Everyone loves having white, sparkling teeth.
Today, teeth whitening products and cosmetic dental services are in more demand than ever.
Every one of us tries to keep our teeth clean and white by brushing our teeth daily, using teeth-whitening toothpaste and other products, or having regular dental cleanings done by a dentist.
However, discoloration on teeth, like white-colored stains, marks, spots, or blotches, can remove the sheen from your teeth.
White stains or spots on teeth appear brighter or lighter than the actual color of your teeth. Those spots’ ugly appearance on choppers is a problematic issue for many.
The whitish spots on teeth can signify dental caries or decay.
Now let’s find an answer to your question, “Why do I have white spots on the teeth?”
What Causes White Spots On Teeth?
When you notice white spots, you should find the possible reason for it.
As soon as you see any discoloration of your teeth, like white spots or stains, you must consult a dentist. Diagnosing and treating your teeth for such issues may save your teeth. Seek the best treatment options immediately.
Some of the verified causes of such white or brown spots are:
Poor oral hygiene
Poor oral hygiene is the chief reason for white spots, lines, or stains on teeth. The lack of hygiene puts your oral health in danger.
When you fail to regularly and adequately brush your teeth or floss, plaque buildup, and tooth decay may happen.
Sugar and starch stay in the crevices of teeth and become food for bacteria that produce acid. The acid produced by bacteria erodes the enamel of the teeth and develops white spots.
Poor diet
If you eat too many acidic foods, your teeth may develop white spot lesions in the long run.
Acidic foods gradually erode the enamel of your teeth. It is typical for the enamel-eroded area of the teeth to turn whiter than the rest.
Similarly, diets containing high sugar content may cause the occurrence of acidic plaque, which erodes enamel.
Don’t consume sodas, acidic fruits, and foods if your teeth enamel does not tolerate them.
Acid reflux in the stomach can bring acid into your throat and mouth. This can erode the teeth’ enamel, and small white patches will appear on your teeth.
Enamel hypoplasia
Enamel hypoplasia is a problem caused by too little enamel on teeth. It is caused by malnutrition and mineral deficiencies in the foods they eat.
People with celiac disease have difficulty absorbing food nutrients because of their weak immune systems.
Children whose mothers were addicted to smoking during pregnancy have a higher chance of getting enamel hypoplasia and white spots on their teeth.
Fluorosis
Fluoride exposure makes teeth strong and protects them from decay. However, both fluoride deprivation and abundance are equally bad for teeth.
Too much fluoride (fluorosis) in teeth may cause decay and discoloration. Toothpaste that contains fluoride in excess can be harmful.
White spots on children’s teeth mainly occur in those who drink too many beverages or swallow fluoride toothpaste.
Plaques on teeth
White spots may occur on teeth due to bacteria that cause plaque.
Lack of proper brushing or flossing of the teeth regularly can lead to the germination of bacteria, causing dental plaque.
Using braces
Today, many go for cosmetic dentistry services.
Wearing braces obstructs the proper cleaning of teeth. They block the toothbrush’s bristles from reaching the crevices of teeth filled with food particles.
Plaques build up under and around the brackets of the braces, which may lead to the development of white spots or patches on the teeth.
You should brush and floss around wires and brackets to avoid getting white marks on the surface of your teeth.
Sleeping with your mouth open
A few temporary white spots may appear on your teeth due to dehydration. It mostly happens when you sleep with your mouth open for a few hours.
Nonetheless, once saliva rehydrates the enamel, the white marks or patches will disappear from the teeth within an hour.
Sleeping with an open mouth is a problem caused by congestion in the nose or improper sleeping postures.
Teeth whitening strips
Many people take shortcuts to get pearly white teeth instantly. Teeth-whitening strips are one such popular solution to make the tooth white.
However, frequent use of teeth whitening strips can wear out enamel and develop white spots.
The acidic content in the teeth whitening strips causes enamel erosion in the long run.
How To Get Rid Of White Spots On Teeth
We have already discussed the answer to your question, “Why do I have white spots on my teeth?”
Now let’s see how to remove the white spots and stains on your teeth.
First, before you do anything to get rid of those whitish spots, let a dentist diagnose the cause of those spots or stains on your teeth. Your dentist is the right person to execute the right treatments for rectifying dental issues.
Here are some of the usual solutions for the correction of spots, lines, or patches on your teeth:
Enamel microabrasion
It is possible to eliminate the white spots on teeth by removing a thin layer of enamel around them. Microabrasion is the technique used for the removal of enamel from teeth.
Enamel microabrasion is a conservative method of removing enamel. This treatment is required to improve the discoloration of teeth that is limited to the outer layer of enamel only.
Dental bleaching
Dental bleaching is a commonly used tooth-whitening procedure. It would help if you did dental bleaching only under the supervision of a dentist.
Bleaching your teeth helps to evenly balance the texture and color of your teeth’s enamel.
A dentist can carefully bleach the area surrounding white spots till the white color of the tooth becomes uniformly the same all over.
Notwithstanding, dental bleaching is not suitable for white spots caused by excess fluoride. In this case, using dental bleach may give a different shade to the white spots than the rest of the tooth.
Dental veneers
Dental veneers are thin pieces of tooth-colored porcelain fixed to the external surface of your natural teeth. Veneering is helpful for the aesthetic and physical problems of teeth.
Your doctor can fix a porcelain veneer to conceal your teeth spots and patches.
Home Remedies
Diagnosing the specific cause of white spots on your teeth is a matter of concern. An excellent dental checkup can diagnose the actual cause of the issue.
Also, approaching a dentist to remove white spots and stains from your teeth is costly and time-consuming.
It is possible to remove white stains, lines, or spots developing on teeth with the help of home remedies. Home remedies are suitable for removing stains and spots on teeth developed from poor dental hygiene or plaque.
Let us look at a few effective home remedies for getting rid of the spots:
Baking soda mixtures
Using baking soda instead of toothpaste to brush your teeth can remove white stains and spots from your teeth. It works best for spots or stains caused by poor dental hygiene. Try this treatment twice a week until the stains disappear.
Another method is adding a teaspoon of baking soda to an ounce of mashed strawberries and using this mixture to brush your teeth. Vitamin C contained in strawberries is effective for deep cleaning your teeth.
Alternatively, you can use baking soda and vinegar to remove spots and stains from your teeth.
A mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is very effective at bleaching teeth. Do this whitening procedure twice weekly to remove spots and plaque from your teeth.
Sea salt
A salt solution to clean teeth fights foul breath and strengthens the gums. Sea salt also has several essential minerals beneficial for tooth and gum health.
Make a mixture of two teaspoons of salt and an ounce of water. Use the salt solution for brushing your teeth. After two minutes of brushing with salt, brush the teeth again with your regular toothpaste.
You can use salt for brushing your teeth once a day for one week.
Coconut oil
The lauric acid in coconut oil cleans the teeth and diminishes spots and patches on teeth. This oil also produces a bleaching effect that helps remove plaque from teeth.
Take two teaspoons of coconut oil and swish it in your mouth for 3 minutes. Then brush your teeth with the regular toothpaste that you use.
You can use the coconut oil treatment once daily before brushing your teeth.
Green tea
If you have white spots on your teeth due to a lack of essential minerals, green tea is an excellent remedy to reverse the discoloration of your teeth.
Green tea contains flavonoids, caffeic, chlorogenic, and gallic acids. They contain valuable nutrients required for the remineralization of teeth.
Catechin in green tea is beneficial for both the prevention and removal of a plague that causes white spots on the surface of teeth.
Green tea also contains natural fluoride. Rinsing your mouth with green tea can protect your teeth from acid erosion.
Add 10 grams of green tea to a cup of boiling water; let it cool down to a lukewarm temperature. Swish and rinse your mouth with green tea for 2 minutes, and repeat this procedure thrice daily.
Azadirachta Indica or neem oil
Azadirachta indica, commonly known as neem, nim tree, or Indian lilac, is a tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae.
The products of this tree have been used in the Indian subcontinent for over two millennia for their medicinal properties.
Brushing the teeth with the tender stems of this tree is expected to heal dental issues like toothaches, gum bleeding, and foul breath.
Neem oil helps clean your teeth, including removing spots and stains.
Add two drops of neem oil when you place regular toothpaste on your toothbrush. Using neem oil regularly to brush teeth can reduce the appearance of white spots.
Holy basil leaves
The holy basil plant is extensively used in Indian medicines to treat many conditions, from eye diseases to ringworms.
Holy basil leaves are well known for their usefulness in removing sour breath and stains or spots on teeth.
Use mustard oil and basil leaves to clean your teeth and remove spots and stains from your teeth. Prepare the mixture of mustard oil and basil leaves into a paste-like consistency for brushing teeth.
Alternatively, you can use dried and pounded basil leaves to brush your teeth instead of toothpowder.
Banana peel
Banana peel has a plentiful amount of magnesium, potassium, and manganese. These minerals are adequate for the removal of colored spots and stains that appear on teeth.
Take the ripe banana peel and slice it into small pieces. Use these small pieces of banana peel to rub your teeth for 2 minutes. After 10 minutes of rubbing your teeth with banana peels, rinse your mouth with clean water.
Repeat the treatment twice daily for two weeks or until the spots disappear.
Homemade remineralizing tooth powder
You can use homemade remineralized toothpowder for brushing your teeth.
The only ingredients you will need to make this homemade rematerialized tooth powder are:
- Bentonite Clay: 4 tbsp.
- Cinnamon powder: 1 tbsp.
- Clove Powder: 1 tbsp.
- Calcium powder: 3 tbsp.
- Xylitol Powder: 2 tbsp (optional)
- Baking soda: 1 tbsp (optional)
- Mint Leaf Powder: 2 tsp (optional)
Use this mixture to brush your teeth once a day until the spots and stains disappear from your teeth.
How To Prevent White Spots On Your Teeth
Healthy and beautiful teeth have much to do with your health and appearance. Caring for your teeth daily is easy to prevent dental issues such as tooth decay, stains, spots, and bleeding gums.
Here are a few tips for preventing the occurrence of white spots on your teeth:
Chin straps
If you have a problem sleeping with an open mouth, use a chin strap to keep your mouth closed. By doing so, you can prevent the white spots caused by dehydration.
Nasal decongestants
Use nasal decongestants to clear your nose of congestion caused by the flu, a cold, or other viral infections. This helps you sleep well with a closed mouth.
Avoid phytic acid foods
Another way to remove white spots on your teeth is to avoid phytic acid foods to remineralize them. However, eating some phytic acid is helpful for your health, but brush your teeth immediately after you have them.
Diet for teeth
Some commonly used diets help make your teeth healthy and strong. Here is a list of typical diets you could include in your diet:
- Whole grains
- Seeds
- Beans and legumes
- Vegetables are abundant in minerals and vitamins.
- Raw dairy products
- Meat, fish, and eggs
- Coconut and fish oils
- Avocados
Here are a few more tips for preventing the occurrence of white spots on teeth:
- Avoid sugary diets
- Include calcium-rich foods.
- Drink enough water
- Eat less spicy and salty foods.
- Avoid having caffeine-containing drinks.
The Final Thought
According to myths and folklore, those white spots on teeth are signs of drinking a lot of milk.
However, white spots on teeth indicate problems related to enamel hypoplasia, fluorosis, or demineralization.
You can avoid those spots on your teeth by maintaining good oral hygiene, eating a healthy diet, and adopting preventive measures.
Avoiding too much acidic and sugary foods, preventing tooth plaque, and keeping your mouth well hydrated are necessary to prevent white stains, spots, and patches on your teeth.
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