Why are my child’s teeth like this?

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My DC is 6. Adult teeth are present now in the mouth. We brush twice a day. No sugar overload, a varied balanced diet. However, the teeth almost look uncared for. They are so yellow looking and the adult teeth have been in for a good few months. There’s a yellow spot(hard to see on photo) that’s on her front tooth too. Brushing techniques seem all good so I’m so unsure why this is. Not due a check up for another couple of months but just thought I’d ask advice in the meantime.
Thank you!

Adult teeth can look more yellow because of the dentin shining through

Adult teeth often look yellow next to baby teeth, once they're all through it's less noticable. Try some disclosing tablets, that should tell you in the short term if their cleaning is up to scratch?

Adult teeth can be discoloured due to antibiotics or excessive fluoride - did DC consume a lot of toothpaste when younger or have strong antibiotics at any point?

Fluoride can 'mottle' teeth so they look discoloured, unfortunately.

These front teeth were formed in the womb , long before child would have antibiotics or fluoride toothpaste , so neither of these will have been the cause.

Adult teeth always look more yellow than baby teeth as the enamel and dentine layers are thicker .

Disclosing tablets will show if there is a problem with brushing .

I was given fluoride drops as a child which caused extensive discolouration and pitting to my adult teeth. It's a well established condition/issue. Admittedly fluoride drops are now banned and the child is unlikely to have eaten that much toothpaste, but it can and does happen.
DS1's teeth were discoloured due to strong antibiotics as a small child. Again, it's usually not the problem, but it does happen.

Your enamel on front teeth is formed whilst you are in the womb , so fluoride drops that are given after the enamel on front teeth has formed or toothpaste ingested will have no effect on these teeth.

The only antibiotics that discolour teeth are tetracyclines which can cause discolouration on teeth so have not been able to be prescribed, in general, to children under 8 since the early 1970s.

Fluoride drops have not been banned , they are still available to prescribe in the BNF on the NHS for those areas without fluoride in water and where children are vulnerable.

What can and does cause discolouration in teeth is a condition called MIH (molar incisor hypoplasia) which does cause problems on front teeth and it is hypothesised that it is caused by a disturbance in the latter stages of pregnancy or first few months of life like illness in mum or child .

Interesting - could you point me to the research re fluorisis not occuring due to drops? Not being facetious - I'm genuinely intrigued because I've been told my entire life by various NHS specialists that my condition was 100% caused by excess fluoride drops given when I was little (it was a known scandal in the north east) and it would massively allay my Mum's guilt if I could tell her otherwise!

Its difficult to see clearly but it looks a bit like my teeth (before I got veneers). I had fluorosis

@Lollygaggle are you a dentist? You seem very sure of what your saying but my dentist told me my brown stains were definitely caused by excessive fluoride from eating toothpaste as a child. Other dentists have said the same as well

My child’s teeth are like this. By any chance is your child autistic or other neurodivergence?

Fluorosis does not, in general cause pitting , it is normally a cosmetic only problem and does not weaken teeth. The exception is in areas where there is very high fluoride in the water (occurring naturally) ie in the Rift Valley and , in the past , Colorado.

MIH , however, can be very mild causing no problems with enamel or it can cause enamel to be very weak , pitted and easily break off .

In children given fluoride supplements around 1% had fluorosis , the majority of which was classed as very mild ie white patches.

However 1 in 8 children have some form of MIH (molar incisor Hypomineralisation).

Here is a bit of information about MIH with some photos. The vast majority of white patches , pitted enamel etc is MIH https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/resources/molar-incisor-hypomineralisation-mihin-your-childs-teeth/

It could be amelogenesis imperfecta - you really should take them to the dentist asap.

My son had brown marks on his adult teeth, a condition called Enamel Hypoplasia, his was only a mild case and he had composite veneers to whiten his teeth, he was getting comments from other kids about having ‘dirty teeth’ . Composite veneers is a painless procedure that takes about 10 mins, it’s like having a white filling painted over your teeth. His have lasted years but will need redoing at some stage.

Push up her dental appointment and find out what’s going on. But unfortunately if she was a premie or you weren’t taking calcium / vitamin d during pregnancy then there’s probably very little you can do.

No this is not amelogenesis imperfecta or dentinogenesis imperfecta , they look very different to this.

Calcium and vitamin d supplements would only make a difference if mum was so deficient mum and child had rickets . It has nothing to do with what mum did or didn’t do so no need for guilt there!

Premature birth can be a factor in MIH as can maternal illness during pregnancy and illness in early childhood.

Is he eating something that staining his teeth

Adult teeth are darker and more 'yellow'than baby teeth. It's a good thing.

My child has very discoloured baby teeth (worse than the photo in the OP) due to very bad acid reflux as a baby until he was 18 months old. Our dentist said it basically does as much damage to teeth as bulimia. Could that be the reason why the baby teeth are discoloured?

My dd has enamel hypoplasia and at 10 the yellowing is starting to embarrass her (no comments from others yet, thankfully). What age was your DC when they had the composites?

@Tooffless, DS was 12, the comments from other kids started at secondary. Once I’d mentioned to the dentist he no longer smiled in photos and was getting comments from other kids he was put forward for treatment, that’s after on previous appointments I’d been told there was nothing they could do until he was older.

My 7 year olds molars are like this, the dentist said it is enamel hypoplasia. I was told his adult teeth might be the same and may need to be removed but we won't know until his adult molars are in. There are many theories on why this happens, it's usually thought to be related to antibiotic or steroids use when the teeth were being formed, so depending on the teeth that could be during pregnancy or with adult teeth, in early childhood. My son is asthmatic and has had a lot of steroids so I think that is the case for him. She will benefit from a low sugar diet, extra toothbrushing and more frequent fluoride treatments than is standard.

Thank you, we've been told 18 but honestly unless the hygienist can get them a bit whiter (we've not tried yet) I think we will have to do something.

@Tooffless If it’s EH, the hygienist won’t be able to help, DS had his composite veneers on NHS but we would have gone down the private route if necessary, which we will have to do when they are redone, they’ve lasted 7 years, privately I think you can expect to pay about £150-£200 per tooth.

My son has teeth like this. The dentist blames his asthma medication.