What is this white spot on my kid’s tooth?

That’s a good question and depending on what you’re seeing, the answer can vary. White spots can show up on a patient’s teeth for two main reasons, 1: developmental. This would mean that while the tooth was developing, something about the mineral matrix of the tooth changed. When this occurs, you’ll likely have noticed the white (or yellow) spot on your child’s tooth from the time it started coming into their mouth. The second main reason why a tooth might get a white spot is hygiene related. When plaque (and by extension, bacteria) is on a tooth for a prolonged period of time, the acid produced causes the tooth to demineralize. This change in the mineral structure causes a change in the opacity of the enamel of the tooth and a white spot forms. 

So what can you do? Well, from a health perspective, there’s nothing really “wrong” with the first type. As for the second type, improved hygiene can remineralize the area of the tooth and stop the growth of this early cavity. But what about how it looks? Even when you remineralize a white spot, the white spot may still be visible. 

For *active* demineralized spots, the least invasive way to try and alleviate the visual change would be using a product called Curodont. This will create a scaffold inside the demineralized lesion that will try and allow for remineralization in such a way that the white spot appearance is diminished. For most other white spots, there is a treatment called Icon Resin Infiltration. This treatment is also minimally invasive and works to alleviate the appearance of the white spot. It’s easy for the patient and because it’s minimally invasive, you’re keeping as much tooth structure as possible. Check out the results of one of our ICON treatments here. 

If you (or your child) is feeling self-conscious about the look of their teeth, come visit the office and we’ll talk through what your options might be. 

Dr. Samantha Graffeo Gardner, MS, DDS