You may practice better oral health care and see a dentist frequently but develop white stains on your teeth. So, what are the white stains on your teeth? Many things leave stains on the teeth, and the stains have different colors; you may develop yellow and brown temporary stains. However, white stains are rare; read on to learn where they come from and how to deal with them effectively.

White Stains May Come from Fluorosis

The white stains might affect the enamel surface; these stains result from fluorosis; the stains occur in adults exposed to too much fluoride. The fluoride does not damage the teeth but bleaches, leaving uneven white spots. Therefore you should avoid water with high fluoride content and limit the fluoride content in your toothpaste. You may go easy with the toothpaste if your teeth are prone to white stains.

White Stains May be from Effects of Demineralization

Your teeth have high calcium composition; you may experience calcium leaching from the teeth due to demineralization. Exposing your teeth to acids leads to demineralization; plaque build-up causes mineralization. Thus, you may brush and floss the teeth to prevent plaque build-up and demineralization.

Enamel Hypoplasia May Cause White Stains

Enamel hypoplasia is a medical condition that will leave your enamel thinner than usual. Thin enamel is prone to stains and decay. Most children who develop enamel hypoplasia might suffer from nutritional issues, premature birth, or experienced substance exposure before birth due to their mother’s smoking and alcohol abuse.

How to Treat White Spots

It may be better to prevent the white spots from developing on your teeth. Therefore, you may wish to reduce fluoride exposure and reliance on toothpaste. Flossing and brushing reduce acid exposure and plaque build-up attributed to white spots on the teeth. However, if the white spots occur, you may consider microabrasion and bleaching to restore the natural teeth’ color.

Your dentist will scrape away a thin enamel layer through the microabrasion process; the treatment will restore the tooth’s uniform appearance. On the other hand, bleaching uses chemicals that whiten the teeth. However, the bleaching agents might harm the teeth causing acid damage; therefore, your dentist should administer the procedure. Although these methods might help remove the white stains, they may not work for all the patients.

You can opt for veneers to cover the white spots on your teeth. The veneers are porcelain that can be customized to cover the teeth to deal with stains and crooked and broken teeth. Before fixing veneers, you should remove the enamel layer to leave a natural and uniform white appearance on your teeth.

Final Thoughts

Teeth stains can lower your confidence; white stains might appear on your teeth due to fluoride exposure, demineralization, and enamel hypoplasia. Fortunately, you can prevent the white stains from forming on the teeth by practicing good oral hygiene, avoiding acidic food, and exposure to fluorides. You may bleach the teeth and use microabrasion techniques to get rid of the stains on the teeth. If these methods don’t work for your teeth, you may opt for the veneers, which are porcelain layers attached to the teeth, to deal with stains and crooked teeth. Good luck finding the appropriate solution which works for white stains on your teeth.