I had a friend in middle school who was relentlessly teased because of a stained central incisor. By the time she was 13 she was known around school as “Dead Tooth.” The teasing, and the way she felt about her appearance, kept her from participating in a lot of activities she enjoyed. She didn’t think she was “pretty enough” to try out for the school play and although several teachers advised her to run for class president, she refused out of fear of even more teasing.
I don’t know what caused the stain on my friend’s tooth, but I do know that it damaged her self-esteem and limited her life experience.
As an adult I hear parents talk about their children’s teeth dismissively. As though a crooked smile or discolored teeth don’t matter. In the scheme of things, of course, these “flaws” may be minor, but they do have an impact on how children feel about themselves and how they interact with the world…and may affect how they live as adults.
I’ve also heard those same parents say that it’s ridiculous to spend money on whitening for a child; and, of course, they also worry that it might be harmful. Dentist’s also worry about providing this treatment for young children, out of concern that their large dental pulps may cause extreme sensitivity. The truth is, research doesn’t point to any cut off age for whitening. You can learn more about this at KöR Whitening’s blog on the topic, but here are a few takeaways:
- Young, large, healthy, and highly vascular pulps are better equipped to deal with peroxide irritation that may accompany whitening than the older, narrower, and fibrous pulps of adults.
- The teeth of children under age 16 years whiten quickly and are easily maintained.
- KöR whitening suggests age 14 years as ideal for whitening.
It’s easy to dismiss how our children feel about their appearance, because to us they’re all beautiful. But teasing about one’s appearance can be very damaging. Parents and dentists should listen to what young people tell us about how they feel about themselves and make evidence-based decisions about how to help them.
KöR Whitening offers a variety of evidence-based systems to meet the needs of any patient—young or old.