White spots on finger nails and teeth - lack of calcium?

I don't know about teeth but apparently white spots on the fingernails are more likely to be due to knocks etc. (normal for a toddler I would have thought!) than any vitamin or mineral deficiency - that's for adults though, it might well be totally different for young'uns.

Im not sure if it is either, but my son has white spots on his teeth & the dentist said it was caused by to much antibiotics when he was younger. He even knew that the antibiotics were for chest infections.

I just looked on a dental website and it says that some children develop white spots on their teeth as they're developing. It can be down to too much fluoride, but I would have thought that would affect more than one tooth.

I thought the finger nails one was related to zinc. <heads back to google> I would have thought knocks would be more likely though in a toddler.

This site reckons the deficiency thing is rubbish for nails...

www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA350576

Thanks everyone. She has only had 2 lots of antibiotics (both for chest infections) in her life time. So wouldnt think it would be because of that. She is a very wild toddler and loves jumping around so knocks are very likely.

Tweek - it was zinc I was thinking of now you said. With the fluoride - she may have more on the other teeth but she hates opening her mouth to show her teeth so I couldnt really have a good look. What could cause that? (clueless icon needed)

Thanks

Its nothing to do with calcium. This explains it

https://www.thehealthboard.com/what-causes-white-spots-on-fingernails.htm

HTH

Disclaimer here to say that I am not a dentist, just giving you the information I have been told!

I would have thought it would be unlikely that it's down to too much fluoride unless you're using a v high fluoride toothpaste in addition to your water supply being treated with fluoride. If you look at the toothpaste you're using there's a number in the ingredients. Baby toothpaste is usually 500 (can't find the symbol but it's micrograms I think), children's toothpaste is usually around 1000 and adult, premium toothpaste is usually about 1500. If your water supply has fluoride in it and you're using a high fluoride toothpaste there's a chance (not high I wouldn't think) that the could get too much. I know I had mottled teeth because there was too much fluoride in the water where I grew up.

I think it would be pretty unlikely this would be the cause, much more likely the developmental thing or the antibiotics.

Thanks everyone.

Mattdonna - will have a look at the link in a mo.

Tweek - thanks for that. Food for thought!

Sam