S.Y. asks from Pittsburgh, PA on February 10, 2009
White Spot on Toddler's teeth...has This Happened to Your Little One?
We have yet another concern regarding dd's teeth. Tonight I noticed a bright white spot close to the gumline on her front tooth. I ran to the computer and found out that:
a) this could be caused by too much flouride (we don't used flouridated toothpaste)
b)it may be the beginning of decay (although she drinks NO juice and I regularly clean her teeth, albeit it's usually a wrestling match to even get the toothbrush in the same vicinity as her)
Has anyone else had this happen? Is it reversible? Any treatment that can help? I do plan to call my dentist but I would like some personal experiences related. Thanks!
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D.P. answers from Pittsburgh on February 11, 2009
My hygienist told us that fluoride toothpaste is not dangerous--even if they swallow a small amount. According to her, a child would have to eat the whole tube to really experience negative effects from fluoride.
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A.F. answers from Lancaster on February 11, 2009
S., I can only speak from my personal experience, not of my children. Could your child have fallen recently and struck her mouth? The reason I ask is, When I was young I took a nasty fall down the steps resulting in, what the dentist referred to as, "minor trauma" to my mouth. The end result was a white spot on my front permanent tooth. The dentist's explaination was that it was a calcium deposit that formed in an attempt to protect the tooth, or heal any damage to it that may have occured during the fall. Except for the spot, there have been no complications or any cause for concern. Just another perspective. Good Luck!
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S.G. answers from Philadelphia on February 10, 2009
I have read/heard that the white spot(s) could also be from demineralization of the enamel. Whenever there is a sudden or recent change in mineral consumption, it tends to show up in the teeth, hence the bright white spots. Another thought is, does she breathe out her mouth when sleeping or is she fighting a cold (which would cause her to breathe out of her mouth)? Just this morning, I woke up to notice that I had 2 white spots on my teeth. Due to my cold, I have been forced to breathe out of my mouth at night, which dries out the teeth causing the demineralization of the enamel to become more noticeable. The good news is that it should go away. But it's always worth checking with a dentist to make sure its not the start of tooth decay. Good luck!
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J.S. answers from Philadelphia on February 11, 2009
My daughter had the same thing. Her tooth with the white spot just came out (her first loose tooth). I'm curious to see if her adult tooth has the same discoloration. We were told that it was a calcium deposit on her tooth. The discoloration was there and there was nothing we could do about it.
V.F. answers from Scranton on February 11, 2009
Here is an article about teeth problem that may help
http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/child_hea...
A.P. answers from Allentown on February 11, 2009
If she drinks tap water, it could be from that. Most water has fluoride added to it now, which is pretty toxic and can cause white spots on teeth (among other things).
Hope it improves!
D.P. answers from Pittsburgh on February 11, 2009
My hygienist told us that fluoride toothpaste is not dangerous--even if they swallow a small amount. According to her, a child would have to eat the whole tube to really experience negative effects from fluoride.
M.S. answers from Pittsburgh on February 11, 2009
According to a recent article in Parenting magazine, pediatricians no longer recommend flouride for infants, as studies proved that babies who drank formula made with flouridated water got these white spots.
I would call the 'peed' and see if they want to see your LO, or have to see dentist.
Good luck!
T.S. answers from Philadelphia on February 10, 2009
My daughter had a white spot on her tooth at 18 months. As I had had discoloration in some teeth, due to tetracycline stains while my teeth were forming, I took her to the pediatric dentist. I forget the exact diagnosis...I think it also was related to meds while the teeth were forming... but it was something similar...nothing to worry about, and when she was much older the dentist did something to it, like a filling, so it's no longer noticeable.
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