Mold does not grow on healthy teeth in the way it grows on a damp bathroom wall. When people search for “mold on teeth,” they have usually noticed a dark spot, a black line near the gums, or a white coating in the mouth, and wondered whether it is a fungus. Almost always, it is something else: stain, tartar, decay or a yeast infection. Black mold in your home can still affect your oral health, though. The link is indirect, and it runs through your breathing and your saliva.
Below, I explain what that spot or coating is most likely to be, how mold exposure can raise the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, how to deal with mold on dentures, retainers and night guards, and when it is worth having a specialist take a look.
Looking for a dental mold, meaning an impression of your teeth? That is a different thing entirely. At-home mold kits and impression trays are used to make whitening trays, mouth guards and retainers, and most practices now take a digital dental impression with an intraoral scanner instead of putty.
Can Mold Actually Grow On Your Teeth?
Your mouth is full of microorganisms, and the overwhelming majority are bacteria. Dental plaque is a bacterial film, and it is bacteria that feed on sugar and produce the acid that dissolves enamel. Filamentous molds, the kind that form fuzzy colonies in a damp basement, do not settle and grow on healthy teeth. Saliva is constantly moving, washing and buffering the surfaces of your teeth, and your immune system is at work in the gum tissue around them.
The fungus you do find in the mouth is Candida, a yeast rather than a mold. Most people carry small amounts of it without any problem. It becomes a problem when it overgrows, which causes oral thrush. That tends to happen after a course of antibiotics, with inhaled steroids, with dry mouth, with poorly fitting or poorly cleaned dentures, and in people with diabetes or a weakened immune system. Thrush shows up as creamy white patches on the tongue, cheeks or palate, not as black spots on the teeth.
What That Dark Spot Or Coating Is Most Likely To Be
If you can see something on your teeth that looks like mold, one of these is far more likely:
- Black stain. A thin, dark line that follows the gum line, often on the inside of the teeth. It is caused by pigment-producing bacteria in plaque and is not a sign of poor health. It usually will not brush off, but a professional cleaning removes it.
- Tartar (calculus). Hardened plaque that picks up stain and turns yellow, brown or black, especially below the gum line. Tartar under the gums is a sign of gum disease and needs professional cleaning.
- Tooth decay. A cavity can look brown or black, particularly in the grooves of back teeth or between teeth. A dark spot that feels rough, catches floss or is sensitive to sweets or cold should be checked.
- Surface stain. Coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco can leave brown or dark marks on enamel, especially on teeth that are hard to clean.
- A darkened tooth. A single tooth that turns grey or dark after an injury may have a damaged nerve inside and needs an X-ray.
- Old fillings or dental work. Silver fillings can show through and darken the tooth around them, and staining can collect at the edge of an old crown.
- Black hairy tongue. A dark, furry coating on the tongue rather than the teeth, caused by overgrowth of the tiny projections on the tongue’s surface. It is harmless and usually clears with tongue brushing.
A white, fuzzy or cottage-cheese-like coating that wipes off and leaves a red, sore area underneath is the pattern that points to thrush. That is a yeast infection, and it needs treatment from a doctor or dentist with an antifungal medicine.
The Relationship Between Black Mold And Tooth Decay
“Black mold” usually refers to Stachybotrys chartarum and similar dark molds that grow on drywall, carpet, insulation and ceiling tiles after water damage. Mold spores do not travel to your teeth and start a cavity. The connection between black mold and tooth decay is indirect, and it works like this.
When you inhale mold spores, they irritate the lining of your nose, sinus cavity and throat. Many people react with sneezing, a runny or blocked nose and extra mucus. When nasal congestion goes on for weeks or months, you start breathing through your mouth, especially at night. Mouth breathing dries the mouth out and reduces saliva production.
Saliva is essential to protecting your teeth. It washes away food, neutralizes the acids that bacteria produce, and carries calcium and phosphate that help repair early damage to enamel. With less of it, the bacteria that cause cavities have more time on the tooth surface, increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. That is why ongoing dry mouth, whatever the cause, is taken seriously in dentistry. The same chain of events can make thrush more likely, because Candida thrives when saliva is low.
So black mold can cause tooth decay in the sense that it can set off a chain of events that raises your risk. It is not a direct cause, and fixing the moisture problem in your home, treating the congestion and protecting your teeth while it resolves all matter.
Symptoms Of Mold Exposure
The health effects of mold exposure are mostly respiratory and allergic. Common symptoms include:
- A stuffy or runny nose and sneezing
- Coughing, wheezing or chest tightness
- Itchy, watery or red eyes
- Skin irritation or a rash
- A sore or scratchy throat
People with asthma, mold allergies, chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system are at increased risk of developing more severe symptoms, including asthma attacks and, rarely, lung infections. Some molds also produce mycotoxins, which are toxic compounds and not the same thing as spores. If you have symptoms you think are linked to mold in your home or workplace, see your physician. In your mouth, the signs to watch for are a persistently dry mouth, morning dryness from breathing through your mouth at night, new cavities and gums that bleed more easily.
How To Protect Your Teeth If You Have Been Exposed To Mold
- Deal with the source. Mold growth needs moisture and a food source such as drywall or carpet. Fix leaks, dry wet areas within a day or two, use ventilation in bathrooms and kitchens, and get professional remediation for large areas. Your local health department can advise on mold in your home.
- Treat the congestion. See your physician about ongoing sinus or allergy symptoms so you can breathe through your nose again.
- Keep your mouth moist. Sip water through the day, use a humidifier at night, chew sugar-free gum and limit alcohol, which dries the mouth.
- Strengthen your enamel. Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth daily and cut back on sugary snacks and drinks.
- Keep your regular cleanings. Your hygienist can remove stain and tartar and spot early decay before it needs more than a filling.
Black Mold On Dentures, Retainers And Night Guards
Unlike teeth, removable appliances can grow mold. Dentures, partials, retainers, mouth guards, whitening trays and night guards for teeth grinding (bruxism) are made from acrylic and other polymers that hold moisture and scratch easily, and they often spend hours in a closed case. If an appliance goes into a case wet and dirty, black or green spots can appear on it, and the case itself can grow mold too. The same applies to children’s sippy cups, bottle valves and pacifiers, which should be taken apart and dried between uses.
Dentures also carry Candida. A denture worn day and night, or one that is not cleaned well, can lead to denture stomatitis, a red, inflamed area of the gums under the denture, most often on the palate. It is usually painless, which is why people miss it.
To keep appliances clean and dry:
- Take dentures out at night, unless your provider has told you otherwise.
- Brush the appliance every day with a soft brush and a non-abrasive cleaner. Regular toothpaste scratches acrylic and gives plaque and yeast more places to settle.
- Soak it in a denture or appliance cleanser as directed, then rinse it before it goes back in your mouth.
- Do not soak partial dentures or appliances with metal parts in bleach, which can corrode the metal.
- Wash and dry the case, and let it air out regularly.
- Replace a mouth guard or night guard that has black spots you cannot remove. A custom-fit guard is an inexpensive item compared with the problem it prevents.
For people who are tired of cleaning and soaking a denture, dental implants change the equation. Implant-retained overdentures still come out for cleaning but sit much more securely, and a fixed full-arch bridge such as All-on-4™ stays in and is cleaned in place like natural teeth. An upper full-arch bridge on implants typically leaves the palate uncovered, which is where denture stomatitis usually develops. If you wear a denture and struggle with fit, sore spots or irritation, it is worth reading about the long-term effects of full dentures and about what heavy use of denture adhesive can do.
How To Get Rid Of “Mold” On Your Teeth
It depends on what it actually is, which is why the first step is a proper look.
- Black stain and surface stain are removed by professional cleaning and polishing. Better home care slows their return.
- Tartar cannot be brushed off. Above the gums, a routine cleaning removes it. Below the gums, it is a sign of gum disease and needs deep cleaning or periodontal treatment.
- Tooth decay needs a filling, and larger cavities may need a crown or a root canal. A tooth too badly damaged to save can be replaced, and a dental implant is the tooth replacement that behaves most like a natural tooth.
- Oral thrush is treated with antifungal medicine from your physician or dentist, along with addressing the cause, whether that is dry mouth, an inhaler technique or a denture that needs better cleaning.
Avoid scraping at dark spots with sharp objects, whitening kits or bleach. You can damage enamel and gum tissue and miss a cavity that needs attention.
When To See A Specialist
Book an exam if a dark spot does not brush off, if a spot feels rough or is sensitive, if your gums bleed, look puffy or are pulling back from your teeth, or if you have had a dry mouth for more than a few weeks. See your physician for white patches that keep coming back or for respiratory symptoms you suspect are linked to mold. As periodontists, my colleagues and I focus on the gums and bone that hold your teeth in place, so we see the effects of long-term dry mouth, tartar build-up and gum disease every day. If you are concerned, book a consultation online with our team or call us at (347) 493-2439.
