Definition:
Dental Fluorosis is a condition that affects the teeth caused by excessive intake of flouride. It is characterized by yellowish color of the teeth, presence of white spots, and discolorations like brown spots. It can also cause pitting and is often affects young teeth that has not yet erupted into the oral cavity.
Diagnosis:
Differential diagnosis is often applied to diagnose this disease. Common differential diagnosis includes mild forms of amelogenesis imperfecta, turner's hypoplasia, and other defects in the enamel. Deans Index is also used to obtain the fluorosis score of an individual.
Treatment:
Dental Fluorosis can easily be treated cosmetically by a dentist. Results will however vary depending on the treatment used. For mild cases, bleaching can be effective, while severe cases can be restored through porcelain veneers. These methods, however, are not given to children below three years old until acurate measure of a childs exposure to fluoride can be determined.
Symptoms and Signs:
Patients with mild cases of Dental Fluorosis have faint white spots in the teeth. In severe cases, mottling and pitting occurs causing deformed teeth with brown stains.
Causes:
It is caused by the excessive intake of flouride by a person either through natural circumstances like high flouride content of the drinking water or from other sources like high fluoride toothpastes.
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