pitted enamel or cavity in 1 year old...help!

[ktgrok]

I was just changing my 15 month old's diaper and he smiled, and there is a hole/pit/something in his tooth! He had just had a bit of brownie, so it was brown. I brushed it, and it is back to white I think, and I found a few more spots on other teeth!!!!!!!  What the heck! It's like someone chipped out a bit of the tooth there! What is going on? He does get way more sugar than the others did at that age, and I am not good at brushing little one's teeth, although we do brush at bedtime now...but up unitl 1 year of age I'm pretty spotty I'm afraid. And he got teeth early, so there is NO excuse for me...I feel so guilty. I'm hoping it is some kind of enamel hypoplasia and not a cavity...unless that is even worse. I don't know. Oh, and we don't have dental insurance for another week at least......hubby started a new job and has to finish filling out the benefits information. Once it kicks in we will be fine, but I think that isn't until the first. Or, it will be retroactive to December 9th, but not sure. ACK!

[Mergath]

:grouphug:   I think all you can do is get him to the dentist as soon as your insurance kicks in and until then, cut back on sugar as much as possible and brush his teeth religiously.  Does he drink anything at night other than water?  That seems to cause cavities in a lot of toddlers, so if that's the case, you'll probably want to switch to water at night.

[ktgrok]

he still nurses at night, but all my kids have. I did research it and breastmilk on its own doesn't cause cavities, but breastmilk plus food residue is pretty awful for cavities...I will make sure to brush really well before bed. I usually focus more on the molars...will make sure to get those front ones better. But yikes...I can't believe there are HOLES in his teeth!

 

[ktgrok]

Ok, so reading that trauma or fever or malnutrition can cause this. He's not malnourished, but did have a high fever for several days as a 2 week old...we all caught a virus and he was pretty sick for a few days. I suppose if it is enamel pitting that might be what did it. ugh. 

[Rachel]

My 5 year old had those at his last check-up, his dentist wasn't concerned since he would start losing his baby teeth soon, but did make a note to keep an eye on it. Since your son is so young, I'd get him checked when you can, but I think you can wait until you have dental insurance.  Some kids just have teeth that are more prone to cavities, my brother had to have fillings in his baby teeth.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Just as an aside -- my only cavities are in the sides of my teeth, and my dentist said it's genetic, and has nothing to do with diet/brushing.  Not saying this is your situation, but it does seem like there are several avenues to a cavity, not all within our control.

[Moxie]

Dd had terrible pitted baby teeth from an illness/antibiotics as an infant. Her adult teeth are beautiful. Try to relax.

[alef]

Some kids are just born with weak enamel. I have had two who got awful cavities as babies and three who didn't, eating/nursing/hygiene habits were similar for all of them. Do go to the dentist as soon as you can.

[ktgrok]

ok, talked to dh, he says that we can sign up tonight via phone, and it is retroactive to hire date. So as soon as we sign up I can start calling dentists to get an appointment. It doesn't seem to hurt him, hoping it is just weird enamel stuff from that illness as a babe. He also falls on his face a lot...this is my 1 year old that just got his cast off...sigh. Maybe his arm sucked up all the calcium meant for his teeth?

[BYE]

.

[sewingmama]

My 4 year old has this. I thought his back teeth were totally rotted. Took him to the dentist and she said it was pitted enamel. He was never really sick as a baby but he did have one or two illnesses I guess. I was suprised as it was my DS1 who had tons of terribly high fevers as a baby but his teeth were fine.

 

Anyway...I take him for flouride treatments every couple of months because its making those teeth sensitive.

[ktgrok]

Is it awful that I'm kind of ok with there being nothing to do to fix it, as long as it wasn't my fault? Sigh. 

[ktgrok]

I will be calling today for an appointment, the new insurance covers our old pediatric dentist, and I trust him so that is good.

[TechWife]

 

And waiting for baby teeth to fall out is not an ok approach.  Caries can spread like wildfire thru the teeth and baby teeth are no less dangerous when infected than adult teeth.  You can die of tooth infections not to mention the pain is ghastly and an infected tooth can not be numbed, resulting in an excruciating extraction.  My poor dd suffered that.

 

Cavities do not spread. Good dental hygiene usually prevents multiple cavities. Uncontrolled gum infections do spread along the gum line. 

 

Infected teeth can absolutely be numbed. It is actually the nerves that are numbed, not the teeth! Infection does nothing to prevent that process.

 

Perhaps you need a new dentist. 

[mommymilkies]

Some kids are born with weak enamel, and some abx can worsen this.  My youngest had this problem.  She also had reflux.  It turns out her upper lip tie (which we couldn't find any qualified to fix!) exacerbated this, as it stored up saliva and acidic stuff on her upper teeth by the gums.  We brushed her teeth (one of my only kids I brushed at that age!) It went from fine to rotted almost overnight.  Terrified me!  I found a pediatric dentist online (Ellie?) who recommended xylitol, and a regimine of Closys, brushing with regular Crest, Listerine rinse, then flouride rinse for kids.  I started doing this and there has been no worsening.  Our pediatric dentist finally got us in and said it's just cosmetic.  It's not causing her pain, or worsening, so just to keep an eye on it as she'll lose those teeth before too long and any work we'd do would just be cosmetic and unnecessary unless it starts getting to the root.  So for now, we're keeping an eye on it and brushing her teeth rather religiously.  

[rjand6more]

I am a dental hygienist.  My kids get cavities too and I am absolutely strict about their oral health(although we do allow sugar)  Do not feel guilty!!

 

The process of decay is complex.  Certain types of bacteria are more abundant in cavity prone people.  This IN COMBINATION with diet and poor oral health habits lead to decay.  Sometimes a person only has one factor.   Infants who have decay(pits) may have had an issue in utero that caused it.  Baby teeth crowns are formed before birth.  Fevers that young kids have may affect their permanent teeth.

 

My 4th child had teeth erupting that were weak and pitted.  One of his incisors was so thin when it erupted that it just crumbled away!  Two of his teeth had decay on the lip side and one molar was deeply pitted.  I knew right away there was risk of infections etc.  I took him to one ped dentist who at 1 yr wanted to do a crown and fillings with general anesthesia(hospital setting)  I said absolutely not.  I consulted with another ped dentist who said we should try daily fluoride.  I used  a qtip and applied fluoride(minuscule amounts) to the affected areas once a day for about 3 years.  He never needed treatment.  No fillings.  He has lost 2 of the baby teeth(he's 6)  and the molar is looking great!  The soft area is solid.  We still watch it and check it on xrays at cleanings, but it should last him until it comes out on its own.

 

You will be fine to wait until you can get in a the ped dentist of your choice.  Keep his mouth clean and strictly limit sugar,juice, etc.

[ktgrok]

Thanks all, he has an appt on Friday.

[TechWife]

 

You are wrong.

 

[\quote]

 

I guess I'll have to go back to the doctor who took my tooth out two weeks ago and request not to have any numbing medication, since it apparently didn't work. I didn't realize I was in pain at the time, thanks for letting me know.

 

Cavities do not spread. The bacteria that causes cavities will continue to grow and cause additional cavities if the bacteria itself isn't treated.

 

iPad typos sorry :)

 

I ithink ill keep my dentist, he's really good and hasn't done any procedures without appropriate pain relief.

[nd293]

Sorry you're going through this - I know how awful it feels to see cavities in those innocent little teeth!

 

Ds was 2.5yrs when I one day realised that the "little bit of food" I was seeing on his molar was always in the same place. We poked at it with a toothpick, and discovered it was a hole. Cue sackcloth and ashes. We were in a new country, and ds was notorious for hating to be touched by doctors and hairdressers, so I found a paediatric dentist, rather than taking him to a family dentist, which was definitely the best thing I ever did. When I spoke to the receptionist to book an appointment, she told me "if you see one cavity in a toddler, there'll be others" - we had another look, and found 3 in total, all on molars.

 

The short version is that the problem was put down to hypoplaxia, or poorly formed enamel. The dentist also said that it is usually due to a small problem in pregnancy, such as a fever, and that they can tell when something "went wrong' based on which teeth are affected. The dentist was fantastic - he in fact did the first filling with ds lying back on my lap, with his head in the dentist's lap, while we sat opposite each other on regular chairs. He initially said that we'd just hang in there until ds was a little older and general anesthetic was safer for him, but ds in fact tolerated 3 temporary filling in the chair, and they held for a year or so. One of the teeth eventually broke, and ds, then 4 yrs had a crown put on in the chair - it was handled beautifully, and he was not at all stressed by the experience, and didn't even know he'd had an injection into his gum. Another of the temporary filling eventually needed to be replaced as the decay was spreading underneath it, and a proper filling was put in (with drilling etc) - again, ds was not upset by the experience at all.

 

Don't feel too bad about it - it happens, and a couple of cavities now, in baby teeth, don't mean he will have ongoing dental problems. Ds is seven in a few weeks, and we have only ever had problems with those 3 molars.

 

I would definitely say to find the right dentist before you start any treatment for your son. If you are not 100% happy with how the dentist interacts with your child, keep looking, regardless of whether it's a paediatric or family dentist. I'll put up with an average doctor, but so with a dentist! Dental work (as many of us adults know) has the potential to be very stressful, and painful, but it definitely doesn't have to be, with the right dentist.

[nd293]

Is it awful that I'm kind of ok with there being nothing to do to fix it, as long as it wasn't my fault? Sigh. 

 

I wanted to add, No, it's not! I am eternally grateful to the dentist not only for being so gentle with ds, but also for going out of his way to reassure me that this was a problem with the enamel, and to compliment us on ds's general dental hygeine. I was very much able to think of every single thing I might possibly have done to make this worse (sweets! not enough brushing! all night breastfeeding!), and didn't need to be made to feel worse.

[redsquirrel]

FYI, breastmilk does not cause dental caries.

 

It is very likely that your child has some spots on her teeth that don't have enamel. It looks terrible but it's not the end of the world. They are baby teeth and it is unlikely that they will need to be filled. My son has several teeth with enameled spots and only one was filled, and that was when he was about 5. In the end that particular tooth fell out, but it was the worst of the lot. The other spots are very small and I am sure the teeth will fall out before the spots become troublesome.

 

The teeth that have fallen out have been replaced with teeth that are fine.

 

It does look terrible, but it isn't your fault and it isn't caused by bad hygiene etc. I remember feeling just terrible when his baby teeth came in and there was that yucky hole. But, now he is about to turn 9 and his teeth are fine. It turned out to be not so big a deal.

 

Our dentist told us that it is actually pretty common in baby teeth, but parents don't see it because of where the spots are. I have only seen the one bad spot on my son's tooth (now ex-tooth) because it was easily visible. The other spots are on back teeth and I would never have know they were there. But, lots of kids have a tooth with a spot missing enamel. It isn't a problem, it doesn't progress to a cavity that needs to be filled, and is very normal so it never comes up. 

[ktgrok]

I realized I never updated this thread. 

 

He does have cavities, or "areas where there is decay" as the dentist nicely put it. Probably from weak enamel. At least, I choose to believe that because the other kids do NOT have cavities and it makes no sense that he would have multiple ones at 1 year old if there wasn't some other factor causing it. The dentist says they don't like to fill them until age 2, when they can safely sedate if needed. No way a 1 year old will hold still to do it. He put fluoride on, and I am to brush 3 times a day and come in for a recheck in 3 months. We will then hopefully just repeat the fluoride onthose teeth and do another recheck in 3 more months, and repeat that pattern. 

 

I'm brushing with coconut oil 2 times a day and a tiny tiny tiny amount of fluroide toothpaste the third time. I'm giving him a supplement called Tooth Fairy, that has vitamin D, calcium, and probiotics one of which has been shown to kill the bacteria that causes cavities. I'm also giving Cod Liver oil once  day, and lots of grass fed dairy. Hoping all this keeps it at bay or remineralizes them. 

[alef]

I realized I never updated this thread.

 

He does have cavities, or "areas where there is decay" as the dentist nicely put it. Probably from weak enamel. At least, I choose to believe that because the other kids do NOT have cavities and it makes no sense that he would have multiple ones at 1 year old if there wasn't some other factor causing it. The dentist says they don't like to fill them until age 2, when they can safely sedate if needed. No way a 1 year old will hold still to do it. He put fluoride on, and I am to brush 3 times a day and come in for a recheck in 3 months. We will then hopefully just repeat the fluoride onthose teeth and do another recheck in 3 more months, and repeat that pattern.

 

I'm brushing with coconut oil 2 times a day and a tiny tiny tiny amount of fluroide toothpaste the third time. I'm giving him a supplement called Tooth Fairy, that has vitamin D, calcium, and probiotics one of which has been shown to kill the bacteria that causes cavities. I'm also giving Cod Liver oil once day, and lots of grass fed dairy. Hoping all this keeps it at bay or remineralizes them.

I hope everything works out and the decay doesn't progress. Thanks for the update!

[umsami]

DD had this and the pediatric dentist gave us a prescription fluoride gel to apply.  Worked great, and no need for drills.

[itsheresomewhere]

Is he able to eat cheese yet?  A good small piece of cheese( think a nice cheddar) right before bed ( do not brush the teeth after this) will make him have more moist mouth and it helps cut down on the cavities/decay.  DS had no/extremely poor enamel on his baby teeth.  This has helped him keep the cavities/decay at bay.  His adult teeth have very good enamel.  Our dentist recommends this to every child with poor enamel issues. 

[ktgrok]

Is he able to eat cheese yet?  A good small piece of cheese( think a nice cheddar) right before bed ( do not brush the teeth after this) will make him have more moist mouth and it helps cut down on the cavities/decay.  DS had no/extremely poor enamel on his baby teeth.  This has helped him keep the cavities/decay at bay.  His adult teeth have very good enamel.  Our dentist recommends this to every child with poor enamel issues. 

 

He is not a huge lover of cheese, but we can try. Actually just today he was eating some meat i was handing him, and I handed him some cheese next. He thought it was still the meat, put the whole slice in his mouth at once, and then spit it out, lol.

[PeterPan]

Sort of the inverse of that moist mouth comment is that he could be congested or have sleep apnea and be mouth-breathing at night.  That would cause the dry mouth.  You might peak in on him at night and notice if he's mouth-breathing.