4 FAQs And Need-To-Know Facts About Teeth Whitening For Children

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Pediatric Dental Associates offers pediatric dentist and orthodontist Midland Park services. We operate all throughout the Ridgewood, New Jersey area. To find out more about our services, have a look at our website.

Why Are My Children’s Permanent Teeth Yellower Than Their Baby Teeth?

You may not believe it, but this is a common occurrence and is not out of the normal at all. Pretty much everybody’s permanent teeth are larger and more susceptible to discoloration than were their baby teeth. It’s nothing that should alarm you. You can rest assured that your child’s smile is no less beautiful than any of his or her peers.

Why Are The Areas Where Children Had Braces Whiter Than The Rest Of Their Teeth?

This is also a relatively common occurrence. Basically, food, sugar, bacteria, etc. cannot access the areas of your children’s teeth beneath beneath their braces. As a result, the foods and beverages that typically stain a person’s teeth have not been able to have any such effect in this region. Meanwhile, most children don’t consciously adjust their diets too dramatically when they have braces, apples and corn on the cob notwithstanding.

How Can My Child Prevent This From Happening To Them?

To prevent this from happening to your child, you can encourage him or her to use teeth whitening toothpaste. This is an effective way to maintain an even, consistent color on your child’s teeth. Toothpaste is typically a bit gentler than bleach, which makes it preferable. Bleach has the potential to alter the natural color of your child’s teeth, which ends up looking worse. In fact, even toothpastes that haven’t added any special whitening ingredients will generally do a better job on maintaining a consistent, natural looking color than would special bleaches.

Can My Child Receive Teeth Whitening Treatment?

It’s a question many parents and children have been asking their pediatric dentists and orthodontists for years. And they pretty much always get the same answer. At the end of the day, children do not fully develop the pulp of their teeth until somewhere around the age of 14. As is the case with all things pertaining to physical development, this age is an approximation. Some children’s tooth pulp and sensitivity fully forms years prior to 14, while for others it happens years after. For this reason, the Academy of General Dentistry recommends waiting until the child reaches the age of 17 or 18 before allowing him or her to receive any form of teeth whitening treatment.

Teeth whitening treatment refers not only to the professional whitening service that dentists offer, but also to teeth whitening strips that people give themselves at home. If you read the fine print of any whitening strip box, you will see a disclaimer stating that patients under the age of 18 should not use this product.

Would you like to learn more about how to make your child’s smile clean, healthy, and attractive? Give us a call today and we’d be happy to answer your questions. For pediatric dental services, call (201) 652-7020, and for orthodontist services you can reach us at (201) 652-7024.

Specialized dentistry for children and adolescents in a warm, caring and "child-friendly" environment.