WHY ARE MY CHILD’S ADULT TEETH COMING IN YELLOW?

You may have noticed that when your child’s adult teeth begin to erupt, they come in darker and more yellow than baby teeth. Rest assured this most likely isn’t because your child’s teeth are stained or that they’re doing a poor job brushing.

Why Are Permanent Teeth More Yellow Than Baby Teeth?

When your child is around five or six years old, their deciduous teeth – also known as baby teeth – begin to fall out and are replaced by permanent adult teeth. This is an important time in their development, and you may notice your little one’s once pearly whites are now growing in a darker shade. If this is the case, don’t panic.

Permanent adult teeth have more dentin and are naturally darker than baby teeth. Enamel is slightly translucent, so the color of the dentin may show through. Permanent teeth also have larger nerve canals, and the teeth are more transparent when they erupt. The new permanent adult teeth seem more yellow than primary teeth because you are comparing them with the smaller, lighter baby teeth still in your child’s mouth. Over time, your child will lose their baby teeth, and their permanent teeth will lighten in color and look more uniform