourosis, best day in my life when I got my teeth capped (I believe there are better treatments available now). However, it was there from the day my teeth came in, it didn't just develop one day.

Hi OP. My nephew had similar stains on his teeth and my brother bought a little tooth file kind of thing from Amazon and it took that straight off...it was like magic! I’m guessing it’s not the sort of thing you’d use often though.

My DD had hands covered in warts when she was little. The dr tried freezing them off but it never worked. Eventually, after trying everything else I used ‘bazuka’ and after using that and filing the warts down they went and have never (15 years later) come back!

It's not from cola, blackcurrant or coffee?

It is a simple surface stain. Can be caused by the resident bacterial population in her mouth. This discoloration is often associated with a resistance to tooth decay.(retired dentist).

A nurse told me it is best to brush teeth (if convenient) after a using steroid inhaler, rather than just rinse mouth out.

Definitely not from cola, blackcurrant or coffee. She doesn't drink any of those. Mostly drinks milk or water. Very occasionally sugar free squash.

I feel awful because I'm not exactly sure how long it's been there. It's been quite some time, but surely can't have been very noticeable at her last dentist appointment in April 2019.

Another vote for surface staining. DM is a hygienist and that's her verdict.

If it's scale build up (and it does appear to be) with some overlaid staining, then a private hygienist appointment for a thorough professional cleaning should resolve it.

Don't attempt home dentistry as it can damage the enamel.

Does she take any oral vitamins?I read a review recently that one was leaving discolouration on their child's teeth

The antibiotic that can cause this, tetracycline, is not used on children any more for this reason, so it is unlikely to be due to antibiotics. I have very bad staining , luckily only on the inside of my back molars, dentists have always said this is from tetracycline when I was a child in the early 70s, but actually now it seems it may be due to the fact I am coeliac, so bear this in mind, especially if you have any autoimmune disease in your family.

I'm feeling reassured that all those that report themselves to be dentists and hygienists on the thread believe it to be surface staining.

Thank you to all of you that have been taking the time to post.

It's opened my eyes to the amount of problems that can occur with kids' teeth that is out of parental control. I remember watching a documentary about kids with rotten teeth when I was young that heavily focused on sweet eating and poor hygiene and I think I took it completely to heart and have been so careful about following the guidance since I had my own DCs.

I'm relieved that the DCs finally have their dental check up on Monday.

I feel awful because I'm not exactly sure how long it's been there. It's been quite some time, but surely can't have been very noticeable at her last dentist appointment in April 2019.. Don’t feel bad, staining builds up over time but that statement proves it’s surface staining, not intrinsic discolouration

My dsd teeth are like this. Dentist said due to too much fluoride (she lived with her mum in another Borough until she was 11 and there was issues with the water there) the dentist said when she is 18 he will repair any damage and discolouration (can't remember now why not now) . She is 15 now and self conscious of them, but I really don't think it's noticeable. I'd maybe report to united utilities x

Are they her baby teeth? I've heard this can be caused by having milk after you've brushed their teeth as a child. Hope the dentist can help.

DS had very similar - pretty sure it was caused by having an apple every day in his packed lunch - they can often stain apparently!
We switched him to apple at tea time instead (so nearer to teeth brushing time) and bought an electric toothbrush for him and really concentrated with it on those front teeth - we brushed them for him. Improved it massively and when he’s allowed, a scale and polish at the dentist will sort it fully I expect

DD has similar, dentist said flourosis most likely and she was spectacularly bad at spitting out her toothpaste when she was little so I suspect that's what caused it. As HoldontoOneMoreDay says it was there from when her teeth came in though so that might be a way to rule it out in your DD's case if it's only just appeared.

My DD has this but at the bottom of her front teeth. Never had antibiotics in her life. Dentist reckoned fluorosis and she could get something done to fix it when she's 18.

Looks like superficial staining as stated above. So that will polish off quite easily. Iron medicine, tea and coffee, spices etc can all cause similar. Get a proper check up. Only if it is combined with pits and grooves is it more involved but these things can also be treated.