Toddler's Teeth Has a Slight Discoloration

HI-
I have had a bit of the same experience recently with my 9 mo old son. His stains are dark, almost black & were in the grooves of the teeth, so no matter how well & often I brushed, it wasn't budging. However, I bought a battery powered brush & after a few brushings, it came off! I also am a Registered Dental Hygienist who practiced in Pediatrics for 2 yrs & I spoke with my dentist about the stains. It seems that if it is the dark stains, then it is insoluble ferric salts (iron deposits) that stain the plaque. Even though you brush religiously, there is still plaque in the mouth, so the iron deposits stain the plaque & are a booger to get off. Try the spin brush & see how it works for ya. Otherwise, if it is really bothersome, then she is not too young to get a cleaning from a Pediatric dentist office.
Good luck!

My son has discoloration on his front teeth. It showed up very early after his teeth came in. We thought it was plaque (even though we are crazy about dental hygiene), but his dentist told me that it is a calcium deposit. I had a high fever when I was pregnant and fevers are associated with some teeth discoloration. The dentist told me not to worry it will most likely not affect his adult teeth. I don't know if this is any help. You can always bring her to a dentist if you want to get some professional reassurance. :)

I had the exact same situation w/ my son when he was around 2, the discoloration was subtle, almost like light coffee stains and he too only drinks organic milk and water. I took him to a pediatric dentist and while waiting for the appointment tried to be diligent in brushing the front teeth w/ the kid's automatic Elmo toothbrush and by the time we had the appointment it was gone. Never got an explanation for what it was but it didn't turn out to be permanent staining. I have read online that sometimes it could be some sort of bacterial thing?? My friend's son injured his teeth but that looked more greyish and I think flourosis is more like white flecks.

I would look into giving her flouride drops. You may not like tap water, but it is fortified with flouride which is essential to healthy teeth. My pediatritian advised me to use tap water when mixing formula and for drinking when my son (now 8) was an infant. I know they make nursery bottled water now, (I'm not familiar with it), but if it is flurinated, that may be a choice. Good luck.

Thank goodness we loose our baby teeth but discoloration may be a vitamin/mineral deficiency. Have you ever had blood work done on your kid? Try it, and have them look for deficiencies in vitamins & minerals. Stay natural. Take care and best wishes for a healthful journey. I also recommend a product I love called Zija. My now 6 yr old son hasn't been sick in years now and gets all his vitamins, minerals, amino acids,etc for the day in one can. Infants, pregnant women everyone can take and improve health. My webside for more information www.myzija.com/katbranch - you can also view scientific stuff on the main company site but clicking on the side column. Any questions please contact me.

It may be iron causing the stains. My daughters' front teeth became really stained and when I took her to the dentist, she was able to get the stains off(easily), but told me since she doesn't drink juice that it was probably iron. I now brush her teeth as soon as she finishes her morning vitamins. Oh, she is 3.

Hi T.! I have a friend who's toddler has been given antibiotics several times because of chronic ear infections and she also has yellow spotting on her teeth. Her Pedi said it is a common reaction to the antibiotics so she recently took her to the pediatric dentist and had the discoloration removed. I'm not sure if this is it, but it reminded me of her situation when reading your post.
~J.

Ask your pediatrician about adding flouride to her diet. Filtered water has none. She may need some. It could affect her permanent teeth if left the way it is, so be sure to check.

:) Melissa O'B

I'm a dental hygienist.
Lack of fluoride will NOT cause discoloration. You don't need any extra fluoride. It's in formula, breast milk, and even water at the beach. Adding fluoride can actually cause fluorosis. A mild case of that will cause discoloration. It only happens when the tooth is developing, so topical fluoride is fine (later in life). Fluoride drops are not reccomended by younger pediatricians since the new research has shown that it's worse to over-fluoridate babies. Do whatever your pediatrician, pedodontist, and you feel comfortable with though.

If you're worried, go to a pediatric dentist. They'll calm your fears. There are lots of causes for staining/discoloration. Some need attention (like if you need baby root canals.) They don't like to see kids 'til they're 3, so make sure you let them know you're really worried. All of my dental books say age 1 or soon after the teeth errupt.

I don't reccomend the Nursrey water. I use purified water for my 2yr old and will for my baby I'm nursing now. (I have a 2 month old to).

It could be lots of things, but the good news is - it's baby teeth. Although they're vital and should be cared for, they won't be seen in senior pictures later!

I'm all for topical fluoride though. They make fluoride varnishes that are save for 1yr olds!

It could possibly be lack of flouride since you only use bottled water. When we were in Germany you could only use bottled water so the doctor gave me flouride drops for my son. Ask your pediatrition about this.

Just a thought....Did you use any flouride products while you were pregnant? My dentist advised me not too because of the possibility of discoloring my child's teeth.

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My 15 month old son had a slight discoloration as well, actually it still comes and goes. When I went to the dentist with my daughter I had him look at his teeth, he said that it was just a buildup and to use a TINY bit of toothpaste that has the baking soda in it. It worked and when I start to see the buildup I use the toothpaste. I questioned the fluoride in it, and he assured me that because you only use a TINY bit there is no problem. Good luck!

I had a simular problem with my oldest daughter who is now 6 when she was only two. It was her two front teeth and after taking her to the pedeatric dentist we were infromed that her teeth were essentialy "dead" as the result on an injury to the teeth. At first we had no idea what had happened but later found out that a few weeks before at the care of a close friend (for the first time in her life she was in the care of someone other than family!) she had fallen with a sippy cup in her mouth. There was little blood and really no swelling apparently. The dentist was wonderful and my daughter is a wonderful patient so they did a root canal on the teeth and fixed the discoleration. Most dentists will just pull them because they are "baby teeth" so becareful that you get the best advise. I was against pulling them if at all possible because they were the front teeth which are very important for speech. Good Luck!