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Question:
Tetracycline and Tooth Decay: My husband has severe tooth discoloration from having been given tetracycline as a child.
His teeth regularly have cavities that need filling. Often his dentist has to replace fillings he has recently put in. Now that he is over 50, his teeth are breaking off regularly.
I know of a few other people who had tetracycline given to them as children who are having the same problem. I suspect that the enamel on these teeth is compromised, so that they rapidly become diseased.
What, if anything can be done? We are spending a fortune on dental bills, and now he has a front tooth that completely broke off. ...Visitor from NY
Answer:
I have treated a number of patients with tetracycline staining over the years, and I have not found a correlation between deep intrinsic staining of this antibiotic and compromised tooth structure.
It is a fact that if children are given the antibiotic tetracycline during the formation of their permanent dentition (age 3-14 yrs), that this medicine will permanently stain the teeth a dark color.
The colors can range from greyish, to brownish to greenish, or a variation of these colors.
The normal ways to whiten teeth, (Zoom, Rembrandt Laser Treatment or Home Whitening Trays) usually does not work very well with this deep intrinsic type of staining.
Other procedures such as porcelain laminate veeners or bonding may be considered to esthetically restore these hard to lighten teeth.
In your husbands case, he may have a higher cavity rate than normal. Daily brushing, flossing and a strong fluoride rinse may help prevent the decay he seems to be encountering.
In our practice we provide prescription flouride gel along with flouride trays for our high caries index patients. They fill the trays and wear them for ten minutes before bed each night. This along with proper flossing and brushing has helped many of our cavity prone patients to cut down not only decay, but dental expenses as well.
You may want to consult with your current dentist, and let him/her know of your concerns. Your dentist may even review implant options for your husband's lost teeth. Dental implants are made of titanium, help preserve bone, do not decay, and will last a life time if they are done well and the body integrates with them.
TotalConfidenceDentistry.com
Ron Briglia, DMD
Chester County Medical Building
600 East Marshall Street, Suite 201
West Chester PA 19380
(610) 692-4440
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