Re: Cosmetic help for severe fluorosis

thatwave@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Thanks for the reply. As a young teenager, I was told it was
amelogenesis imperfecta. In fact, my dentist was excited to see a
"rare case". After a year or so, he changed his mind and decided it
was just a bad case of fluorosis. I've asked several other dentists
about amelogenesis and they've all decided it was fluorosis. Obviously
I'm not a dentist, so I'm not sure about the science behind why they
picked one over the other. It is interesting that you say not all
teeth would be affected by fluoride. The only teeth that look normal
are my wisdom teeth and they didn't come in until my late 20's. Could
they be normal because they were developing later? Also, I did grow up
in an area with more fluoride than normal in the water, and I have
always drank water almost exclusively. You mentioned that fluoride
would affect only the teeth mineralizing when I got too much fluoride,
but maybe it affected all of them because it was ongoing exposure?

I do have several teeth that are definitely in need of a crown because
they already have multiple fillings and there isn't much left to fill.
However, some of my teeth do not have cavities, they are just tiny,
mottled and stained. This includes my two front teeth, and I'd hate to
whittle them down for crowns before it is structurally necessary. In
the meantime, would caps or something else work for the teeth without
decay? Or is it true that they can't "stick" without at least some
decent enamel?

I ask all these questions because I just got a new insurance plan and
have to find a new dentist. I want to know all of my options so I can
discuss them. I've had so much dental work, and need so much more
every year... I think dentists are very happy to see me ;)


If the local water had that much fluoride I would expect a significant proportion of the local population to be similarly affected. OTOH, I believe most variants of amelogenesis imperfecta are inherited as an autosomal dominant, so at least one of your parents would have had a similar condition.
You don't need enamel for crowns per se; you need sufficient bulk for the crowns to be retained when cemented. The problem with teeth with little or no enamel is that they wear very rapidly, so usually much dentin is worn as well. Your dentists who see you are in a better position to help you.

Steve
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