Cavities and bad dental health in child?
My daughter is 7 years old and has terrible teeth. She has had 4 of her top front teeth capped, due to decay when she was about 3 years old, I have had 3 cavities filled and now 2 more cavities have been found and she has a abscese and dead nerve on a molar that needs to be pulled and replaced with a spacer. Do other parents have these same issues with their childrens teeth? When I talked to the dentist about it, she made it sound like it is normal, I don't believe this. My daughter brushes her teeth every day, she is only allowed pop when we go out ( I don't keep pop in the house) she does not eat a insane amount of sugar and we go to the dentist every 6 months. I have only had 2 cavities my entire life, both after I had kids. Why are her teeth so bad and will her permant teeth follow the same path? I have this same question posted under dental, but thought this would be a good place for it also.
Parenting - 8 Answers
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1 :
it's most likly her diet, does she eat a lot of candy or sugar items, or it could be that she isnt getting enough calories. i had a younger brother who took kool-aid to bed every night and had lots of cavaties, avoid giving sugar items before bed where the sugar just sets on the teeth. ask your dentist about flavored disolvable tablets, i cant remember what they are called but my younger brother (he was around 7 at the time) took one or two a day, he just chewed it up, and it it supposed to help teeth. b/c it is hard to get a 7 year old to brush, but keep brushing, maybe switch toothpastes. good luck
2 :
my friend just went through this with her 5 year old son. He had to be put out and had some serious dental work done. She felt sooo guilty and they too told her that this happens. I guess some kids just have very poor teeth. If she's not flossing, I'd start that...but don't feel guilty!
3 :
Some kids are just born with awful teeth. My son is the same way. Had his first root canal and crown at the ripe age of 5! All you can keep doing it promoting good dental health. Check with your pediatrician about flouride and calcium supplements as well.
4 :
I know you don't like my advise, but it is the truth. Sugar is found in lots of "healthy" snacks For instance... Bananas Grapes Cereal Fruit snacks (not healthy) juices The list goes on and on. There is only ONE thing that causes decay. Sugar mixing with plaque. Sugar+Plaque=acid which eats away at teeth. Proper brushing and flossing is your best bet. Just because she is brushing does not mean she is getting every nook and cranny. If she does not start taking proper care of her teeth, this will continue into her adult years. PS there is no such thing as "bad" teeth as in your "born with bad teeth" that is a myth. Bad teeth are the result of BAD HYGIENE
5 :
My 4 yr old son also has "bad teeth" We brush and brush and he still gets cavities. He sees a dentist every 6 months, and every time it seems he has another cavity. The only thing you can do is keep brushing and flossing the teeth. Hopefully her permanent teeth will be stronger. My children all have deep grooves in their teeth(so did I) so that may be something to ask your dentist. The grooves can be filled in to keep the kids from getting cavities. To JP-My now 7 yr old son was born with bad teeth. The enamal did not form on all of his teeth in utero. His teeth are "soft" The permanent teeth are better than his baby teeth, but it is indeed possible to be born with bad teeth.
6 :
Some kids do have weaker enamel than others. My daughter was born with a cleft lip/palate, and I have learned that cl/p affected children do have the weaker enamel. It is something that does happen. JP is very wrong, and claims that she/he/it is a dental assistant. My kids go to the head of pediatric dentistry at Children's, he happens to be part of the cleft lip/palate team. My best friend is a dental assistant and she and her boss have told me the same. Yes, some kids DO have weak enamel, not the cause of poor dental hygiene. I should mention that my daughter's oral surgeon says the same thing.
7 :
I've got 2 kids who had the same parents and were raised basically the same. One has perfectly fine teeth. The other doesn't. In fact, the one who has fine teeth is milk-allergic, so he doesn't even get as much calcium as the other. In many cases, it's just genetic & there's not much you can do about it.
8 :
It may still be her diet. If she eats anything with sugar in it and then doesn't brush to get EVERYTHING out, bacteria will still venture in and eat away at the teeth. Acidic things such as orange juice right before bed can also be bad, some of the acid stays in and eats away the teeth.
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