mouth and dental disorders
Color Changes and Spots in the Mouth
Introduction
Color changes in the mouth may be caused by Bodywide (systemic) disease Mouth conditions Bodywide diseasesthat can cause color changes in the mouth include the following: Overview of Anemia (low blood count) may cause the lining of the mouth to be pale instead of the normal healthy reddish pink. Measles , a viral disease, can cause spots to form inside the cheeks. These spots, called Koplik spots, resemble tiny grains of grayish white sand surrounded by a red ring. Adrenal Insufficiency and certain cancers (such as In a person with AIDS, purplish patches caused by Kaposi Sarcoma may appear on the palate. Small red spots (called petechiae) on the palate (roof of the mouth) can be a sign of a blood disorder or Infectious Mononucleosis . that cause color change may or may not represent a problem. For example, white areas can appear anywhere in the mouth and often are simply food debris that can be wiped away. White areas may also be caused by cheek biting or by rubbing the cheeks or tongue on a sharp part of a tooth or dental filling. Various conditions may cause white areas (such as a yeast infection [ Candidiasis ]), thick white folds (a hereditary condition called white sponge nevus), a white line running along the inside of the cheek opposite the teeth (linea alba), or a grayish white area of the inside lining of the cheek (leukoedema). Persistent white areas should always be evaluated by a dentist or doctor because they may be an early sign of Mouth and Throat Cancer . Persistent red areas (called erythroplakia) may also be a sign of mouth cancer. Examples of color changes in the mouth include the following: The mouth may have dark blue or black areas due to silver amalgam from a dental filling, graphite from falling with a pencil in the mouth, or a mole. Heavy cigarette smoking can lead to dark brown or black discoloration (usually of the gums) called smoker’s melanosis. Brown areas in the mouth can be hereditary. For example, darkly pigmented areas are particularly common among dark-skinned and Mediterranean people. Food pigments, aging, and smoking may cause teeth to darken or yellow. Minocycline, an antibiotic, discolors bone, which may show through near the teeth as gray or brown. Children's teeth darken noticeably and permanently after even short-term use of tetracyclines (a class of antibiotic) by the mother during the second half of pregnancy or by the child during tooth development (specifically calcification of the crowns, which lasts until age 9). 