Tooth Staining by Antibiotics

🌈Tetracycline 💊

🤒💊Prescribed for bacterial infections, such as cholera, plague, malaria, mycoplasma, chlamydia and syphilis.

🟨At high doses (>3 grams) and high durations of exposure (longer than 10 days), tetracycline combines with calcium during enamel formation and diffuse to the pulp. Once teeth erupt, they fluoresce a yellow hue under UV light.

🟫🟥 Overtime, as the erupted teeth react with light, the teeth darken to a brown, grey, or a burnt brown colour. ⬛In extreme cases, very dark stains with clear bands form.

👩‍🍼If taken during pregnancy, it can cross the placenta and cause yellow – gray – brown discolouration of primary teeth in the child.

❌To prevent the discolouration of permanent teeth, tetracycline is contraindicated for children from 3 months to 8 years old, when enamel formation takes place.

🌈Tigecycline 💊

🤒 Treats digest and skin infections

💊 Derived from the glycylcyline, tigecycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, with lower changes or resistance

🌈Oxytetracycline 💊

🤒 Treats chlamydia and acne

💊 Brand name is terramycin

🌈Minocycline 💊

🤒 Prescribed to treat acne vulgaris, rosacea and rheumatoid arthritis. Bacterial infections such as urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, skin infections. Other sexual diseases include chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, tick fever and others.

💊 Derived from tetracycline, it is a second line drug for people with penicillin allergies.

👩‍🍼Can pass into breast milk, affecting bone and tooth development in the baby or growing foetus.

🤢Unfortunately, in severe cases, this medication can cause skin rashes.

🟦When taken for longer durations, minocycline causes blue and white bands in the gum tissue, and blue bands in the incisal and middle third of the crown. This is because minocycline binds to the collagen containing tissue such as teeth and bone. When the surface of the teeth meets minocycline, saliva can also hold onto the antibiotic and stay in the gingival crevicular fluid.

🌈Treatments for Tooth Discolouration

🌈Bleaching trays using 10% carbamide peroxide

🌈Restorations such as veneers, crowns and composite bonding