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:
Parents
Former Member
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."
This is fascinating! In the 80's my dentist told me I had swimmer's calculus. No dentist I've been to since had ever heard of it. My teeth are horrible--for 2 months prior to my next cleaning, I barely want to open my mouth. then I learned that I should be brushing BEHIND my front teeth as the staining moves forward, as well as brushing 30 seconds on each quadrant. I also upgraded my electric toothbrush. Result: cut staining down by about 70%. Next cleaning in July!
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."
This is fascinating! In the 80's my dentist told me I had swimmer's calculus. No dentist I've been to since had ever heard of it. My teeth are horrible--for 2 months prior to my next cleaning, I barely want to open my mouth. then I learned that I should be brushing BEHIND my front teeth as the staining moves forward, as well as brushing 30 seconds on each quadrant. I also upgraded my electric toothbrush. Result: cut staining down by about 70%. Next cleaning in July!
