White Spots On Teeth - Cause, Treatment, and Prevention

White Spots On Teeth = Problem

White spots on teeth would disturb person's confidence. Generally, these white spots are not clearly visible, but if you check carefully, you will see that they are whiter than the rest of the teeth. As a result, they are not only ruining the aesthetics but also affecting the dental health.   

What Cause White Spots On Teeth?

White spots on the teeth is the result of various factors, some of them are:

1. Fluorosis

Fluorosis is the most common cause of white spots on teeth. Fluorosis is a condition that damages the tooth enamel due to excessinve fluorine intake by children when their teeth are developing. Fluorine can be contained in toothpaste, water, and food.

2. Calcium Release

During the process of teeth growth, calcium will be released. Excessive calcium release can also cause white spots on tooth enamel. This place may appear unattractive, especially when it occurs in the front of the tooth.

3. Mineral Deficiency

White spot is an area of de-mineralization of the teeth. Necessary minerals had run out and made white spots. Frequent case is hypocalcification (calcium deficiency during tooth formation). These minerals can be replaced and white spots can fade or disappear. 

White spots are whiter than the rest of the teeth

4. Poor Dental Care

Another cause which is known is the poor dental care around braces. You will probably find white spots on teeth after braces are removed.

5. Acid Intake From Food and Beverage

It relates with demineralization. Bacteria can produce acids that break down apatite calcium and phosphate ions. When natural remineralization process can not replace those ions, porosity will be made in the enamel.

White spots are not only appear in the primary teeth, but also in secondary teeth with different intensities. They can occur in any ages, in mild to severe levels. Dental conditions, nutrition, lifestyle, and environment will affect the intensity of these white spots.
 

 

How To Diagnose?

In order to plan a good treatment, proper diagnosis should be done. Experts rely on visual inspection as a primary diagnostic procedure, followed by investigating the tooth surface to identify the problems. Color, density, translucency, and opacity of the white spots will be considered in the diagnosis.

Diagnosis is first and most important step in handling this problem

The best way in visual inspection is to dry the tooth and then examine them with high magnification and under lighting. In this examination, we can determine the severity of white spots on teeth.

Modern practice now has more diagnostic assistive technologies that can be selected: quantitative laser fluorescence, laser fluorescence, digital radiography, and some of the more developed technology. Early diagnosis is the first and the most important step in handling this problem.

How To Get Rid of White Spots On Teeth?

If the problem is in the lack of minerals in teeth, the main approaches to the treatment of white spots are the remineralization using pastes, creams, and topical treatments. Some of these include fluoride therapy or some form of calcium phosphate paste.

If the problem is in too much calcium released on the surface of the tooth, the dentist can remove calcium deposits from your teeth through air abrasion procedures. During this dental procedure, your dentist will use a device that can blow crystal particles to deposit calcium. Due to the high speed of blowing, the calcium deposits can be removed gently from the teeth.

However, if the white spots is too large, air abrasion will not be a viable option. In this case, porcelain veneers or caps that have the same color as the teeth will be required to cover the spots. Its color is likely to last approximately up to 7 years. When it starts to show differences in color (the interface between the caps and teeth), the teeth must be re-treated. Teeth whitening can also be used as an option to reduce the appearance of white spots.

Best To Do: Prevent Them 

Floss your teeth regularly

Preventing white spots is the best action you can take. Start by practicing good oral hygiene. Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day and visiting your dentist every six months for regular dental examinations. You should also try to avoid sour and sweet drinks and foods that can damage your tooth enamel. In addition, if you are wearing braces then, you have to do extra effort to take very good care of your teeth so that when the braces are removed to expose the teeth straightened, you do not catch sight spots unpleasant on your teeth. 

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