Where Dental Pit Stains Come From

Have you heard us discuss that your teeth have some dental pit staining? We may make mention of this during one of your exams. If you are worried about what exactly that means, no need to worry. They are simply stains within little pores of your teeth.

In most cases, they are not anything you need to worry about. So long as you come in and see us every six months, we will just keep an eye on them. Most people have them, and they do not lead to any type of problem.

Origins of Dental Pit Stains

Most dental pit stains come from the foods we eat or beverages we consume. Foods like beets and curries often leave stains behind on our teeth. Drinks like tea and sports drinks can also leave stains behind after we consume them. Those stains can be on any part of our teeth once they set in, from the spaces between our teeth to the most visible surfaces in our mouth, even to those little pores in our teeth. That is where those pit stains come from. It is not a cavity, but instead, like a small crater.

The inside of that crater is stained by these items, and you have little marks on your teeth when they are looked at during an exam. In nearly all cases, we simply keep track of dental pit stains. They are not decaying, nor are they painful. If we ever notice a sign that anything more is happening with your dental pit stain, we will treat it then.

However, until we actually see signs that your tooth is in danger, we will clean it, seal it if necessary, and leave it alone. For more information on dental pit stains, feel free to call our office and we can explain them further.