Decalcifications
Decalcifications
White spots are dental enamel defects visible on the surface of teeth. They are milky white in colour and stand out against the translucent colour of surrounding healthy enamel. White spots can be big and small in size and often affect teeth exposed when you smile, making them a cause of aesthetic discomfort.
What are the causes?
White enamel spots can appear for a number of reasons:
- diet (frequent consumption of acidic fizzy drinks, lemon or citrus fruit juices, fluorisis, namely excessive fluoride intake due to supplements, foods or drinks, foods rich in simple sugars)
- poor oral hygiene
- mouth dehydration (which occurs in smokers, mouth breathers and subjects taking medication which causes reduced salivation as a side effect)
- dental enamel development problems (enamel hypoplasia, MIH)
- gastric reflux or coeliac disease
- orthodontic treatments.
Why do they form?
Aforementioned conditions can cause decalcification (or a lack of calcification during dental development) of enamel, a condition that results in white spot formation.
Why treat it?
White spots are more than just unsightly. They are a sign of a defect in the structure of dental enamel, namely a lack of the mineral substance it usually contains, either due to its depletion or failure to form in the first place.
What does treatment involve?
White spot pretreatment is followed by the application of a highly fluid transparent resin which penetrates the lesion. This substance replenishes what is lacking in decalcified areas, “filling” them to reinforce the demineralised structure of the white spot, reducing their visibility and ultimately making them disappear altogether.
With the aim of achieving the best aesthetic result possible, often it can be useful to associate the aforementioned procedure with a whitening treatment of the dental arch.
Our surgery
For years, treating white spots and achieving improved aesthetics was impossible without resorting to invasive methods in cases of severely compromised dental health (fitting of capsule/ veneers). Thanks to the most recent technologies we offer our patients, it is now possible to treat white spots in a single session at the dentist’s. Treatment is painless and rapid, making it suitable even for phobic or young patients.
