Yellow teeth on 11yr old

[Kelly Jene]

Hi everyone! My son is 11 and has such yellow teeth. He brushes, flosses regularly, has all his normal checkups and yet his teeth are yellow. It's such an odd thing. No one else in our family has teeth that color. We don't whiten or anything, but his are noticeably yellower. I'd say he has a mostly good diet, getting better and better as we switch to organic and vegetarian. He only drinks water, no juices or pop.

Any ideas why or what I can do to help him with this? I wouldn't want him to be teased (he hasn't to this point), but I'd love for him to have a bit whiter teeth.

Any advice would be welcome!! Thanks!

[nick&jonmom]

Hi,

Just took my 7 yo ds to dentist for yellow teeth and she said they were stains. She polished those teeth and they were white again! I was amazed because I got it in my head that there was going to be something terribly wrong. We have had very good brushing habits with him and I was shocked that they were stains but she just said to focus on those areas more and everything should be fine. I have no idea if your sons teeth could be stained, but it could be worth looking into!

[Marni]

Hoping this is NOT the case for you ... but Celiac Disease actually caused my teeth to be stained at that age. And to grow darker, and darker -- very shadow-looking -- over the years until I was finally diagnosed. NOT A SINGLE dentist picked up on it (or GP for that matter). Discolored teeth is a known side effect though for many people with Celiac disease.

Celiac disease just means your body does not know how to process gluten, and so you become malnurished (which can lead to serious health problems, if you don't get off of gluten). It is easy to test for -- ask your son's GP or Ped about it. Can't hurt to investigate! I have been gluten-free for 7 years, and I have never felt (or looked) better : ) No meds -- just a change of life style.