COLOURED TEETH

My baby is four an half years old and I noticed that some of the teeth are coloured. I have tried to brush his teeth more frequently now and even changing toothpaste without any effect . Kindly advise. Madam Samira, Okene

Generally speaking, some teeth can be brighter than the others due to genetic make up. You did not state the type of colour. Coloured teeth could be brown, yellow, black among others. As one grows older there is tendency for teeth to become more yellowish.

Improper dental hygiene is a common cause of teeth discoloration. Also foods and drinks like coffee, tea and kola. At an older age things like chewing or smoking cigarettes can lead to colored teeth as well. Certain drugs use during pregnancy can cause teeth discoloration and during childhood, drugs like doxycycline and tetracycline. Pregnancy should be ruled out before prescribing some drugs for women of reproductive age group.

Excessive fluoride can cause teeth discoloration in childhood. This could result from environmental factors or direct and excessive use of toothpastes. There are some communities that have high concentration of fluoride in water which can make teeth discoloration prevalent in the community especially among children. Mouth rinses and washes containing chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium chloride can also cause teeth discoloration.

You have to check and supervise to ensure the child is not licking toothpaste unnecessarily. Also personal supervision of the dental care for the child and also ensure the child see a dentist as soon as possible for proper examination and treatment.