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Original poster

White spots on teeth? What are they?!

19 replies

jessi · 01/10/2002 13:46

Hi
This may seem a really dumb question, but I noticed that ds (who's nearly 3) has a couple of white spots on two of his front teeth.
I know they are something to do with calcium but thats all I know!
Does anyone know if this is bad?
Many thanks
Jessi

OP posts:
threeangels · 01/10/2002 15:31

Hi jessi - White or brown spots usually is a sign of tooth decay. I read it happens usually from birth to age 4. Does your ds drink a lot of surgary drinks or milk before bed? This a lot of time can cause the problem.

Dull white spots or even lines on the teeth are what you should keep an eye out for. Also even teeth that seem a little darker in color. I have a dd age 9 who had one tooth with a brownish white spot on it. I was told it was a decayed tooth .She did lose the tooth and the second tooth came in fine.

I would visit the dentist to see if it is tooth decay. If you look up white spots on childrens teeth you should get a lot of info on this type of thing.

jasper · 01/10/2002 15:32

jessi, could you give a little more info?
Are the spots on his two front (middle) top teeth?
Are the spots in the centre of the teeth, near the gum line?
Are they round spots or more like little "lines" following the contour of the gum?

Original poster
jessi · 01/10/2002 16:27

Hi
Thanks for your messages. There are two small dull roundish spots on 2 of his teeth next to his front ones. You can only see them really close up. He doesn't drink milk at all which is why I am worried its something to do with calcium deficiency? Also only drinks water, and fruit juice cartons 3 times a week (its his treet drink after nursery). Jasper are you a dentist by any chance? Hope you are!!
Jessi

OP posts:
titchy · 01/10/2002 16:30

Patches on teeth could also be a reaction to flouride. Do you live in an area where they add extra flouride to the water? It could also be damange to the teeth before they showed through - maybe a knock in the mouth?

Probably worth seeing a dentist though if you don't feel it's any of the above.

HTH Titchy

Original poster
jessi · 01/10/2002 17:34

Sorry, ignore the last message I wrote! Dh and I just really looked at them in the garden and the conclusion is, they aren't spots, its more like the edges are brighter white than the centres if that make sense. Its on his top front and side teeth and theres nothing near the gums, just the edges. Thanks if anyone can help! I can't get a dental appt for over a week!
Jessi

OP posts:
maryz · 01/10/2002 19:33

This reply has been deleted

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robinw · 01/10/2002 20:13

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jasper · 01/10/2002 20:30

jessi, first stop worrying. If you need to look up close in daylight there is not much wrong!
Don't worry about calcium defficiency. You have to be severely malnourished before calcium defficiency affects the teeth and not drinking milk does not put you in this category.
It is okay for the edges to appear brighter white than the centres in some lights so the chances are nothing is amiss.
Let us know how he gets on at the dentist.

Caroline5 · 01/10/2002 21:23

Jasper, I hope you don't mind if I ask you a dental question??

My eldest dd's last four molars came out a brownish colour and have got gradually browner ever since, despite much brushing. She is 3 and a half. Our dentist says they did not form properly and there's not much we can do to stop them from decaying. (She was born at term weighing only 4 lbs, which he thought might have something to do with it).

He says she will probably have to have them out at some stage in hospital.

Is this right and if so, is there anything we can do to try to save them? I've heard about putting a special coating on adult teeth to protect them, is this worthwhile for milk teeth?

robinw · 01/10/2002 22:08

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Original poster
jessi · 01/10/2002 22:22

Jasper, thanks so much for putting my mind at ease! I think I was worrying anyway about him not having any milk for the last 8 months or so, and when I looked at his teeth it doubled the worry!
Thanks again!
Jessi

OP posts:
jasper · 02/10/2002 01:01

Caroline it does sound as if these teeth did not form properly and as such may well be more decay prone but without seeing the teeth, it's not a forgone conclusion that they will decay.
Follow all the usual rules for healthy teeth as you will need to be more careful than most.With care there is a good chance she will hang onto them. Even if the teeth are malformed they still need the right conditions for decay to develop - basically sugary food/drink in combination with the right (wrong!) type of oral bacteria.

Xylitol sugar free chewing gum used to be hard to find but now Orbit do two or three favours containing it.You need to look at the small print. The sweetmint flavoured pellets (as opposed to sticks)contain a higher xylitol % - white packet with royal blue and red stripe.Note it does also contain small amounts of aspartame, not sure what your views are on this.

You can indeed get (stainless steel)crowns put on childrens' back teeth under the NHS. They are slightly funny looking but when indicated help to keep the last baby molars in the mouth till the first adult molars come through (roughly at age 6).
It is best to hang onto the baby molars until then as if they are taken out prematurely the first adult molars drift forward as they come through which can lead to a shortage of space later on.
Your daughter is the same age as my son and like most kids his age he can't brush his own teeth effectively - make sure you brush her teeth thoroughly last thing at night in a good light. It's a good time to check for any changes in the appearance of the teeth.
Decay in back teeth often starts BETWEEN the teeth (where one tooth touches its neighbour) and is often not visible to the naked eye till it is quite advanced.(as opposed to xrays which show it up well but there are ethical and practical concerns with xraying young kids )

RobinW could you post the link to is Wendy's excellent kids' teeth website ?

Best of luck with your daughter's teeth, Caroline.

robinw · 02/10/2002 06:51

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Caroline5 · 02/10/2002 16:13

Jasper and Robinw,

Thanks very much for your info. Will keep brushing and try some of the chewing gum, if I can stop her from swallowing it!! My dentist seemed very dismissive - like it was a foregone conclusion they would have to come out and didn't want to try any treatment. Might try a different dentist.

Thanks again,
Caroline

robinw · 03/10/2002 06:45

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Caroline5 · 03/10/2002 22:28

Thanks Robinw. Have made an appointment with another (NHS) dentist this Saturday, but not very hopeful that we will get another viewpoint. Otherwise, there is a local private paediatric dentist who we could possibly try next (if we see the bank manager first).

robinw · 09/10/2002 06:50

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Caroline5 · 12/10/2002 12:11

Hi Robinw,

The other dentist was much more helpful. He said that my dd had four "hypoplastic" teeth, meaning there was no enamel at all on the teeth and so they were liable to decay.

Although the teeth are brown, there is as yet no decay - hooray!! If we are very careful, he thought we could have a good shot at keeping them (to age 12 - aagh!) When older, he can do treatment - fillings, special paint on teeth. He gave us a useful list of foods with hidden sugars and those which are good for between meal snacks.

BTW tried some chewing gum on her, which she promptly swallowed despite instructions not to - not very surprising really!

robinw · 12/10/2002 18:20

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