All You Need to Know About Enamel Hypoplasia

Enamel Hypoplasia is a thing that happens over a long period of time when the enamel of a tooth does not form as it should. If you want to know how to treat, prevent and what causes enamel hypoplasia, you are going to have to know a little about a tooth’s enamel. How tooth enamel works and why it doesn’t form correctly.

Tooth Enamel Explained

The enamel is there to protect the soft and sensitive part of the tooth inside. Think of the enamel as a shield that protects the soft part of the teeth. Tooth enamel is one of the hardest parts of the body. This enamel also helps so that you can eat ice cream or hot stew without having to suffer from the pain. It coats the soft part of the tooth to hide it from cold, or heat and germs.

Additionally, the enamel is there to take any impact away from the soft part inside. Like when you chew a piece of ice or hard candy. The only one crappy part about the enamel is that the enamel is completely or above 90% made out of minerals. These minerals can dissolve in acidic environments.

Our mouths are an acidic environment. This is because when we eat things such as candy or a sweet fruit, the bacteria that we have in our mouth changes that candy or fruit into lactic acid. This lactic acid can eat away at the enamel of teeth. Thus, destroying the protective layer and if that protective layer is off it cannot grow back.

Consequently, a good oral hygiene routine is very important from a very young age.
If you don’t do that, you may be suffering from Enamel Hypoplasia.

What is Enamel Hypoplasia

Enamel Hypoplasia does not just take one sort of form it can be seen as lines in the teeth, grooves or pits. These grooves and pits can vary in size. The size of them will depend on how bad your or your child’s Enamel Hypoplasia is. If the enamel is not completely over the teeth or tooth, it is a starting point for the decay of the teeth as the tooth or teeth are left vulnerable without the enamel.

Enamel Hypoplasia can be found in adult and baby teeth. However, if a child gets Enamel Hypoplasia, it typically starts at age three. As baby teeth grow, the enamel is still weak, so, sometimes it tears and then it leaves the teeth or tooth vulnerable to get damaged at a very early age.

There are two main causes that attribute to Enamel Hypoplasia and they are: hereditary and environmental.

Hereditary

Genetic Enamel Hypoplasia means that if the baby teeth have Enamel Hypoplasia the adult teeth will have it as well. Enamel has three phases that it goes through when developing. These three stages are – formation – mineralization- and maturation.

If one of these phases is skipped, then it is seen as hereditary Enamel Hypoplasia. If this process is not completely developed than the teeth are full of cracks, very brittle, soft and very easy worn down. If a child has hereditary enamel hypoplasia, then there is no way that it can ever be prevented. The only thing that can be done is to treat the teeth or tooth that are showing signs of malformation.

Environmental

Environment Enamel Hypoplasia can be prevented in a way; it is caused due to environmental changes. Pediatric Dentistry says that depending on the environment that the child grows up or lives in, it can change the enamel of the teeth or affect the enamel. Environment changes are generally caused a few months after birth, in the womb of the mother or during the birth of the baby.

Here are some of the causes why Enamel Hypoplasia happens:

• Baby is born too early, premature baby.
• If there is an injury during birth.
• Baby might be too light in weight.
• Having a prolonged delivery.
• Due to a viral infection and bacteria. For example, chickenpox, syphilis, measles or other illnesses.
• Having vitamin deficiencies or malnutrition. Vitamins A, C, and D are most common.
• Might have an infection that causes long-lasting vomiting and diarrhea.

These causes can happen when the baby is born but it also can happen before the baby is even born. If the mother has developed an illness that gives high fever, then the baby is also at risk of having Enamel Hypoplasia. There are also different infections that if the mother has it when she is carrying the baby, can cause environments Enamel Hypoplasia.

If the baby is a healthy baby and he or she still has Enamel Hypoplasia, then it is commonly caused by trauma to the newly developing teeth or the mouth. The best decision is having an appointment with a family dentist, who can diagnose the cause and give you a right treatment.