My nephew has discovered white vertical lines on some of his teeth Any ideas wha!
Question: He is 15 and tends to eat the wrong things. We think it could be vitamin related, or the lack of. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Answers: He is 15 and tends to eat the wrong things. We think it could be vitamin related, or the lack of. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
It depends on exactly what the lines look like. Do they almost look like mini "cracks"? That is, if you shine a light behind them, do they look darker and almost like the enamel is slightly cracked there? If so, that is a normal process called "crazing." Just like many ceramic glazes that you see on bowls or porcelain may have hundreds of tiny cracks in them, the same thing happens with enamel, which is the hard outer coating of your teeth. It does not mean the tooth is at risk for fracturing, but does mean that your nephew may be putting a lot of stress on his teeth and may want to see a dentist about why that's happening.
If the vertical lines look white and opaque, they could be from ingesting a lot of fluoride when he was younger (called "fluorosis") or the result of disruptions when he was developing, such as early use of some antibiotics or malnutrition. However, if they have just recently started showing up and they look chalky white, he should probably see a dentist. It may be a sign of early decay.
By the way, Teeth are NOT bone. Your teeth do indeed sit inside the bone in your upper and lower jaw, but they are actually made out of entirely different substances. The outermost enamel layer is stronger and more calcified than bone, whereas the inner layer, called dentin, is softer and more organic. (The inner layer is much more prone to decay if bacteria make it get through the enamel.) The innermost layer is called pulp, and that's where all the nerves and blood vessels are.
Good luck!
maybe lack of calcium. teeth are bones.
he should drink milk
he may grind his teeth at night. or it's a vidamin deficiency. I have very, very tiny lines in mine and thats what my dentist told me.