New here. Hi!
Maybe a month or two ago I noticed that my 2yo's gums are pale just above the tooth line and then darker pink (not red) above that. I thought maybe iron, but his iron was checked since and it's fine. (Well, fine for him -- his binding capacity is low but his actual hemoglobin, etc. is right on target.)
Took him to a dentist (his first dentist appt). The first thing she did was clean his teeth with the spinbrush before I got a chance to ask her any questions, and his gums bled when she brushed them. She told me that was gingivitis. Which seems a little weird to me in a 2yo -- besides that he doesn't have any of the symptoms I've read about since (swelling, bad breath, shiny/dry gums, ulceration, etc. And I brush his gums directly and they've never bled before or since she used that spinbrush on them).
After that I asked her if she could tell me why she thought his gums were pale above the teeth. She said "They're not. They're red and inflamed!" Well, they were red because she'd just brushed them directly with the spinbrush for five minutes.
I've read that gingivitis usually clears up after a dental cleaning, but his gums are still pale. Also I've read that omega-3s help clear it up but he gets a ton of those.
They don't seem to bother him or look unhealthy apart from the paleness. The dentist just told me to "brush better" but I brush very thoroughly 2x/day and this only became noticeable within the past couple of months. I'm starting to add xylitol and a natural anti-gingivitis mouthwash into his routine, and he goes for a second opinion in a couple of weeks.
Any thoughts?
Maybe a month or two ago I noticed that my 2yo's gums are pale just above the tooth line and then darker pink (not red) above that. I thought maybe iron, but his iron was checked since and it's fine. (Well, fine for him -- his binding capacity is low but his actual hemoglobin, etc. is right on target.)
Took him to a dentist (his first dentist appt). The first thing she did was clean his teeth with the spinbrush before I got a chance to ask her any questions, and his gums bled when she brushed them. She told me that was gingivitis. Which seems a little weird to me in a 2yo -- besides that he doesn't have any of the symptoms I've read about since (swelling, bad breath, shiny/dry gums, ulceration, etc. And I brush his gums directly and they've never bled before or since she used that spinbrush on them).
After that I asked her if she could tell me why she thought his gums were pale above the teeth. She said "They're not. They're red and inflamed!" Well, they were red because she'd just brushed them directly with the spinbrush for five minutes.
I've read that gingivitis usually clears up after a dental cleaning, but his gums are still pale. Also I've read that omega-3s help clear it up but he gets a ton of those.
They don't seem to bother him or look unhealthy apart from the paleness. The dentist just told me to "brush better" but I brush very thoroughly 2x/day and this only became noticeable within the past couple of months. I'm starting to add xylitol and a natural anti-gingivitis mouthwash into his routine, and he goes for a second opinion in a couple of weeks.
Any thoughts?
