Yellowing Teeth in Three Year Old?

Updated on January 02, 2008
A.N. asks from Green Lane, PA
8 answers


My daughter is three, and I've noticed that her teeth have a yellowish tinge to them lately. I brush her teeth well twice a day, and she drinks mostly milk and water and has a healthy diet. Maybe this is normal aging of the teeth--she just doesn't have that white baby teeth look anymore. Any ideas why this would be? By the way, she has been seeing a dentist every six months since she was one year old, and her teeth are healthy.

This leads me to my second question. What toothpaste do you use for your preschooler? We still use the toddler toothpaste that is safe to swallow (no fluoride). Should we move up to the kid toothpaste? Should she be spitting out toothpaste at this age? I plan to speak to her dentist at her next checkup, but I just wanted to see what the other moms out there were doing.


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answers from Columbus on

Does she have frequent ear infections? Some antibiotics like amoxicillan cause yellowing of the teeth. L.



answers from Louisville on

Before the age of eight, children’s tooth enamel is still forming and therefore vulnerable to yellowing agents that could linger in their adult years. If children are given too much tetracycline (in an antibiotic for colds), their teeth can acquire a yellow-brown to gray-blue stain. Secondly, if children ingest a lot of fluoride (e.g. from swallowing toothpaste) they can get fluorosis, which causes chalky-white patches or lines on the teeth. Some dentists believe that children under 5 swallow nearly all of their toothpaste – so measure your child’s dose sparingly.



answers from Louisville on

I just took my 5 year old to the denist and they said that they yellow is normal and should go away. her two front teeth on the bottom are also crooked (sp).



answers from Lexington on

My daughter also had yellow teeth when she was younger but they are now fine as her adult teeth grow in BUT they still have a yellow tint to them. This is hereditary and will not improve. Try a new toothpaste. Have you asked your dentist about this? He/she may have an answer or a suggestion also.

Good luck!

WAHM to one



answers from Dayton on

hi A.,
the cause of the yellowing may just be from the amount of fluoride in your tap water.
as far as toothpaste, use whatever kind she likes if she is able to spit. if not, only use fluoride free. or, don't use it at all. it isn't even important for proper oral hygiene. just keep up with the brushing twice daily, and if she has any teeth that touch, make sure to floss between them regularly too!



answers from Detroit on

I just made the switch from the Oral-B (ages 2 and up) to Aquafresh Bubblemint, (also ages 2 and up). The Aquafresh seems to be doing a better job, maybe because it foams up like real toothpaste.

I have both a two and a four year old so they use the same paste. Yes they should be spitting at this age. ALthough you can't stop them from swallowing a little bit of the toothpaste. It's okay if they swallow a tiny bit but if they swallow gobs of it there is a problem. I think if she's brushing twice a day and spits most of the foam out she's fine.

Also, if her dentist hasn't expressed any concern about yellowing on her teeth I wouldn't worry too much. It's always a great idea to speak to a professional about any concerns or types of toothpaste.



answers from Cincinnati on

Hello A.,
You don't say if there is floride in your drinking water or not. My sister's 3 children all had discolored teeth and the dentist said it was due to the floride in the water.
She was really mad. Isn't floride suppose to protect your teeth. He said well it's a draw back. Brushing with floride was not the same and doesn't discolor teeth.
It also had something to do with enamel. My children (the youngest is only one year older than her oldest) never had the problem.



answers from Cincinnati on

Hi, A. --

Does your daughter like peanut butter? My girl is 3 and her teeth are yellowing a bit. My husband and she are big-time peanut butter sandwich eaters, and he has avowed that the pb oil discolors teeth. He's a big "let your teeth be their natural color" guy, so it doesn't bother him one bit, and I am not bothered for her because these are only her baby teeth.

She does brush her teeth every night, sometimes 2x daily, and we do use a flouride paste... I think it's made by Aquafresh. We insist that she does the "swish and spit" to rinse and spit out the paste, but I am still not sure how much she swallows. She knows it's poisonous and she should not swallow it.

Hopefully, it's just the favorite American sandwich yellowing your daughter's teeth ;)!


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