Are you a parent of a young child? If so, you should know that it is imperative that you take care of your child's teeth. This can help your child to develop good oral hygiene habits, which can result in your child having beautiful permanent teeth when they are older. Bad teeth can cause embarrassment, which can negatively impact social experiences. Bad teeth can also cause self-esteem issues and mental health issues such as depression or anxiety.

Discolorations are one of the things that affect teeth. The following points will help you to understand more about discolorations that can occur on children's teeth and what causes them. In some cases, there are remedies that can repair the imperfections.

Yellow Teeth

Children can have yellow teeth for some of the same reasons that adults have yellow teeth. This type of discoloration may be the result of eating foods and drinking beverages that can stain teeth. Examples of foods that can cause yellow teeth include coffee, tea, and dark sodas such as colas. Some medications can also impact the color of teeth and cause yellowing to occur.

Dark or Grayish Discolorations

Many people generalize darkening or grayish discolorations as a sign of tooth decay. This is sometimes the case. However, this type of discoloration can also occur due to an injury to the mouth that impacts the tooth and can cause the root of the tooth to die, which ultimately results in discoloration.

White Discolorations

The appearance of white spots on teeth can cause alarm for parents. A common reason for this phenomenon is parents using fluoridated toothpaste which their children may swallow when they are performing their oral hygiene. The spots may appear unsightly, but they are harmless. If the white spots occur on the baby teeth, the underlying adult teeth may not get affected. Another word of caution about white discolorations is that some cavities appear as a translucent white color. Yes, not all cavities are dark spots.

A pediatric dentist is a good resource to use to learn more about discolored teeth. They can determine what is causing your child to have issues with discolorations. Sometimes there may be cosmetic options that can correct the appearance of the discolorations. Veneers and teeth whitening may be viable options for your child. If discolorations are the result of tooth decay, the dentist may not recommend taking any action since the permanent teeth may not be affected. However, if the the decay impacts permanent teeth, a dental bridge, dental implants, crowns, or veneers may be an option depending upon the extent of the decay. Extractions will most likely be a last result.

To learn more about your options, visit a website like http://www.childrensdent.com.