What is dental fluorosis?
Sometimes, you may notice white and opaque spots on the surface of the tooth. These spots are called dental fluorosis. These stains are dark white, yellow or brown, and sometimes they are so mild that they can only be detected by a dentist. Dental fluorosis is mostly introduced as a problem in dental beauty because this complication is not a disease and does not cause problems for dental health.
How does dental fluorosis occur?
This problem occurs at a young age, before the age of eight, exactly when the child’s permanent teeth are growing. The cause of fluorosis is excessive consumption of fluoride. The amount of fluoride consumed and its appropriateness depends on various factors, including drinking water, dietary supplements containing fluoride, and high use of toothpaste containing fluoride.
What is fluoride? What is the relationship between fluoride and dental fluorosis?
Fluoride is a substance that increases tooth resistance and prevents decay and problems related to tooth cavities and gum diseases. It should be noted that consuming as much of this substance can be useful, but consuming too much of it causes problems such as the following:
- Causing bone and tooth abnormalities
- Decalcification and osteoporosis
- Permanent staining of teeth
What should be done to prevent dental fluorosis?
In the following, we will examine ways to prevent dental fluorosis. Since the presence of too much fluoride in the body and in childhood causes this problem, it is better to have your child examined by a pediatric dentist in order to prevent it at an early age, so that it can be prevented with the correct prescription.
The important point is that to prevent it, it must be taken care of in childhood and before permanent teeth erupt, because it is not possible to treat it as soon as the tooth erupts from the gum.
But the good news is that after the necessary care at this time and permanent teeth, it is not possible to cause it.
Sometimes, the child swallows some of the toothpaste while brushing or consumes a lot of it. The next way to prevent dental fluorosis is to use a small amount of toothpaste and rinse the mouth thoroughly after brushing.
Types of tooth stains and methods of treating tooth stains:
Fluorosis appears in three forms: mild, moderate, and severe on the surface of the tooth, and the treatment methods are different for each. In mild fluorosis, there is usually no special treatment, but in more severe cases, depending on the severity, bleaching and dental veneers are recommended.
What are the benefits of dental fluorosis?
At the end of the article, we will examine the benefits of dental fluorosis. You may be asked how a dental complication can be both beneficial and not harmful to human health. As we said at the beginning of the article, fluorosis is not only a disease, but sometimes it can be beneficial for the health of the teeth.
According to the information above, dental fluorosis is caused by excessive accumulation of fluoride, and as you know, fluoride is useful for teeth and prevents its decay. Therefore, it can be concluded that people with dental fluorosis have a higher resistance to decay.
