Hello Good36,
I am mainly a lurker here and very new to the Kitchen Table forum.
I have taken Tetracycline when I was a teenager, for skin and acne issues. I took it for 2 years but I did not notice any yellow or graying of my teeth. My teeth have always seemed slightly yellow, for what ever reason.
I thought Tetracycline was used mainly for skin issues, I never knew it was/could also be used for ear infections. have you looked up the side effects on the internet to see if yellowing or graying of your teeth really is an side effect?

HMCL, news came out about Tetracycline while my daughter was a child. I should say around then was the first I heard of it. You would have been too old for that side effect because it mainly affects children and fetuses during pregnancy.

Judy, I don't understand your doc giving it to you for those reasons. My understanding was Tetracycline works to prevent infection but cannot clear an existing one. Patients are given it post-op and post oral surgeries, mainly procedures that might be susceptible afterward.

Judy, that happened to my sister also.

Homemade: yes, Tetracycline can be used for many different bacterial infections, not just the ones you've heard of, and discoloration is a possible side effect.

Judy: yes, I was given tetracycline as a child and my teeth are yellow as well. I've thought about some of the tooth whitening products, but wasn't sure if they'd work on me or not. If I get brave enough to try, I'll let you know how it comes out :-)

From RXlist.com:

THE USE OF DRUGS OF THE TETRACYCLINE CLASS DURING TOOTH DEVELOPMENT (LAST HALF OF PREGNANCY, INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD TO THE AGE OF 8 YEARS) MAY CAUSE PERMANENT DISCOLORATION OF THE TEETH (YELLOW-GRAY-BROWN). This adverse reaction is more common during long-term use of the drugs but it has been observed following repeated short-term courses. Enamel hypoplasia has also been reported. TETRACYCLINE DRUGS, THEREFORE, SHOULD NOT BE USED IN THIS AGE GROUP, EXCEPT FOR ANTHRAX, INCLUDING INHALATIONAL ANTHRAX (POST-EXPOSURE), UNLESS OTHER DRUGS ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE EFFECTIVE OR ARE CONTRAINDICATED.

ps: bleh - trying to link the wikipedia to tetracycline but GW keeps rejecting it, saying it's not valid. Here it is for those who care to cut and paste:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetracycline_antibiotics

I took tetracycline as a teenager, for acne. I quit after a while. My teeth don't look yellow. I believe the yellowing can be found only in those who took tetracycline as young children,when the permanent teeth are still developing.

My daughter took it for a long long time for a recurring kidney/urinary tract infection...They kept her on it for an extended period because the minute she came off of meds she would get an infection....she does however have beautiful teeth.

Apparently they gave it to me, too, my dentist told me that last time I was in there. They can be bleached, but it will take a longer than usual amount of time because the entire tooth will have to bleach, not just the surface. He predicted about a year. Since I'm not getting veneers anytime soon, I may end up having to do it. My teeth aren't horrible but they sure aren't white enough for me.

I was a sickly kid in the '50s but they gave me penicillin during the time my secondary teeth were forming.

They switched me to to tetracycline when I was a little older, usually for bronchitis, and I had it many times.

It stopped working and they started using other antibiotics.

I know a lot of people my age who do have that little grey band on their teeth from tetracycline. I don't think bleaching changes it, only something like veneers or caps (expensive).

I think we notice things like that in our own appearance more than other people do.

Oops -- I just re-read flamey's post, and she says they can bleach the teeth but it takes a longer time. Good to know.

I didn't, but Mom did when she was pregnant with me.

Yellow teeth.

I took it when I was pregnant with DD, and her teeth were always very dark. She has crowns now and the whitest, prettiest teeth you ever saw. She cried at the dentist's office and called me as soon as she looked at them afterwards.

me too!Not much has been successful wither. I have had my teeth bleached and they still returned to the yellow..Kathy

My niece took the drug, she's 44 now, and her teeth were a gray color. About 5 years ago, she had veneers put on the 4 front teeth. She is so happy with her teeth now, the gray discoloration bothered her so much.

bestlawn'

Tetracycline is used for many types of infections. I took it 35+ years ago before my permanet teeth were formed. That is why they are the color they are. There is a lot of information on this. I am not questioning why my teeth are grey, just wondered if others had it too. My entire tooth is discolored not just the "outside". Bummer to say the least. I envy white teeth but not going to spend the big bucks for veneers or caps. Insurance won't cover them.
Judy

Here is my story

I took Minocycline (Minocin) a member of the Tetracycline family for many years as an adult, not child, for skin problems. My doctor NEVER mentioned to me that it might cause discoloration on and inside my body.

A few years back while out to dinner with a friend, he asked me why the whites of my eyes were grayish-blue. By that time I had already noticed that my teeth were starting to look very "dingy". I stopped smiling and kept conversations to a minimum to keep my teeth out of sight. I also noticed that the cartilage on my ears were blue-gray.

Then I started noticing that when I bumped myself hard enough to get a bad bruise, sometimes the bruise never went away. As such, I still have a bruise above my knee from when I smacked it real hard back in 1996!

I broke my ankle in 1998 and had surgery to pin it back together. No problems with discoloration until a year later when I asked to have the hardware removed. It healed with a bruise-like area that completely encircles the surgery site and it is still visible.

Three years ago I broke down and got veneers on ten of my front teeth at a cost of $1,500 per tooth. I now have a beautiful $15,000 smile. And I share it with everyone I meet.

Two years ago I had a hysterectomy. At that point I had finally figured out why all the bruising, bluish whites of my eyes, ears and teeth. I had done hours and hours of research online and told my Dermatologist of 15 years, my findings. He was a bit skeptical, so I gave him printouts of what I found. I then showed him my new $15,000 teeth, but did not smile. He just shrugged his shoulders and put me on different antibiotics.

I told my Gynecologist about the whole issue and explained to him I wanted to be off Minocin for at least thee months before he performed the hysterectomy and take lots of vitamin C which helps with bruising. He said that was fine with him.

During the surgery, when he opened me up, he was greeted by a big blue cavern. All of my ligaments he told me were blue. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel gathered around to witness it. Â sigh

My healthcare provider finally hired another Dermatologist so six months ago I changed to her. I gave her a condensed version of my story and she was amazed my previous doctor (her new colleague) had not noticed or understood what was causing all the bluing and bruising. She then looked at my ears and politely asked if she could take photos of them. With each click of the camera, she apologized again and again. I told her if the pictures get into a medical journal and help other people, IÂm good with it.

So thatÂs my story. My teeth look great now but I could have bought a new car or a facelift for what they cost. The discoloration around the scar on my ankle has faded some. The bruise on my knee is almost gone now. My ears and whites of my eyes are still "bluish" but I donÂt *think* anyone would notice unless I pointed it out or you got up close and stared at my eyes. I hope that doesnÂt the next time I meet a KTer. LOL

Jodi- who may be "blue" but she's happy!