Tetracycline teeth treatment, whitening, veneers

Some patients turn to the dentist with the problem of severe discoloration of tooth enamel - from light gray to dark brown. The full name of this phenomenon is tetracycline staining of teeth.

This diagnosis is made based on many factors, including not only changes in color, but also the degree of hypoplasia, that is, underdevelopment of dental tissues.

Of course, the very fact that the enamel does not have the desired whiteness and attractiveness is unpleasant. However, many people may not pay attention to this.

But if tetracycline teeth are a diagnosis, then does this phenomenon have any unpleasant consequences and is treatment required? And if required, then how exactly this happens. We will try to answer these questions in detail.

Description of the problem and symptoms

Photo: tetracycline teeth

Where did this name come from? The fact is that it is antibiotics of the tetracycline group, which are taken by the patient during the most important period of formation and development of hard dental tissues, that contribute to such changes in their color.

Tetracycline was first isolated by chemists and pharmacists only in the early fifties of the last century. To this day, this substance is included in the list of the most important medicines compiled by the World Health Organization.

Antibiotics of this group have a very large list of indications for use, since their action is effective against many diseases.

That is why, from the invention of tetracycline to the eighties, it was prescribed to a large number of patients. Among them were also pregnant women and children who had not yet reached the age of 12 years.

Around this time, a strange disease began to spread rapidly, in which the color of the teeth was disturbed, and they could also have other malformations.

Symptoms

The symptoms of this phenomenon are quite varied. Almost always, the degree of the disease, and therefore the symptoms, depend on the dosage of tetracycline taken by the patient

.

• Partial pigmentation of the enamel manifests itself in a change in shade only in some areas of individual teeth.
• A complete change in the normal shade of enamel.
• The most intensely different shade most often appears with this disease in the cervical areas of the dentition, that is, where the teeth connect to the gums.
• Large dosages of tetracycline group drugs can provoke not only discoloration, but also underdevelopment of the tooth enamel itself.

You should also describe possible enamel color options for this disease:

• yellow;
• citric;
• grey;
• dirty or dark gray;
• grayish yellow or brown;
• orange;
• brown.

The color may be uneven and vary along the entire length of the teeth. However, in almost all cases, color change occurs not only on the surface of the enamel, but also in the inner layers

.

Definition

As the name implies, the term “tetracycline teeth” or, in scientific terminology, tetracycline staining of dental tissue, is directly related to the name of the antibiotic tetracycline that causes it.

This drug, by binding with calcium, forms mineral compounds that change the structural composition of the enamel of the developing tooth.

Doctors attribute the effect of tetracycline teeth to hypoplasia - a non-carious lesion of hard tissue. It may manifest itself as partial damage to the enamel or a complete change in color. Also, in the case of constant use of tetracycline, serious damage in the form of underdevelopment of tooth enamel is possible.

Reasons for appearance

The only reason for the formation of tetracycline teeth is treatment with this group of antibiotics during certain periods of human life and development.

Tetracycline is used to treat cholera, pneumonia, various types of ulcers, etc. All these diseases are quite complex. An integrated approach is used to treat them. Therefore, in many cases it is impossible to do without such effective drugs as tetracycline.

Mechanism of action of tetracyclines

Only in the eighties, research by scientists confirmed the connection between such changes and the use of tetracycline drugs. The fact is that during the period of tooth mineralization, these substances can, when entering the body, bind to calcium and influence the further formation of tissue structure.

Since calcium is one of the main components of enamel and all hard tissues of teeth, after exposure to tetracycline their structure can be severely damaged. Tetracycline can react with calcium only during the mineralization process.

Therefore, the most vulnerable categories are children and pregnant women.

. Children - because for them this process continues until the complete formation of the dentition. As for pregnancy, it is at this time that the formation of teeth in the fetus occurs.

Opinion on the treatment of tetracycline teeth

Tetracycline is a time-tested antibiotic. Even if a person abstains from taking pills, tetracycline ointment is often used for herpes, conjunctivitis, and acne, which is extremely helpful. But in adults, brown teeth of this etiology are rare. A person is born with tetracycline teeth.

Treating damaged enamel and restoring color will not be cheap. In this case, a person has the right to choose - try whitening and then move on to installing veneers, or immediately agree to aesthetic therapy with ceramic onlays or crowns.

Tetracycline teeth whitening that skips the remineralization step will do nothing. It is also unacceptable to practice self-medication and purchase various whitening strips, pencils and gels without consulting a doctor. It is easy to damage teeth, but restoring the lost beauty of a smile can be extremely difficult, time consuming and expensive.

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Diagnostics

Before starting treatment for this problem, you need to make sure that the color change and other symptoms were caused by taking drugs of the tetracycline group. It is also necessary to exclude the influence of any other factors on the enamel that could change its color.

To diagnose, first of all, a thorough external examination is performed.

. The doctor must determine whether there is enamel hypoplasia, and also determine the color of the teeth, as one of the possible ones for this disease.

You also need medical record data, or more precisely, that part of it that indicates the prescription of tetracycline.

One of the most important and effective diagnostic methods is the use of ultraviolet light.

. Under the rays of an ultraviolet lamp, areas containing tetracycline will produce a characteristic fluorescent glow.

The more intense it is, the greater the amount of this substance is in the tissues and the deeper layers are affected.

The main causes of tooth enamel destruction are described in a separate publication.

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Remineralization of tooth enamel

The lack of mineral components during the formation of enamel is the main source of the formation of tetracycline teeth. When restoring enamel, applications with calcium gloconate and sodium fluoride are effective. The phonophoresis procedure is used. The goal of therapy is to supply ions of the main elements to the enamel: calcium, phosphorus and fluorine.

Treatment is carried out in the clinic, and in case of slight darkening, outpatient treatment at home is allowed. Up to 20 procedures will be required. If performed daily, therapy will end after three weeks or earlier. With a course of use every other day, it will take up to one and a half months.

There are three degrees of tetracycline staining of enamel:

• Slight uniform color change. The enamel has a faint yellowish, gray or brown tint without rich spots.
• Rich pigmentation in gray or yellow without streaks. At this stage, the problem is eliminated using professional whitening.
• Painting the enamel with dark gray or blue stripes. Whitening will not be effective; dentists recommend installing veneers to eliminate the defect.

How to treat?

Treatment of this disease is necessary for several reasons. First of all, this is, of course, the restoration of the aesthetics of the dentition and the natural shade of the teeth. A beautiful snow-white smile is of great importance in the life of every person.

In addition, possible damage to the enamel itself can cause other dental diseases that threaten the integrity of the dentition.

For any manifestations of tetracycline staining, treatment is a fairly large complex of various procedures and takes place in several stages.

Sanitation

A complete sanitation of the oral cavity is required. It includes professional hygiene and cleaning of teeth from all deposits, treatment of caries and other procedures that are aimed at removing possible foci of infection and restoring the functionality of the dental system.

Remineralization

Photo: individual trays with remineralization gel

Any treatment of tetracycline teeth will necessarily begin with so-called remineralizing therapy. It is carried out with the aim of strengthening all dental tissues, and to a greater extent the top layer - enamel, before subsequent procedures.

Remineralization of teeth means that through various special procedures, the enamel is saturated with the necessary elements to restore its structure. These elements are fluorine, calcium and phosphorus. Their various compounds form the basis of tooth enamel - hydroxyapatite.

The course of such therapy can take quite a long time - about a month. The fact is that from 15 to 20 procedures may be required when applications, phono- or electrophoresis are carried out using compounds of the necessary minerals. Such procedures should be done every day or every other day.

Here are some drugs used in remineralization therapy.

• Sodium fluoride solution at a concentration of 0.2%.
• Calcium gluconate solution – 10%.
• Remodent. Contains active minerals: calcium (4.35%), magnesium (0.15%), sodium (16%), phosphorus (1.35%), chlorine (30%), potassium (0.2%), and other important trace elements and organic substances.

Fluoride varnish coating

After restoration of the structure, in most cases, the surface of the teeth is coated with a special substance called fluoride varnish. It contains several ingredients - chloroform, sodium fluoride, ethyl alcohol, shellac and fir balsam.

This procedure is a natural continuation of remineralization, since thanks to the coating, the enamel continues to be saturated with essential minerals. In addition, after drying, this substance turns into a very strong and thin film, which gives the teeth additional protection.

Also, fluoride varnish has a positive effect on the microflora in the oral cavity. This allows not only to prevent the development of aggressive microorganisms, but also to protect the gums and mucous membranes.

Further treatment

Further treatment depends only on how severe the lesions and structural changes were

. This can be either whitening using various techniques, or restoration of teeth in case of very serious lesions.

For example, if the defects are too large and the color is intense, the best option to restore the appearance and prevent further damage would be restoration using veneers.

They are thin plates made of ceramic materials that are attached to the front surface of the teeth after preliminary preparatory grinding.

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How a dentist can help

Depending on the initial shade and condition of the teeth, the doctor may offer the following types of solutions to the problem:

• Teeth whitening.
  You can lighten the enamel only if your teeth are slightly and evenly stained. In this case, ZOOM 4 whitening will help. If the coloring is significant or uneven, this technique is useless. Please note that even with successful whitening, relapse may occur, that is, the teeth may darken again.
• Crowns.
  If pigmentation is observed on individual teeth, the doctor may suggest installing crowns or bridges.
• Veneers.
  In particularly difficult cases, you can restore the whiteness of your teeth with the help of veneers. Thin plates are placed on pre-ground teeth using special dental cement.
• Lumineers.
  Lumineers differ from veneers only in the thickness of the plates: they are thinner and do not require turning. To install lumineers, it is enough to superficially polish the enamel for more reliable adhesion of the artificial material to the natural tooth.

Also, with slightly stained teeth, professional teeth cleaning, tartar removal, remineralization and coating of enamel with fluoride varnish can help. Which method is suitable in your case is decided individually during a face-to-face consultation with a specialist.

Can they be bleached?

One of the most popular dental procedures is teeth whitening. In the case of tetracycline staining, the effectiveness of the procedure can be predicted only when the enamel has not changed its color too much

. In addition, these changes must be uniform.

There are two options for the procedure that are considered quite effective - laser and the use of the Zoom teeth whitening technique. In both cases, the chemical properties of oxygen and its compounds are used during the process to penetrate deeply into hard tissues.

For both methods, a special gel is used that contains hydrogen peroxide. When the gel is exposed to catalysts (for example, a laser beam), active oxygen is released from it, which provokes discoloration of the darkened areas.

Recommendations from experts

Do not try to whiten enamel at home - it is not only ineffective, but also dangerous. For example, by doing your own teeth whitening with chemicals, you can significantly worsen the situation and damage your tooth enamel. To solve this problem, you need to consult a dentist.

NikaDent dentistry employs competent specialists. After examining the oral cavity and conducting diagnostics, specialists will determine effective tactics on how to restore the normal shade of tooth enamel. It is recommended to consult a doctor as soon as the enamel begins to change. Be healthy!

Reviews

Tetracycline teeth are a fairly common problem, despite the specific causes of its occurrence. Many people have already experienced procedures to restore normal color and structure to teeth that have been damaged by taking tetracycline.

You can share your experience regarding this by leaving a comment on this article.

In conclusion, a short video in which you can tell us how tetracycline teeth are treated in Spain:

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Development of the disease

Tetracycline teeth are characterized by a profound change in the natural color of the tissue. Pigmentation may be complete or partial depending on the frequency and duration of tetracycline use. In this case, the enamel color can be as follows:

1. Yellow or lemon yellow (more often occurs with relatively short-term use of the drug).
2. Brown, yellowish-brown, gray-brown with frequent or long-term use of tetracycline.

As a rule, tetracycline staining has an uneven structure and appears in the form of ribbon-like pigmentation with maximum color intensity in the cervical area.

In addition, the color of enamel can change over time under the influence of natural factors and other dyes (tea, coffee, etc.), as well as in case of violations of dental hygiene rules.

In addition, tetracycline crowns are more susceptible to carious lesions as a result of the fact that the enamel is weakened and has less strength compared to healthy teeth.

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The disease is divided into three main stages :

1. Primary. At this stage, pigmentation is observed in small areas with slight color change.
2. Secondary. The enamel acquires a persistent brownish tint, which seriously affects the aesthetics.
3. Transition to the caries stage. If tetracycline tooth syndrome is not treated by the patient for a long time, the secondary effect on the enamel can lead to accelerated development of caries.