This article was written by a patient of Peak Family Dentistry & Orthodontics and originally appeared on Mom.me

The other day at my routine checkup, my dentist pointed out how I must have been sick as a child. I was a little surprised, so he immediately pulled up a photo to show me the spots and lines that had been caused by childhood illness and antibiotics use. As it turns out, there are a number of common things that can damage kids’ teeth, but luckily, most of them are completely avoidable

Here are some suggestions to help you take better care of your kid’s teeth.

1. Be Careful with Fevers

If you’ve ever noticed that someone’s teeth seem to have a white line going straight across them, it’s likely because they had a high fever or an acute infection when they were younger. Dr. Campbell, of Peak Family Dentistry and Orthodontics, points out that the etiology of hypomineralization of the enamel is not fully understood and that there are many studies going on, but some common factors believed to influence it are fever, the use of certain antibiotics (such as amoxicillin, tetracycline and doxycycline taken before the age of 8) during formations stages or having chicken pox between ages 3 and 4.

When children get sick, the theory goes, the body to redirect its resources to fighting the infection, meaning that the enamel temporarily stops forming. While some parents advocate letting kids run a fever as a natural cure, doing so can affect their teeth, so it might be worth reaching for the fever reducer if it goes on for more than a few hours, especially if the child has other factors that might affect their dental development, such as having been born preterm, poor health, systemic conditions, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis or low birth weight. (more…)