Dental Fluorosis

Enamel is the hardest substance in the body, which it has to be to endure the biting forces of everyday mastication and clenching that people often put their teeth through. Enamel is the outer layer on the crown of the tooth which give the teeth that is esthetically pleasing to the eye. However, enamel is not able to replenish itself so once it is gone there is no way for the body to regenerate more. A 12-year-old female girl has new molars coming in and the appearance of them is a yellowish-brown color with white specks, the parent is concerned that something may be wrong because they do not look like any of the other teeth within the girl’s mouth. Due to the coloring of the crowns, and the age of the girl dental fluorosis could be the possible …show more content…
I would also explain that the reason for the molars to appear this way was because there had been an issue when the enamel was forming on the teeth. That essentially because of this interference that had happened the cells that make the enamel weren’t functioning correctly and did not evenly distribute it over the tooth surface. The reason most teeth are white is because the outer layer of the tooth is covered in the enamel. Due to the uneven layering of the enamel on her molars it was thinner in areas so the layer underneath the enamel was visible causing it to appear yellowish-brown. There are often many reasons for this but due to the daughters age when she was 8 years old or longer it could have easily been from ingesting too fluoride from things as simple as; accidentally swallowing toothpaste with fluoride, mouth rinse, fluoride medications, or drinking too much fluoridated water. As she passed the age of 8 years old accidental ingestion of too much fluoride no longer changes the appearance of teeth, and as she has grown she probably does not eat her toothpaste anymore. So overall her teeth are healthy and will be fine as long as she remembers to take care of her teeth, and as long as she comes in for regular