I took my 8 year old to the dentist today for a check-up. One of our concerns was the brown discoloration on her two front teeth. The first question the dentist asked was "Is she a tea drinker?" (No). The second question stunned me, "Is she a swimmer?"
Apparently a few of his swim team patients over the years have experienced discoloration. It's not permanent (he was able to scrap her's off). He didn't explain the chemical reaction taking place.
I have never heard of this before, so I thought I'd put it up here. Have any of you had this experience either with yourselves or your kids? And can anyone explain what the chlorine/dental connection is or could be?
:coffee:
But there's a difference between "brown stains" and "severe erosion."
I think this article from the "Academy of General Dentistry" is more on point:
www.agd.org/.../Default.asp
"Athlete swimmers, who often swim laps more than six hours a week, expose their teeth to large amounts of chemically treated water. Pool water contains chemical additives like antimicrobials, which give the water a higher pH than saliva, causing salivary proteins to break down quickly and form organic deposits on swimmer's teeth.
The result is swimmer's calculus, hard, brown tartar deposits that appear predominantly on the front teeth. 'It's a common cosmetic condition among swimmers,' says AGD spokesperson J. Frank Collins, DDS, MAGD. Swimmers who notice the stains should talk to their dentist and perhaps increase their dental visits to three or four times a year, advises Dr. Collins."
But there's a difference between "brown stains" and "severe erosion."
I think this article from the "Academy of General Dentistry" is more on point:
www.agd.org/.../Default.asp
"Athlete swimmers, who often swim laps more than six hours a week, expose their teeth to large amounts of chemically treated water. Pool water contains chemical additives like antimicrobials, which give the water a higher pH than saliva, causing salivary proteins to break down quickly and form organic deposits on swimmer's teeth.
The result is swimmer's calculus, hard, brown tartar deposits that appear predominantly on the front teeth. 'It's a common cosmetic condition among swimmers,' says AGD spokesperson J. Frank Collins, DDS, MAGD. Swimmers who notice the stains should talk to their dentist and perhaps increase their dental visits to three or four times a year, advises Dr. Collins."
