Dental fluorosis involves a condition that affects the appearance of the teeth.
Although fluorosis is often a harmless dental condition, many people consider it undesirable because it affects their smile appearance.
If you’re in such a position, you may want to know how to get rid of dental fluorosis.
Luckily, there are various treatment options such as enamel microabrasion, teeth whitening, dental bonding, teeth whitening, and topical fluoride.
Here’s how you can get rid of dental fluorosis:
What Is Dental Fluorosis?
Dental fluorosis is a condition that alters the appearance of tooth enamel, also known as fluorosis teeth. It occurs due to overuse of fluoride during childhood, around 8-10 years.
That’s the period when most permanent teeth are forming. The teeth of such children may have white spots or appear mildly discolored.
The discoloration may vary depending on the condition’s severity.
Like enamel hypoplasia, mild fluorosis is usually evident when thin white spots appear on the tooth during permanent teeth development. As for severe fluorosis, the white spots in a child may reveal:
- Surface abnormalities
- Stains that appear yellow to dark brown
- Highly noticeable cavities
While fluoride is a common preventive agent for oral health in children and adults, overusing it can be detrimental.
Yes, you can over brush your teeth. But it’s advisable to train your kids to use fluoride in moderation when adopting their oral hygiene routines.
What Are The Causes Of Dental Fluorosis?
The root cause of dental fluorosis is the inappropriate use of dental products. In most cases, your kids may enjoy their toothpaste’s taste while brushing their teeth.
They can enjoy it so much to the extent of swallowing it instead of spitting it out.
Doing so a few times may not cause any problems. However, if your child makes it a habit, it’s important to act.
If your child consumes supplements with higher unnecessary amounts of fluoride, then fluorosis increases.
Tap water and certain fruit juices tend to have a large amount of fluoride, which may cause dental fluorosis.
How Can You Get Rid Of Dental Fluorosis?
Fluorosis may sometimes be so mild that even the actual fluorosis treatment is unnecessary.
But there are instances when fluorosis may affect the hardly invisible teeth such as molars and premolars.
It’s therefore crucial to watch out for dental fluorosis on all parts of your teeth.
There are several treatment methods to help you get rid of dental fluorosis.
The suitability of each treatment may vary depending on the cause of dental fluorosis and an individual’s teeth condition. Here are the popular remedies for dental fluorosis:
1. Enamel Microabrasion
Enamel microabrasion is a surgical procedure that can help treat dental fluorosis. It’s a procedure where a dentist removes a small portion of the enamel from the teeth to reduce the white spots.
In other words, enamel microabrasion aims to make the teeth’ discoloration or white spots less noticeable. It’s a professional treatment that works best and comes before teeth bleaching or whitening, which helps make your teeth appear uniform.
2. Teeth whitening
Teeth whitening is a professional dental procedure that can help lessen the look of white spots that affect your smile. The treatment also helps remove other surface stains that negatively impact your beautiful grin.
Different teeth whitening products such as paste and strips are available OTC (over-the-counter).
Alternatively, you can find these products online. Ensure you visit your dentist for teeth whitening treatments.
Such treatments often contain powerful bleaching solutions and work more effectively than those sold over-the-counter.
However, it’s crucial to understand that teeth bleaching may temporarily worsen dental fluorosis conditions.
3. Dental Veneer
A dental veneer is a thin, durable, protective cover that attaches to the visible part of your front teeth.
It can help hide the white spots and other stains or cosmetic imperfections very effectively while improving your smile.
Dental veneers are ideal in cases where fluorosis is severe. For that reason, they get offered only by a dentist as they require professional installation.
As such, they can be quite costly.
4. Dental Bonding
Dental bonding can be a suitable treatment option if you’re suffering from enamel hypoplasia. The treatment involves filling in cavities with composite resin.
In addition, the resin helps to bond your teeth’s outer enamel to conceal teeth’ discoloration or white spots.
However, dental bonding may not be ideal for individuals with severe fluorosis or large numbers of white spots.
5. Topical Fluoride
A dentist may use topical fluoride to treat enamel hypoplasia and dental fluorosis.
The treatment works by encouraging enamel development on your teeth to help conceal the white spots or fluorosis on your teeth. It may also help avert tooth decay.
Consider buying a calcium phosphate paste as it’s often combined with methods such as microabrasion to guarantee efficiency.
Even though dental fluorosis isn’t as severe as tooth decay or gingivitis, it’s not something you should overlook.
Ensure you contact your dentist right away or find out more about dental fluorosis.
How To Prevent Dental Fluorosis
Proper dental hygiene can help avert fluorosis, and white spots on teeth, including other stains, gum disease, tooth decay, or other dental issues.
The ADA (American Dental Association) advises people to brush their teeth twice a day using fluoride toothpaste.
Additionally, individuals should floss between their teeth at least once a day.
Dental fluorosis and white spots on teeth occur before the age of 10 years, but this may vary from one person to another.
Therefore, it’s important to encourage your kids to have excellent dental hygiene and other prevention habits to keep their teeth strong and healthy.
Here’s how you can prevent dental fluorosis:
- Use fluoride-free water to help avoid excess fluoride buildup in your teeth
- Apply the correct amount of toothpaste
- Test well water for fluoride levels every year
- Follow proper fluoride supplement recommendations
- Reduce acidic and sugary foods and drinks to prevent the risk of tooth decay and enamel damage
Conclusion
The best way to understand how to get rid of dental fluorosis is to visit your dentist.
They will evaluate the condition’s symptoms and determine the best treatment plan to help you achieve a beautiful smile.
Depending on fluorosis’ severity, the dentist may recommend treatment options such as enamel microabrasion, teeth whitening, dental veneer, dental bonding, or topical fluoride.
