Are White Spots On Your Kid's Teeth Cavities?

Dentist Blog

If you're a diligent parent, chances are you check your child's teeth on a regular basis. After all, while you're not a dentist, it's up to a parent to notice early problems and to get your child to the dentist, when problems occur. If you've noticed that your child's adult teeth are coming in and have white spots on them, you might be concerned about whether or not your child is developing cavities. Here's what you need to know about white spots on children's teeth.

Multiple Causes

There are actually a couple different conditions that can cause white spots to form on a child's developing adult teeth. One of them is fluorosis, a condition where a child gets too much fluoride on a daily basis. The other is hypoplasia, which is a condition where the enamel on the teeth doesn't form the way that it should.

A Closer Look

These two conditions are different, and, depending upon which one your child has, may not mean that your child is significant risk.

Fluorosis is typically a safe condition to have. Essentially, the fluoride your child consumes in their water can sometimes be taken in excessive quantities. When a child gets too much fluoride, the minerals form deposits in the teeth, resulting in the appearance of white spots. The good news is that, other than the appearance being a bit odd, this condition doesn't pose any risk to your child's teeth, and the appearance of the white spots can be mitigated with teeth whitening, once they're older.

Hypoplasia, on the other hand, is a problem. Hypoplasia is essentially when enamel from the teeth is lost and white spots are left as a result. As you might expect, damaged or missing enamel increases your child's risk of developing cavities and other tooth problems. As a result, if your child has white spots for any reason, you should visit with a dentist.

Talk to a Dentist

Getting an examination from the dentist is the quickest and most certain way to evaluate your child's teeth. Your dentist will be able to easily tell you, with x-rays and a visual examination, if your child has fluorosis or hypoplasia.

If it's hypoplasia, your dentist can use tooth sealants to help protect your child's teeth from cavities. Fluorosis doesn't require treatment, but your dentist can provide you with more information on the condition.

White spots on your child's teeth don't necessarily mean that there's cavities developing, but it's better to be sure than unsure. Talk to a kids' dentist, make an appointment, and get your child checked out.

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26 June 2019

The Reasons Why You Should Get A Root Canal

Hi, my name is Kevin Nelson and I want to tell you about my experience. I had a painful tooth so I went to see my dentist. After the examination, he said that I needed to have a root canal to save the tooth. I told the dentist to just pull the tooth instead and then he explained why that wasn't a good idea. He said that pulling the tooth would cause additional problems and then he told me what could happen. I didn't want any more problems, so the dentist did the root canal and I'm glad that he did. I wanted to write a blog to tell others about the benefits of a root canal and what to expect during the procedure. I hope that by getting the word out, other people won't make the same mistake that I almost did by getting a perfectly good tooth pulled.