We all have seen those blonde haired kids all of the sudden turn into green haired kids after months at the swimming pool. Have you ever noticed they have green teeth too? Of course not, however, if you are spending more that 6 hours in a pool each week, chances are your teeth are changing color. Although it is not a permanent yellowish or dark brown stain, it can be a bit disturbing since it mostly occurs on the front teeth.

What exactly happens?

Our Saliva is supersaturated with various ions and proteins keeping the acidity of the mouth within a certain range, typically pH 6.2–7.4. This prevents minerals in the dental hard tissues from dissolving..The optimal pH for a swimming pool is between 7.2 and 7.6, this is important to prevent bacteria from thriving in the water. If a particular pools pH remains on the higher end of the range, this can cause our salivary proteins to break down quickly and form organic “salts” or deposits on swimmer’s teeth. Unfortunately, this occurs primarily the front teeth .

So what do you do if this happens to you?

Regular visits to your dentist for an evaluation and cleaning will solve the problem and return your teeth to their normal, healthy color.

Be aware, just as acidic drinks and food can cause erosion of the protective enamel so can acidic pool water.