Do you have white spots on your teeth?
White spots on your teeth? Do your teeth look like one of the pictures below? These are called white spot lesions and are common after traditional braces. Like most things prevention is key, but since you are reading this you likely already have them. If you are looking for ways to eliminate white spot lesions read on and click the previous link.
Are you at risk for getting the white spots?
If you already have white spots on your teeth, you are high risk for more. Individuals with poor oral hygiene and poor diet will get more white spots on their teeth. Those with a high cavity rate will also get white spots on their teeth, especially along the gumline. Finally, traditional braces put you are high risk because it is tough to clean your teeth well.
How do you prevent them?
Proper oral hygiene. That means brushing and flossing properly and using a fluoride toothpaste. Additional steps that will help are below, with the most beneficial written in purple.
- Using an electric toothbrush instead of a manual one.
- Using an Airfloss or Waterpik, especially if you have braces.
- High dose fluoride gel from your dentist.
- Fluoride varnish at all visits (for braces that may be as often as every six-weeks).
- Professional cleanings every three months.
- MI Paste: Smear it around your teeth before bed.
- Xylitol: Chewing xylitol gum throughout the day. There is some debate if the xylitol actually helps or not but chewing gum and stimulating more saliva definitively does
- Chlorhexidine rinse: Once a day rinse for a week, repeated every month.
- Whiten your teeth. The whitening agent breaks down to hydrogen peroxide which kills bacteria.
White spots teeth prevention – less main stream
Probiotics: The effectiveness is hard to test and variable, but probiotics may help prevent white spots from forming.
CariFree: Product designed to maintain a balanced pH so the acid producing bacteria won’t destroy your teeth.
Sealants: Pro Seal is bonds to enamel before bonding brackets. Protects it from demineralizing effects of bacteria. Might be hard to find someone offering this as it’s a pain to clean up when braces are done. Could be useful for those that are high risk for getting white spots on their teeth.
White spots teeth research and treatment options can be found on my white spot lesions post.