Fluorosis: Can you tell me more about it?

There is a common misconception that dental fluorosis is a disease; however, this is not the case. Instead, dental fluorosis is a condition that affects the appearance of the enamel on your teeth but does not impact the teeth’s ability to function or their overall health. These alterations can range from teeny, scarcely noticeable white spots to extremely prominent staining, darkening, and brown marks. They can even occur simultaneously. Fluorosis can leave permanent marks and stains, some of which may become darker with the passage of time. If you have any further questions or would like to make an appointment with family dentistry in Edmond, OK.

Fluorosis of the teeth is a condition that can develop in children between the ages of 20 and 30 months if they are given excessive fluoride. Fluorosis of the teeth can only occur in children who are younger than eight years old. Why? During this time, the permanent teeth are still developing behind the gums. Therefore the era is called “permanent tooth developing.” Fluorosis can result in substantial feelings of embarrassment and anxiety around the appearance of a child’s teeth, especially in younger children. Fluorosis stains are not going to be removed no matter how thoroughly they brush and floss their teeth.

There are a great number of well-known sources of fluoride that could lead to fluoride overexposure, including the following:

A fluoride-containing mouth rinse, which younger toddlers have the potential to ingest
Fluoride levels in bottled water are not routinely monitored due to the packaging of the water.
Use of fluoride supplements in an ineffective manner
Fluoride poisoning is caused by drinking water that has been fluoridated, either naturally or artificially, at concentrations that are far higher than those that are recommended.
Teach your children not to ingest topical fluoride products such as toothpaste that includes fluoride as a means to lessen the likelihood that they may develop enamel fluorosis. This is one method for reducing the risk of the condition. In point of fact, the recommended amount of fluoride toothpaste for children to use when brushing their teeth is no more than the size of a pea, and infants and toddlers under the age of two should not use any fluoride toothpaste at all.

Bleaching the teeth, microabrasion, conservative composite restorations, or porcelain veneers are some of the treatments that may be used to treat dental fluorosis.