Graying on front teeth

[edamommy]

Hi! My son is 17 months. We've brushed his little teeth since they first poked thru. He is breastfed and drinks water (nothing else- he will NOT drink anything else?!) and, of course, eats solid food. Over the past few months I noticed that at the tops (gumline) of his front teeth he has a grayish "line", like a little grayish shadow. How can this be? Has anyone else seen this in their babes teeth? I'm SO diligent about brushing (he can even do it himself!). He doesn't even eat sweets- not too many anyway, and not without brushing after!

any suggestions or ideas would be helpful.
Kimberley

[toraji]

is it soft and somewhat chalky looking? if so, then it is demineralization. You will need to watch it because it will turn into decay FAST. That happened with my dd, first there were white lesions, then it sped into full-blown baby-bottle mouth.

I can tell you how to stop it, but it involves a major diet change. Are you interested?

Hugs to you mama, watching weird things happen to your baby's teeth is so incredibly painful. If you are lucky, then it is just fluorosis, in which case the white spots would be mottled but shiny (in its mild-moderate form).

Good luck to you.

[edamommy]

Well

Originally Posted by toraji

is it soft and somewhat chalky looking? if so, then it is demineralization. You will need to watch it because it will turn into decay FAST. That happened with my dd, first there were white lesions, then it sped into full-blown baby-bottle mouth.

I can tell you how to stop it, but it involves a major diet change. Are you interested?

Hugs to you mama, watching weird things happen to your baby's teeth is so incredibly painful. If you are lucky, then it is just fluorosis, in which case the white spots would be mottled but shiny (in its mild-moderate form).

Good luck to you.

**It's really just a "line" of gray. It doesn't seem soft or chalky, just a color really. His teeth LOOK fine and it's just a skinny line across both fronts?! He's never had a bottle.

[toraji]

can you see anything happening on the backs of his teeth? are there any gray lines there too?

It does not matter if he's ever had a bottle or not...tooth decay hits both breastfed and bottlefed babies. My dd has never had a bottle either.

What does your gut tell you? You may want to keep a close eye on it for the next few days and see if it gets worse. If it does not get worse, it may just be fluorosis. Cross your fingers for that outcome because tooth decay is horrible.

[vegmom]

Go and see a ped dentist. The dentist will be able to tell you if it is demineralization in about 2min.

Also realize if you are giving your son iron supplements they can stain the teeth. I am pregnant and have to take a liquid iron and have noticed that my teeth look worse now than before. But it is staining bc you can scrape away the stain with some MAJOR brushing. But it is realy hard to remove.

Tooth decay is hard to deal with. But it can be stopped.

[malamamama]

Definitely take him to a dentist. Anytime something seems abnormal. Sometimes those lines are nothing to worry about. But better to check it out when uncertain.

[edamommy]

just an update...

the graying IS actually coming OFF of his teeth with added brushing. I DID brush his teeth in the am and pm. Now I'm brushing them after he eats all day... one tooth is gray free already.