You might be horrified to see some thin black lines – or series of dots – along the gumline of your young children’s or grandchildren’s teeth. We at your Dentist Epping know it looks unsightly and can affect the child’s confidence and personality. No doubt, you will not be happy to see that! Additionally, you must be wondering about the health of the child’s teeth.
The black lines of the black stain seem to be associated with particular bacteria in the child’s mouth, not a medical problem. It is an external stain on the tooth enamel of baby teeth, and something can be done about it.
It is also comforting to know that the child will probably outgrow this problem, and its adult teeth won’t be affected by the black stain.
We at Dentist Epping can reassure you that we can more than likely remove the stain with our dental instruments and polishing.
However, that stain removal will probably not be permanent, as the child’s mouth will still contain the particular bacteria that caused the stain in the first place. The stain removal will need to be controlled by regular teeth brushing at home.
A human mouth can be colonised by plaque bacteria within 24 hours of teeth brushing, and within 72 hours, the plaque bacteria can stick to the child’s tooth enamel.
That’s a somewhat disturbing situation, but notice the 36-hour window of opportunity between teeth brushing and plaque attachment!
If the teeth are regularly brushed at 12-hour intervals, i.e., morning and night, the plaque does not get a chance to attach permanently to the teeth – and the deposit of black staining is minimised.
It will still be a good idea for the child to come to see us for regular check-ups so we can monitor the situation and carry out any spot cleaning that presents itself.
So, if you notice some black lines or dots staining a child’s teeth in your family, do not despair! Come to see us at your Dentist Epping so we can assess the situation and decide on a course of action to remove the black stain and keep it under control.
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