Sue G in PA Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My dh just noticed that my 2yo has major decay on his 2 front teeth, near the gumline. It's like all brown and rotted away. That is the part that is under his lip, even when he smiles so we don't see it. KWIM? We brush his teeth regularly and have never noticed it! It is rotted away and I see spots on the teeth next 2 the two front teeth as well! Tiny, but there! I'm shocked and terrified! Has anyone ever had experience with this? He is seeing a dentist on Fri. (earliest appt. we could get). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xuzi Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My now-4.5 year old had decay on the *backs* of his front teeth, that we didn't notice until it had gotten to the point where the front of the tooth looked translucent (grayish instead of white). Unfortunately, our dentist told us that when a toddler has decay that's *that* bad, they don't do fillings because there's too much of a risk of infection if they don't get absolutely *all* of the decay out, and there's no way of telling how far up into the tooth it went. They don't want the decay to spread up into the developing adult teeth, and also don't want to risk the child getting an infection, so they take the teeth out. It was terrifying for me as a parent, because it meant general anestesia (how can you expect a 2 year old to hold still for a procedure like that?) and he has now been 2 years without his two front teeth, and he's probably got another 2 years to go before his adult front teeth grow in. It's embarassing for me, because we always get asked what happened to his teeth, and I feel like such an awful parent for admitting they were too badly decayed to fix with a filling. (and we brush daily as well) The one "bright spot", is that because it was his two very front teeth, he won't need any special spacers or anything to make sure his teeth stay straight as he would need if it were one of the side teeth that had to be removed. Hopefully your DS's teeth aren't *that* bad, but be prepared to face the possibility of oral surgury. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 DS2 just had his first filling on Monday. He had a very small, shallow hole on the front of one of his incisors. We used Versed for sedation and very glad we did. No problems, no Novocaine required. He didn't cry at all (normally a very dramatic child) and has no memory of the procedure. The only downside is that the sedation medicine cost $190 out of pocket, as insurance wouldn't cover it. Oh, and carrying a dead-weight 35 lb. toddler to the car in the snow and ice is NOT easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Just curious, did you drink soda during your pregnancy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Both of my kids had that. Both had dental surgery under general anesthesia which is not as scary as it sounds. My son ended up with 3 caps and a missing tooth. A few years later one of the other front teeth had to be removed due to infection. My daughter still has all of her front teeth although the dentist recommended taking them out. Both needed work on their molars as well. They've inherited my tendency for cavities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Never drank soda during pregnancy (at least not daily...occasionally maybe). He was never given a bottle to fall asleep with. But, we do give him juice before bed. Guess we will stop that. We brush his teeth morning and night but have never noticed this. Even when he smiles his lips cover the decay. It's about 1/3 of his tooth that is BROWN and rotted away! I don't want my beautiful baby to lose his front teeth before the adult teeth come in. And I don't want his adult teeth to be rotted b/c of this! I can't handle this today. Dh leaving to go out of town, already feel like a cruddy mom and so beaten down. I just want to cry. I just can't do this right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I've never heard of soda during pregnancy causing this but there is tons of research showing antibiotics in pregnancy can cause predisposition to tooth decay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Um yeah, the juice will do it. :( WATER ONLY in bottles and sippies at our house. They can have juice or milk in a big kid cup but never in a sippie or bottle (neither of my last two ever took a bottle!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Never drank soda during pregnancy (at least not daily...occasionally maybe). He was never given a bottle to fall asleep with. But, we do give him juice before bed. Guess we will stop that. We brush his teeth morning and night but have never noticed this. Even when he smiles his lips cover the decay. It's about 1/3 of his tooth that is BROWN and rotted away! I don't want my beautiful baby to lose his front teeth before the adult teeth come in. And I don't want his adult teeth to be rotted b/c of this! I can't handle this today. Dh leaving to go out of town, already feel like a cruddy mom and so beaten down. I just want to cry. I just can't do this right now. Sue, honey, I am praying for you! :grouphug: We had a huge problem w/ my DDs teeth when she was a preschooler. I know what you mean about feeling like the worst mom in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormy weather Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I've never heard of soda during pregnancy causing this but there is tons of research showing antibiotics in pregnancy can cause predisposition to tooth decay. I was surprised that DS2 had a cavity because his sugar intake is very limited, except diluted juice (3 parts water to 1 part juice), but I had a serious case of bronchitis or something while I was pregnant with him and took azithromycin for the infection. Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I'm sorry! I have one child who has a very agressive bacteria in her mouth. She has more cavities than teeth, I think. She is my most dilligent brusher/flosser/flouride rinser. None of my children have ever had anything at bedtime, other than water. This child doesn't drink soda. We don't even consume juice on a regular basis. I have 4 other children... and none of them have cavities like she does. They could tell by the lack of tartar/plaque that dd is brushing. So, she now is rinsing with LISTERINE twice a day! We are at the point of trying almost anything to kill that bacteria. She had 5 cavities today, one of which requires a crown/root canal. Your child may have a very aggressive form of bacteria as well. It is something to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) My son had decay on his front teeth. It was between two teeth that shared a root so they think not enough enamel formed there. Most of the pediatric dentists we found barred parents from the exam and treatment rooms and expected me to hand my child over to a complete stranger and sit in the waiting room. This would have upset my high-need son so much, he would have vomited. We searched for a pediatric dentist who would allow me in the treatment room and found one 30 minutes away. This dentist allowed me to hold the child during the exam. He was very gentle and calm. Then he explained the treatment and took us to see the treatment room. Because my son was so young (he was 18 months at the time), they insisted on using a papoose board and oral sedation. The papoose board was to hold him still so he wouldn't interfere with the treatment. The oral sedation wouldn't put him out, but would make him very drowsy and relaxed, kind of like he was drunk. It didn't stop him from crying, though. At home, to prepare, we talked about the papoose board being like a big blanket that gives him a hug. I brought his blankie from home to line the board, so that he could have that around him and positioned it so he could be touching the satin edge. I also sang his favorite song to him during the treatment. My son was pretty upset to have strangers in his mouth, but he did respond to my 100 renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." They found some cavities in his back teeth, so they filled those as well. After we took him home, he took a long nap and didn't remember what happened. The best news was that he started eating solid food again. I have talked with other parents who used this dentist. Their child's teeth were in worse condition and needed more extensive work so they did it under general anesthesia at the hospital. My advice is to interview a few pediatric dentists until you find one that you and your child feel comfortable with (the child's comfort level may simply be relative - one he is least uncomfortable with;).) Have them fully explain the treatment plan and ask how to gently prepare the child. ETA: And and on the soda thing ... I never drank soda during my pregnancies. My daughter had many cavities and needed similar treatment - she had more cavities and just had softer teeth. I am convinced her dental problems are related to the fact that I was under an unusually high amount of stress during that pregnancy. Other people I talked to had similar stress problems during their pregnancies with their "soft teeth" children. Edited February 9, 2011 by dirty ethel rackham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Sue, it will be okay. It doesn't sound like you could have done anything to stop it. Some kids just draw a bad card on teeth. My first dd drew a lucky tooth card. The kid hardly ever brushes/brushed her teeth. Drinks soda, sweet tea...She is 18 and has never had a cavity. My second dd has always brushed her teeth religiously at least twice a day. If she drinks/eats something with sugar, she immediately brushes and flosses. She has a cavity every single time she goes to the dentist (every 6 mths). (She has pretty much run out of teeth. Of course, she can have multiple cavities in one tooth...) She just got soft enamel. Nothing she can do about it. Her twin sister has okay brushing habits. She might hit them once a day. Forget occasionally. Probably typical kid. She has only had two cavities in her 16 years. Those two had identical gestation influences. It just comes down to which genes they got. (Not identical twins.) My dear niece has even worse teeth. She has a few silver teeth because the decay was so bad. I think she got her first one at 3. The dentist assured my brother and sil that they had done a good job taking care of her teeth. Some people just get cavities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My ds went through this at 2 also. :grouphug: Juice was our culprit too. My little guy had to get both teeth capped. They put him under for the procedure. He was in my arms when they put him under and had me come into the room as he woke up, so he thought I was with him the entire time. I felt like such a failure as a mom I cried during the entire procedure! :( The dentist told us it is actually quite common and more often than not is a result of kids drinking milk or juice at times other than meal times. He told us that once kids are about 1 year old or so (give or take a few months) they should have their milk/juice with meals or snacks and only drink water inbetween. Otherwise the mouth becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. In the end it turned out to not be that big of a deal and we learned our lesson. Dd did as the dentist suggested and has never had a cavity yet. ** Oh, and his rot was pretty bad. The dentist gave us the option of either just pulling them at 2 years old or to put caps on with the knowledge that they'd more than likely have to be pulled before his permanent ones came in. One tooth had to be pulled just before his 5th birthday and the other about 6 months later when they became abscessed. His permanent have just grown in. So he was toothless for about 2.5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We had cavity issues with dd as well. Hers were between her molars and happened when she was around 3. The problem is her teeth are super tight and at 3 we weren't flossing. She also inherited my teeth (some of us get cavities more easily than others). The dentist also said that the enamel is so thin at this age which is another problem. I remember going through the anxiety at the time - and feeling so horrible. Now we have sonicare toothbrushes for both kids, give them a thorough brushing AFTER they brush their own teeth, floss, and fluoride rinse. Knock on wood all of this has been good for us. Another thing the dentist showed us at last visit was that we weren't getting all the plague around the gumline and she said this is VERY common and the hardest part. We weren't angling the brush up at the gums (half on gums, half on teeth) and therefore the build-up. I'm guessing that's what happened with you guys. I told the dentist that it can be hard to get the brush up that high and she agreed, but said sometimes we have to pull their lip up to get to that angle, and lying them on the bed really helps. I'm sorry though. I hope the dentist has a good treatment that doesn't including just pulling them. Sometimes dental issues look worse to us than they really are, and I know the anxiety that goes with having dental issues in your kids. Big hugs mama - you both will get through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 (((HUGS))) Mama! I think you probably don't want to drive this far (Harrisburg area), but if you aren't happy with your dentist, I can highly recommend ours (pediatric-only practice, and one of the dentists is especially fantastic with the kids). He said that sometimes it's just luck of the draw, and you can do everything right, and they still get cavities, or you can do nothing, and they get nothing. Just do what you can, and know that there are wonderful options these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We had some tooth decay at 3 and added flouride rinse after brushing. We have well water and it does not include flouride and I think it makes a difference. My older 3 who grew up with city water had excellent teeth. Walmart has a generic brand of children's mouthwash that includes the flouride and we have used it since he was 4 and haven't had any more probems. I also had a problem with the dentist, they tried to use the "laughing gas" mask on him, and he felt like he was suffocating. He had an honest to goodness anxiety attack and it was horrible. We went with the Verseset (sp) and had to pay out of pocket, but there wasn't any choice given how bad it was. Afterwards we switched dentists because he started hyperventilating at the idea of going back and I wasn't thrilled with their office anyway. Now he takes it all in stride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 I actually LOVE our ped. dentist. So, that is a plus. I trust that they will do what is best. I'm still feeling rather crummy about the whole thing and wondering how my other kids went through toddlerhood w/out this problem. I even had a dd who nursed herself to sleep until she was about 4! And she has perfect teeth. :confused: Thanks for the post. Today just wasn't a good day for this little discovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Sue, I'm just wondering how this turned out for you. I'm having a similar problem with my toddler and we are heading to the dentist tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Sue, I'm just wondering how this turned out for you. I'm having a similar problem with my toddler and we are heading to the dentist tomorrow. mo2, Sue updated here: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244373 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 mo2, Sue updated here: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244373 Thanks. I must have missed that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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