As a parent who cares about your child’s Teeth, you may find yourself distressed to see their new teeth coming in yellow. Our Marshfield dentist urges you not to panic, though. There are numerous possible reasons for teeth stains in children. Some types of staining are temporary, while others can be remedied in fairly simply ways.

Why Are Your Child’s Teeth Yellow? Our Marshfield Dentist Has Answers

Reason #1 – Nothing Is Actually Wrong!

Hold a white piece of paper right next to your teeth and look in the mirror. Suddenly your teeth look extremely stained and yellow, don’t they? This is because of the color contrast you see when your teeth are next to something that is purely white.

A similar trick of the eye occurs when your child’s Adult Teeth first begin to emerge. Adult teeth are darker than baby teeth naturally. This is because there’s more dentin in permanent adult teeth. When your child’s mouth has a mixture of adult teeth and baby teeth, those adult teeth will look darker and stained by contrast.

Eventually, however, your child will lose the rest of his or her baby teeth. When that happens, the adult teeth will match each other in color, and your child’s smile will look natural and unstained.

Reason #2 – Poor Brushing Habits

Did you suddenly notice the yellow staining out of nowhere? There’s always a possibility that your child simply ate a food with color that is still on his or her teeth. Help your child brush their teeth tonight with thorough, circular motions. If the staining comes away quickly, then it’s possible your child just needs closer monitoring when they use a toothbrush.

Don’t scrub too hard at your child’s mouth, though! Brushing too hard can damage their tender gums and cause pain. If the staining doesn’t come away naturally with a normal brushing pressure, then a visit to your Marshfield Family Dentist may be in order.

Reason #3 – Trauma or Tooth Damage Has Occurred

In certain cases, your child may indeed have permanent discoloring in one or more teeth. There are numerous potential causes for this, including…

• Trauma – If your child fell and hit their jaw or chin, this could have affected the development of their teeth. As a result, an adult tooth may be yellow or grey when it finally comes in.
• Too Much Fluoride – Ingesting too much fluoride while teeth are still developing can affect tooth color. This is why fluoride-free toddler toothpaste exists!
• Illness – Certain antibiotics and even extremely high fever can affect the color of teeth when they are still developing below the gumline.

These are not the only possible reasons for teeth stains, but they are the most common reasons seen by our family dentist in Marshfield, MA. If your child does have permanent stains from any of these latter reasons, don’t worry too much. Often a discolored tooth still has its functionality and won’t affect your child’s overall health or comfort.

As for appearance, today’s dental technology has come a long way, and your dentist will be able to discuss ways to restore your child’s tooth with bleaching, bonding, or veneers… although your child’s mouth will likely need a few years more to develop before those options can be pursued.

The information in this article is meant for educational purposes only and should not be used as medical advice. If you would like to know more about this and other topics related to dentistry, feel free to call Luxe Smile Dentistry, with a convenient dental office near Marshfield, MA, by calling 781.319.0070 or clicking here.