White spots on teeth- What are they and how to get rid of them

White spots are a type of enamel discolouration which appear on teeth as big, white and opaque spots. These spots make teeth appear discoloured and damaged.

White spots may appear due to a number of reasons. It could be genetic or a sign of nutritional deficiency. It is also a a type of enamel hypoplasia which is seen due to developmental irregularities. Sometimes it appears due to too much fluoride consumed during the stage of tooth development (childhood) usually due to drinking water having excessive fluoride content. Certain long term medications can cause white and other coloured spots on the teeth.

Any reason wherein the tooth enamel is weakened causes white spots. It is extremely common in people who wear braces due to plaque accumulation around the brackets and orthodontic appliance. Also consuming a high sugar diet can cause decalcified or weakened spots of whiteness in your enamel.

SO how do we treat such lesions? The older techniques involved porcelain/ ceramic veneers. The biggest downside to this is that it is not a conservative option. We do not recommend such an expensive and time consuming option. Another dated option was to treat these spots as cavities- this involved drilling into them and filling them with tooth coloured composite materials.

The technique we use in Summit Dental Clinic does not require drilling into the tooth resulting in irreversible damage. We believe in a conservative method to preserve healthy tooth structure. In this technique, we etch the spot with a special gel which opens up its pores and then place a liquid which penetrates into the pores giving you a natural appearance within fifteen minutes!

Even with the use of such minimally invasive methods- the best is always prevention. So how can you prevent such spots from appearing on your teeth? Unless it is due to genetic or developmental anomalies- the best option is to practice a good oral hygiene regimen. For people with braces- make sure you use an orthodontic brush which is designed specially to clean the areas around brackets. Also avoid a sugar rich diet and make sure you rinse with water after every meal and floss twice a day. For kids and toddlers- parents make sure that the drinking water does not have more than the permissible level of fluoride.