Dr, Sam can u answer this one?

if a patient comes to you with white spots on his teeth, now they could be caries or fluorosis, how do u establish which one it is??

Dr, Sam can u answer this one?
%26quot;We can tell.%26quot; Fluorosis still exists, usually due to incorrect dosing prescribed by antiquated physicians. The dosing was changed in about 1975 or earlier, but it%26#039;s a %26quot;minor%26quot; item, so %26quot;real doctors%26quot; didn%26#039;t all pay attention. It can also happen as a result of inconsistent water usage or errors in municipal water supplies.





Fluorosis is HARD tooth structure that is generally white in color. In more extreme cases, it is sort of butterscotch and in the worst cases, it will actually make pits on the enamel. The key thing is that it is hard to the touch of an instrument. The location and pattern are different from typical incipient decay.





Incipient carious lesions are chalky white opaque areas on the teeth, generally right along the gum line. They would look the same in between your teeth, but they are hidden from view. The surface texture is definitely softer than normal tooth structure, even though you may not be able to penetrate the surface with an instrument.





These days, electronic caries detecting devices (Diagnodent and others) can be used to distinguish the difference if there is any question, although a dentist generally can tell from experience which is which.
Reply:I am not Dr. Sam nor am I a Dentist but white spots on the teeth as opposed to the gums may be from problems other than dental caries or fluorosis (as you spell this correctly I wonder if you have some background in dentistry). Caries generally do not appear as white spots on the teeth. Fluorosis has been uncommon for some time in the US. There are other conditions some of which are serious which may cause this and the only way to know is to see a Dentist.



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