Teeth should, ideally, be white or off-white. But the colour should be uniform across the surface of the tooth's enamel. White spots that develop on your enamel can, in fact, be a sign of the tooth's poor health—which will only get worse until your dentist intervenes.

Micro-Cavities

A white spot that develops on a tooth can be a micro-cavity. The tooth's enamel is experiencing demineralisation, generally caused by the acidic effects of food and drink that you've consumed (with some foods and drinks obviously being much worse than others in this respect), along with cariogenic bacteria (the oral microorganisms that erode your teeth, causing cavities). It's smart to regularly inspect your teeth in the mirror, allowing you to spot these micro-cavities while they aren't a major issue.

Dental Fillings

Filling a cavity is one of the most common dental services that your local clinic will perform, but for the sake of your dental health, they'd prefer to intervene before the cavity needs to be filled. The good thing about micro-cavities is that they don't need to be filled. The bad thing is that without seeing your dentist, it's practically inevitable that a micro-cavity won't continue to develop—breaching your dental enamel, as opposed to remaining superficial.

Fortifying Your Enamel

A white spot on your tooth is a sign that you need to schedule an appointment with your dentist. It's not an emergency, but it's not in your best interests to delay your appointment either. At this stage of deterioration, your dentist will want to remineralise the deficient area, which fortifies the enamel, prevents further decay and spares you from needing a filling.

Remineralising Your Tooth 

Remineralisation is typically achieved with a fluoride treatment. Your dentist will simply apply a fluoride varnish to the site, allow it to dry, and will then direct you to rinse and spit. Subsequent appointments to assess the micro-cavity (along with additional fluoride treatments) may prove to be necessary. Some patients may also benefit from a sealant applied to the tooth, and this is a transparent latex-like material (made of synthetic monomer) painted onto the tooth to form an extra barrier of protection.

Remember that a micro-cavity won't stay micro for long, and once a certain level of demineralisation has occurred, the process becomes irreversible, meaning that you'll need to have the cavity filled. White teeth are generally healthy teeth, but white spots on teeth can be a sign of impending trouble, which requires help from your dentist.

For more information, reach out to local dental services.

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