Tooth pigmentation in children

If we have white teeth when we smile, it is actually very enviable. However, if we do not use some dental beauty techniques, our teeth will actually be darker and yellower. Because tea and coffee stains in the diet can easily adhere to the teeth. Even many children have tooth pigmentation. How can we improve this situation?

Pigmented teeth are caused by diet, tobacco, tea, coffee, etc. that adhere to the surface of teeth, and they are yellow or black. Some are also caused by taking too much tetracycline drugs in childhood, which causes tetracycline teeth, and the teeth are gray, yellow or brown. Another possibility is drinking water with too high a fluoride content during the period of tooth development and calcification. Depending on the extent of the disease, it may be chalky white, tan or dark brown.

When your teeth turn yellow, brown or black, you should first identify the cause of the discoloration. Tooth discoloration can be divided into two types: internal discoloration and external discoloration.

1. Tooth discoloration caused by pulp necrosis. If the teeth are traumatized and the pulp becomes bleeding or necrotic, the teeth will turn dark red, brown or blue-gray.

2. Mottled enamel is commonly known as yellow teeth. If you drink water with a fluoride content of more than 1/1,000,000 per liter before the age of 5, the enamel structure will become poorly calcified and discolored. In mild cases of mottled tooth enamel, there are chalky or yellow-brown patches on the enamel surface; in severe cases, the tooth surface is rough, uneven, yellow-brown, or even black, the teeth are brittle and fragile, and treatment is more complicated. For mild enamel stains, dentists can use dilute hydrochloric acid to rub the yellow area to depigment it, which can make the yellow spot lighter, but when applying the medicine, you must pay attention to protecting the gums to prevent corrosion and burns. Severely mottled teeth can be restored to their original appearance and beauty using "plastic veneers" or "light-cured composite resins."

3. Tetracycline teeth, drugs cause tooth discoloration. If the mother takes too much tetracycline or oxytetracycline antibiotics in the late pregnancy or in children under 5 years old, the tetracycline and oxytetracycline antibiotics will combine with calcium to form a yellow or grayish white tetracycline calcium complex, which will be deposited in the structure of the enamel and dentin through the pulp and make the erupted teeth turn yellow, dark gray or dark brown. The preventive measure is to take tetracycline drugs as little as possible. As early as 2012, tetracycline drugs for children were listed as obsolete drugs.