Maybe you have white spots on your teeth or maybe you’ve noticed them on someone else. White spots generally mean that the tooth enamel is a bit weaker in those areas.
White spots could be showing up on your teeth for various reasons.
One reason is being poor dental hygiene, specifically during braces.
Iโve seen lots of people who get their braces off and now all of a sudden there are white spots all over their teeth where their brackets once were. Was it the braces themselves that caused these spots? No. it’s actually from a lack of proper thorough cleaning, brushing, and flossing around your teeth and braces each day. Because without proper daily home care, plaque starts to eat away at the tooth in those areas. Thatโs why you might see these white circles once your braces are taken off.
Another reason you may see white spots on your teeth can be from demineralization.
In general simply said, demineralization is the first stage of tooth decay. But before appears dark, as most people recognize, oftentimes it first looks chalky white. When the outer layer of enamel starts to deteriorate and lose minerals it makes it weak and compromises its integrity. So for people with braces, this demineralization usually happens around the brackets.
But for people without braces, if you just have poor home care in general, or if you’re super cavity-prone, these white spots can happen anywhere on your teeth, most commonly along the gum line or on the chewing surfaces of your molars. It just depends on how much plaque there is and how long it stays on your teeth and how good you are at brushing and fasting it all off.
In either case, whether it’s from braces or not, you’ll want to start a fluoride regimen ASAP. Fluoride toothpaste, fluoride mouthwash, even ask your dentist. If they think you would benefit from a prescription fluoride toothpaste as well because with fluoride you can reverse early signs of tooth decay. It won’t make the white spots go away but it will help prevent these white spots from ever turning into a full-blown dark cavity.
A few more reasons you may notice white spots.
One reason can be dry mouth, as known as xerostomia.
When you don’t have enough saliva, it allows plaque, bacteria, and acids to work in overdrive as a result putting you at a significantly higher risk of demineralization. Dry mouth can be from taking certain medications. It can be from mouth breathing when you sleep. There are a whole bunch of reasons people suffer from a dry mouth. Best to find out the cause with your dentist or physician, so you can properly treat it which will in turn help stop the white spots from forming.
These last two reasons that you might notice white spots are pretty rare.
One is enamel hypoplasia.
This generally occurs when the teeth are still forming and it can happen to both baby teeth and adult teeth. It causes thinner enamel which is more prone to tooth decay. And depending on the type of defect it is, it can be congenital or due to a specific medical syndrome. It can also be linked to vitamin deficiencies, childhood illnesses, health habits of the mother during pregnancy. And the thing about hypoplasia is that the white spots are not normal smooth glossy white spots. They are more pitted and soft in a sense so they often need to be restored with fillings or crowns depending on the severity.
The last one is fluorosis.
Just as you can have too little of a vitamin or mineral, you can also have too much of one as well. So with fluorosis. It is when an excessive amount of fluoride was ingested during tooth and bone development. rare fluorosis can be related to drinking well water or water with abnormally high mineral levels. Don’t worry. This wouldn’t be a one-time thing. If you had one glass of super mineralized water once, you’re not going to get fluorosis. Itโs over a long period. Working with your soil and water district can help you test the water to make sure it’s healthy. It really shouldn’t be a thing in most areas nowadays, but it’s worth mentioning.
Please remember that there is a difference between white spots that on your teeth since childhood and white spots that are new. If you are starting to notice white spots where there used to not be any, be sure to bring it up with your dentist.
Hope this blog helped you.
