I know you will never let your little ones smile be eclipsed due to any reason in the world. Well, there is a possibility that even if your child wants to express his happiness, he may hesitate to do so with full spirit. Discoloration of teeth in children reduces their confidence and may eclipse their smile. So, let’s look into the  possible reasons for discoloration of teeth (stained teeth) in children, remedies and other facets of this topic.

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Causes of Stained Teeth in Children

Stained teeth is nothing that you will appreciate in your kids. So, let’s look into the reasons for such an occurrence.

Inadequate or improper brushing of the teeth:

Formation of plague can take place in the teeth of a child if his teeth are not brushed properly. Improper brushing causes bacterial growth on the food that is accumulated between the teeth, leading to discoloration.

Injury:

If your kid’s teeth get injured somehow, it can lead to rupturing of the blood vessels, accumulation of blood in the small tubes in the dentine or the excessive formation of the entine. All these situations lead to appearance of different colors in/on the teeth.

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Use of medication:

A lot of medicines that are prescribed to children have good amount of iron in them. So, the use of these medicines can also be a reason behind discoloration of teeth. Certain antibiotics are said to be having such properties that lead to discoloration of teeth in children.  

Weak Enamel:

In some children,either the enamel coating is thinner than usual or it is weak or absent, this condition is called enamel hypoplasia. This condition may appear in your child as hallowed, harsh surfaces or in form of yellow and brownish discoloration on the affected teeth. So, if your little one has got weak enamels, he may suffer from discoloration in teeth.

Too much Fluoride:

If you are using such a toothpaste for your child which has lots of fluoride, it can lead to appearance of white patches or streaks on the teeth. It can be a sign of fluorosis. This can also happen if the water used by the child has lots of fluoride. So, make sure that the fluoride content in water or the daily toothpaste of the kid is not more than 1000 ppm.

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Jaundice:

Jaundice is never a good thing to have. If your child suffers from this disease after birth. He is likely to have tinted teeth with a greenish tinge. So, take good care of your baby so as to avoid any such disease at early stages of life.

Trauma:

Any kind of traumatic fall can lead to teeth discoloration due to the breakage of capillaries inside the tooth. Due to the breaking of the capillaries, a substance called hemosiderin is released in the teeth.

Remedies of Stained teeth:

Well, there is nothing that cannot be cured, so if you were not able to avoid stained teeth in your child, here are the remedies:

• Brushing the kids teeth with adult brush and toothpaste used by adults as they contain little scrubbing properties. But make sure to rub the brush gently so that it doesn’t affect the gums.
• If you find a dark stain on the child’s tooth, try to clean it as it can be a stain of iron and if it is not cleaned instantly, the stain can take root in your tooth.
• Try to clean your kid’s teeth with the help of baking soda and water as it is a great cleansing agent. But if the stain is still persistent it is better to contact the dentist immediately.
• The stains that are caused due to any kind of trauma cannot be cured easily. So, in this case it is best to contact the doctor so that he can treat or suggest treatment for the milk teeth.
• Bleaching techniques can also be utilised to cure stubborn stains. There are two types of bleaching techniques used by doctors. The in-office bleaching and overnight vital bleaching. The in-office bleaching is the professional whitening treatment and the overnight vital bleaching is used to treat the discoloration caused by tetracycline.
• Pumice mixture is also a great help in removing stains from teeth of toddlers.

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Prevent discoloration of teeth in children

• Cleaning the baby’s teeth regularly, from the time the baby is born.
• Make sure that your baby doesn’t sleep with a milk bottle in their mouth. Because as the milk pools in their mouth, it will lead to bacterial growth
• Feeding your baby healthy food that is low in terms of sugar is also helpful in prevention of discoloration of teeth.
• Use low fluoride toothpaste to brush your baby’s teeth. If the amount of fluoride is 1000 ppm, it is called low fluoride.
• Another thing that can help you to avoid discoloration of teeth in children is teaching them to spit. If your baby learns to spit every time there is an accumulation of saliva in the mouth, the growth of bacteria in the mouth will stop. Also, teach them not to spit anywhere and everywhere.

What every colour symbolises?

1. Gray, black or brown teeth

   The turning of the child’s teeth into black, brown or gray color can be due to an injury and it may appear after 2-3 weeks of an injury. It can only be cured with time as this colour appears due to the accumulation of blood in the small tubes of the dentine layer of the teeth. Consulting the dentist is the most preferred solution to this problem.

2. Red or pink teeth:

   If the colour of the teeth turns out to be red or pink after an injury, it can be a result of broken blood vessels inside the teeth. This condition is termed as pulpal hyperemia. The colour may appear after some weeks due to internal resorption.

3. Yellow teeth:

   The layer under the tooth enamel is yellowish in colour. It is called dentine.at times, an injury can lead to formation of excessive dentine. This is the reason, behind the appearance of child’s yellow teeth.

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Conclusion

This was all you need to know about discoloration of teeth in children. It is quite embarrassing to have teeth that you need to hide. So, make sure to check discoloration of teeth in children and consult the dentist for any further assistance if the remedies  mentioned in this write up do not turn out to be useful.

Healthy teeth and perfect smile for your baby and Happy Parenting to you!

References

http://www.superkidsdentistry.com/yellow-teeth-in-children/

https://www.beingtheparent.com/why-do-my-babys-teeth-look-discolored/