110 What does Enamel Hypoplasia look like

What does Enamel Hypoplasia look like?

The surfaces of your teeth are protected by a hard outer shell called the enamel. When you are young, the enamel is strong and thick. It is in place to cover the more sensitive layers of your teeth. The enamel layer is what keeps your teeth looking white but as you age, your enamel starts to lose density and gets thinner. As a result your inner layer of dentin, which is darker, becomes more visible and your teeth are no longer as bright as they once were.

Changes or problems in your enamel do not only come along with aging, but they can happen at a young age in children and on baby teeth. If you have noticed a darker spot on one of your children’s teeth or perhaps it appears to be a defect in the enamel layer on their tooth, then you have noticed an example of enamel hypoplasia. Typically enamel hypoplasia occurs when there is an area of enamel that is of worse quality than the surrounding enamel. Enamel hypoplasia can appear in the following ways on teeth:

* Brighter white spot
* Yellow spot
* Brown spot
* Pit or groove on the otherwise smooth surface of the tooth
* Thinner area on the tooth
* A chip on the tooth
* An area of missing enamel

There are even severe cases of enamel hypoplasia where the enamel does not develop at all. Typically, teeth with enamel hypoplasia can cause dental problems like:

* Sensitivity to heat
* Sensitivity to cold
* Prone to wear
* Susceptible to problems from grinding or from where the tooth comes in contact with other teeth
* Vulnerable to acid from drinks and foods
* More exposure to bacteria and plaque
* Potential for tooth decay

While you may be able to note signs of enamel hypoplasia, you will not able to diagnose it yourself. Additionally, you will need a dentist to provide professional care for those problem areas to prevent more serious problems. Depending on how pervasive the hypoplasia is and how serious it is, there are different treatment options the dentist can offer.

Simple treatments like dental sealant may protect the teeth sufficiently or the dentist may recommend a full dental crown to protect the inner layers of the teeth. And when a child’s baby tooth has enamel hypoplasia, it is not an indication that the permanent tooth will have that issue as well. The reasons that trigger the enamel hypoplasia can occur any time before, during or after birth of the child so the permanent teeth may not even be developed at that time. Bringing your child to the dentist at least twice a year for exams and cleanings can help prevent their teeth from having more serious problems or from allowing the enamel hypoplasia to develop into a more complicated issue.

The reasons for enamel hypoplasia vary from person to person but can be triggered by environmental factors like vitamin deficiencies or maternal illness or from medications taken by the mother or the child. If the child experiences an accident or traumatic injury to the teeth or suffers from an infection, the health of the teeth can be compromised.