Enamel Hypoplasia In Children That Causing White Spots On Teeth

What Does It Looks?

When a new tooth appears in the mouth, theremay be a small white spots on the teeth. The spots that formed during development can be caused by enamel hypoplasia or hypocalcification. Defects in teeth can be white, yellow or even brown. Sometimes enamel, or outer layer of the tooth even damaged or thinning.

Mild hypoplasia shows some grooves or holes so that the enamel surface is not smooth, it can also be a horizontal line along the crown of the teeth. While in severe condition, grooves or holes were found in large numbers, can even lose some or entire enamels. On baby teeth, it often occurs in back molars, or at the tooth corner. In permanent teeth, the first permanent molars are quite often affected. 


What Causes Hypoplasia?

Hypoplasia can be caused by trauma on the teeth or oral tissues, or other disorders during tooth mineralization. For example: prenatal factors that can lead to abnormalities in primary teeth enamel structure, such as chronic infection, severe infections, metabolic disorders, malnutrition, premature birth, and low birth weight. Another factor is vitamin D deficiency that causes disorders in the process of osteogenesis and amelogenesis, that will cause hypoplasia.

Hypoplasia can result diffuse lines, or opacities in all the teeth if there is a systemic disorders for a long period of time. Sometimes, the signs are similar to white spots caused by fluorosis. We could know when hypoplasia disorder occurs based on the position and appearance of defects. Sometimes it forms a horizontal line as a brick layer in a building. If the spots are not found when the new teeth appeared and formed recently, they are not hypoplasia, but they may be signs of teeth decay.


Treatment Options

Type of treatment will be based on the severity and form of damage. In mild hypoplasia that identified by defect in the form of a shallow and localized pit, this case can be restored with composite, glasionomer. If the damage widens, it can be restored with a crown veneer celluloid, porcelain crowns, and bridges.

If it occurs in extensive damage in posterior teeth, the response varies from restoration of making simple, metal crowns, inlays, onlays, even extraction of primary teeth. Restoration of posterior teeth can be onlays, inlays, or stainless steel crown. In cases where hypoplasia happens very wide so can result a thorough teeth attrition, this can be overcome by the use of overdenture in children.

For areas that are in the front teeth, there are several treatment options. One of the techniques is microabrasion, possibly followed by a a little bleaching, can be very useful for treating these cases and make it look at least a bit better and it's very easy to do.

Especially for children and teenagers, the doctor will usually try a less invasive techniques. If they ask for porcelain work, they will directed to the general dentist when they are around that age, or when they are finished with braces.


Addition

Maintenance of oral health should be improved, especially if they have done a  treatment for mild or severe defects. It is also recommended to do regular dental examinations at intervals of 2 months.

You can also read: White Spots On Teeth - Cause, Treatment, and Prevention

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