• Does your child have white spots on their teeth?
  • Noticing white spots on your front teeth as an adult?
  • Do you have white stuff on your teeth near your gums?
  • Want to know how to get remove them?

Learn what white marks on teeth mean, what they tell you about your oral health, and what you’ll need to do as the best next step.

Should you worry about white spots on teeth? They might be permanent

Sometimes, white spots on teeth can cause concern, but it depends on the cause. In some cases, where white marks (white spot lesions) appear on the teeth near the gum line, it can be a sign of early tooth decay.

In instances like this, white spots appear on the teeth due to an accumulation of bacteria plaque, directly resulting from poor oral hygiene, like not brushing or flossing correctly.

When teeth enamel begins to break down, small holes or pits form. These pits fill with bacteria, causing teeth to appear white.

Patients can prevent white marks, but treating them naturally at home might not be possible if they already have them.

white spots on teeth photo

Causes of White Marks on Teeth

White marks on teeth have no one specific cause. However, in most cases, our dentists mostly find white spots on teeth caused by overexposure to fluorosis during key developmental years.

In this instance, too much exposure to fluorosis can cause white, brown or yellow spots to form on the teeth. Enamel hypoplasia is another condition where the tooth’s enamel does not develop properly.

However, the foods you eat, the medications you take, or how you look after your teeth can also play a part.

White marks caused by fluorosis

Fluorosis happens when patients ingest large quantities of fluoride (swallowing toothpaste, drinking overly fluoridated water and taking fluoride supplements) – the overconsumption can cause teeth to discolour, either making them appear chalky white, yellow or brown.

Teeth whitening will not be appropriate in this situation as bleaching can whiten the white spots even more, making them a lighter shade of white.

Removing the appearance of fluorosis is only possible with cosmetic procedures like dental bonding, veneers and crowns.

Brushing and flossing or even whitening won’t help here.

White marks caused by enamel hypoplasia

Enamel hypoplasia is a tooth defect that describes when the tooth’s enamel is thinner than normal, which can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, preterm births, trauma to teeth and other hereditary factors.

While minor enamel hypoplasia can be controlled with good oral hygiene, avoiding sugary foods and regular fluoride treatments, more severe forms are often treated with enamel microabrasion, dental bonding or veneers.

Review your options below:

  • Enamel microabrasion: Minimally invasive procedure which removes stains from the tooth’s enamel.
  • Composite bonding: Tooth-coloured resin applied to the tooth to conceal the spots.
  • Dental veneers: Porcelain overlays that cover the tooth and hide its imperfections.
White marks caused by demineralization

Demineralization is where there are white areas of decalcification of the tooth’s enamel, resulting in an accumulation of bacterial plaque.

The main cause of demineralization is down to poor oral hygiene and is more commonly seen in patients who wear braces.

White spots in this case are early cavities and can be reversed if patients take action quickly.

Typically, our dentists will recommend topic fluoride usage to promote reminieralisation, or we can use CCP-ACP to increase the calcium and phosphate levels.

Alternatively, we can use microabrasian to gently remove a thin layer of the enamel’s surface level.

How to Get Rid of White Spots on Teeth

  • Using composite resin
  • Managing tooth decay
  • Adjusting fluoride use

Treating white marks on teeth will depend on the cause of the lesions. 

If the spots appear small and are not very deep, teeth whitening can be used with at-home kits to conceal the problem. 

However, if decay is the cause, the best place to begin is with a dental check-up, as bigger and deeper spots will require more professional dental treatments.

 Below, we’ll break down the reasons for white spots and typical treatments used to get rid of them.