Causes for White Spots on Teeth and How to Fix it
White spots on your teeth can occur when the enamel is compromised. The causes for white spots on teeth can include a number of different factors. Depending on the cause, white spots on teeth can be treated by a dental professional.
This article will outline the causes for white spots on teeth and explain how you and your dentist can go about fixing the issue.
Table of Contents
White Spots on Your Teeth: An Overview
White spots on your teeth are located on the outer layer of the tooth. Knowing the layers of the tooth will help to give you a better understanding of how the white spots on your teeth are treated. The layers of the teeth are:
- Enamel: This is the protective outer shell of the tooth. When compromised, white spots occur.
- Dentin: The 2nd layer of the tooth that contains sensitive tubules leading to the nerves.
- Pulp: This chamber contains nerves, tissues, cells, and blood vessels.
Causes for White Spots on Teeth
Causes for white spots on teeth can vary from preventable to hereditary. It’s important to understand what caused the enamel defect in order to treat and possibly prevent future white spots.
Consulting your dental professionals before treating the white spots is important for a tooth’s health. Once you have an appointment scheduled with your dental office, you will likely learn that the causes for white spots on teeth is from one of the following reasons:
Decalcification or Demineralization
When the minerals that make up the enamel layer of the tooth are compromised, decalcification or demineralization occurs. This weakening and destruction of the enamel cause permanent white spots on your teeth. Common causes of this are:
- Poor Oral Hygiene: Leaving food and plaque on the teeth will cause the bacteria to weaken the enamel. Causes for white spots on teeth are the bacteria’s acid being produced.
- Braces: The brackets and wires with braces make it harder to remove daily food, plaque, and bacteria. After the braces will be removed, there will be white marks around where the brackets were placed.
- To read more about white spots and braces, check out our article How to Avoid White Spots on Your Teeth After Braces
- Diet: Bacteria in the mouth will consume sugar and fermentable carbohydrates (bread, crackers, chips) and produce acid on the teeth.
- Nutrition is as equally important as brushing and flossing to keep the teeth strong. Our Dental Nutrition Guide has more tips on healthy eating for your smile.
Fluorosis
When your teeth are forming under the gums, over-exposure to fluoride over a long period of time can cause white blotches on the teeth. Children can experience dental fluorosis under the age of 9 during teeth development.
Sources of possible excess fluoride that are what cause white spots on teeth are:
- Drinking water in fluoridated communities
- Foods and beverages processed with fluoridated water
- Fluoride supplements that are prescribed
- Dental products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and in-office treatments
Enamel Hypoplasia
This enamel defect occurs when the teeth are developing and is compromised causing the teeth to have white spots. Causes for white spots on teeth from enamel hypoplasia are:
- Trauma to the teeth while forming or after they start erupting in the mouth
- Vitamin A, C, or D and Calcium deficiencies
- Hereditary diseases such as Seckel syndrome, Treacher Collins syndrome, Heimler Syndrome
- Infections in the body like a fever or ear infections
- Prenatal Issues like maternal vitamin deficiency, premature birth, or low birth weight
How Your Dentist Can Help Fix White Spots on Teeth
In order to find out what causes white spots on your teeth, a dental professional should be consulted. Every smile is unique and treating white spots greatly differs depending on the cause. Ways your dental team can help treat and prevent white spots on teeth are:
- Dental Cleanings: Professional dental cleanings will help target bacteria that cause enamel defects and white spots.
- Around 25% of patients with braces end up having white spots. Ask your dental hygienist if you should have 3 cleanings a year instead of 2 with braces.
- Enamel Microabrasion: Skillfully using specific dental instruments, the dentist can remove micro-layers from the enamel blending the white spot.
- Cosmetic Restorations: Dental bonding, veneers, and other restorations can cover up the most severe white spots.
- Teeth Whitening: Professional whitening at the dentist can help mask the white spots.
- For some patients, teeth whitening can actually make the white spots stand out more when brightening the tooth’s surface.
- Our article Most Effective Tooth Whitening Treatment has additional information for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do white spots on your teeth mean?
White spot lesions on the teeth mean the enamel has been damaged and compromised. Consult your dental team to find out what caused the white spots and how to fix them.
How do you get rid of white spots on your teeth?
White spots caused by enamel defects are scars on the teeth that will not go away on their own. To prevent damage to the enamel, have good oral hygiene practices and avoid sugary foods and beverages. Your dental hygienist and dentist can recommend the best treatment to get rid of the. white spots.
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