Having discolored teeth can cause embarrassment in a child, especially through the awkward years. A clean, bright and ‘white’ smile can boost self-esteem, as well as encourage children to maintain better oral health.
In children, there are a number of causes for tooth discoloration that can be generally broken down into 2 major categories:
The best way to handle discoloration is to try to avoid it in the first place. Professional cleaning and good daily dental hygiene go a long way in preventing or removing normal tooth discoloration.
Brush at least twice a day (morning and evening) with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Use an ADA-approved kid’s toothpaste that contains a mild abrasive if necessary. For children under the age of 3, until they learn to spit, use only a rice grain-sized smear of toothpaste.
Visit your pediatric dentist twice a year for a professional exam and cleaning.
Avoid foods that stain. Offenders can include dark-colored fruit juices and sodas, tea, popsicles, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, tomato sauce, blueberries, and beets.
Use only water in sippy cups.
At Smile Wonders, we like to wait until adolescence to perform teeth whitening, until after at least four front upper adult teeth have come in. We begin with a thorough cleaning and spot treatment, and then progress to using our EPIC™ X diode laser and/or Waterlaser™.
We look forward to meeting you. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.