Black stain on children’s teeth?

Is chromogenic bacteria the cause for black stain on children’s teeth?

Chromogenic bacteria is the primary cause for black stain on children’s teeth. We see it almost exclusively on children and it is fairly common.

What is chromogenic bacteria?

There are several species of bacteria that we all carry in the upper respiratory tract. They are anaerobic gram negative rod bacteria that form black colonies, which appears to us as black staining. It is unclear what role they play exactly in the forming of the stain. The lit review by Żyła 2015 in Biomed Res Int. finds Actinomyces spp play a role as well

Is chromogenic bacteria the cause for your child’s black stain on their teeth?

Most likely this is the cause but your dentist can say for sure. The appearance is pretty easy to diagnosis but some decay may look similar, so you should let a dentist diagnosis any black stain.

How do we remove the black stain from children’s teeth?

Your dentist can remove the stain with our cleaning instruments. This is not something that home products will be able to remove.

How do we prevent the black stain on children’s teeth from returning?

Without knowing the cause, prevention is difficult. If you find the cause then you may be able to eliminate the black stain. Some staining is from iron supplements which may be more beneficial than the staining is harmful. Iron fortified rice is another example of something that may cause the black satin on children’s teeth.

If the stain is from chromogenic bacteria, which is highly probable if it is not decay, then we do have ways to eliminate it. Some children have had luck using CloSys mouth rinse, as it targets sulfur producing bacteria. If the stain is from chromogenic bacteria, then oxygenating mouthwashes will get rid of it. Amosan or just hydrogen peroxide in the brown bottle will work.

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