3 Reasons Why Your Kids' Teeth Look Like A Smoker's Teeth And How The Dentist Can Help

Usually, only adults get really yellow teeth. It is commonly an age-related thing or a diet-related thing (e.g., consumption of coffee, tea or cola). However, children can get really yellow or discolored teeth as well. Visiting your family dentist at a pediatric dental clinic will help you uncover the reasons why your kids' teeth look like a smoker's teeth and how your dentist can help. Below are three possible reasons:

Genetics

Genetics can actually play a part in the coloration of your children's teeth. It is not uncommon for children to get yellower teeth when their parents had a similar condition in their youth. Your dentist will ask for a full family dental history to determine if your children's teeth are experiencing a discoloration problem due to genetics. An aggressive dental care and prevention program can help the teeth from yellowing and/or deteriorating further. If your child's yellow teeth are also chipped, pitted or cracked, then your dentist may suggest capping all of the affected teeth rather than trying to whiten them or use other preventive measures to treat the aesthetic issues of the inherited problem.

Diet

Just like adults, kids can get yellow teeth from their diets as well. If your kids consume a lot of soda or pop, chocolate milk and sugary juice drinks, their teeth can collect a lot of plaque that builds up and yellows their teeth. Removing these less-than-healthy drinks and sugary snacks and increasing good brushing and flossing habits can reverse some of the discoloration. This approach is also highly recommended after your dentist removes a lot of the plaque and the hygienist gives your kids' teeth a really thorough cleaning.

Medications

Many of the common medications taken in childhood, including amoxicillin and tetracycline (antibiotics), can cause children's teeth to yellow if they have to take more than one round of these medications in a short time. If your child gets frequent sinus infections, strep throat, etc., you may want your pediatrician to mix things up with the antibiotics prescribed in order to avoid yellowing of the teeth. Your dentist may be able to treat this problem with a light tooth whitening procedure, but he or she may want to wait until your child's baby teeth fall out and the adult teeth have grown in. (It may be more important to whiten the adult teeth, since these are the ones your child will have the rest of his or her life and the yellowed baby teeth may fall out soon.)

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