Hello,
I've been doing a lot of reading of archives and I've only posted once on the tribal board looking for a breastfeeding friendly dentist. Ha! So, this is number 2 for me.
Anyway, the first dentist quickly blames breastfeeding, however, another dentist (at the same practice!!!) said at a pre-treatment consult (he's the one who will be doing the work) said his problem was actually enamel hypoplasia. Great. I have put myself through the ringer thinking that night nursing had caused or greatly contributed to my son's problems.
After all I've read, I no longer believe this to be true. I believe breastmilk ON TOP of food can be a big problem...
My son is 20 months old, he has decay on his four front teeth and on one other tooth. It looks good for caps on three front teeth and one extraction
of one of his lateral incisors. And a filling on the other tooth.
My husband and I decided on general anesthesia at the local children's hospital. It was a hard decision but we feel he wouldn't handle any of the other alternatives as well.
I want to make sure that I do all that I can to make this the least bit traumatic for William and to try to prevent any further caries/cavities.
So this is the plan:
We are brushing his teeth twice a day now. Once after breakfast and right after supper. We are now using fluoride toothpaste Tom's Silly Strawberry, but just a smidge. I know I need to step that up to at least three times a day or actually after he eats anything for a while. Any other times will be with non-fluoride paste. (Fluoride 2X a day max) I'm comfortable with it, as we put such a tiny amount on the brush.
We are supplementing with calc phos 6X and cod liver oil.
I have on order Spiffies (xylitol wipes) and some xylitol gum (for husband and me) and xylitol mints for William.
We've slowed down to a crawl the amount of crackers he can have for snacks (they were Annie's cheddar bunnies and Annie's whole wheat bunnies) and increased the cheese, apples, grapes, and nuts, specifically cashews since they are pretty soft for a nut and I can break them into small pieces.
I have known decay from pregnancy. The dentists wouldn't take x-rays, so no decay fix. I just never got around to going after William was born because he took all my time. I didn't know about s. mutans then, and I didn't know about it being a contagion. So, my husband and I will be visiting the dentist soon to make sure we are/ or get decay free. He should be, he's been since William was born.
I just started soaking toothbrushes in listerine. But I've only done it once and am not sure how often I should do it.
OK. Here are my questions:
1. How hard is it going to be to make sure I or my husband are with William before he's under and to be there as he's waking up? I have a pre-op meeting at the children's hospital this week, so I'll be able to ask what their procedures are. One momma (a lactation consultan) told me she just held her child and told them she had been in an OR many times and "Let's GO" and then took off with her baby. I can't say that. It wouldn't be true.
2. calc phos. I'm giving him 2 tablets twice a day. Is this enough? (NuAge brand)
3. Cod liver oil: after I bought it, I read on the back that 1/2 teaspoon only provides 2.5-20 IU. I bought Nordic Naturals "Peachy Keen" for kids. William loves it, I give him 1 teaspoon, but I've found out that RDA for his age is 400 IU. Another brand (Carlson's) claims 500 IU per teaspoon. Should I switch or is the Nordic Naturals OK?
4. Xylitol: I can't find the formula anywhere for how much xylitol is enough. I know that he would need it at least three times a day. My other concern here is that the studies I've seen indicate that you need the xylitol to be in the mouth, like gum, or mints or xylitol candy. My son is too young for gum, and candy is a choking hazard. I plan on crushing the mints for him, but he's probably swallow the dust pretty quickly
5. This is a very silly question: I've read about how grapes and cheese and nuts and nut butters and apples are good for fighting bacteria but I can't find sources to explain the hows! Also, if I'm brushing his teeth after he eats anything, then how is eating these good foods going to help? Only while he eats, or is there a systemic help?
6. How long should I attack those s.mutans with a vengence before going back down to brushing 2x a day? 6 months, a year?
Small comment: I've noticed a lot of Smilemomma's posts have been edited. I saw the thread as to why (kinda). Just wanted to say, I was sorry to see that. It seems a lot of really good information is now gone.
April
Mom to William, 20 mos old
:
I've been doing a lot of reading of archives and I've only posted once on the tribal board looking for a breastfeeding friendly dentist. Ha! So, this is number 2 for me.
Anyway, the first dentist quickly blames breastfeeding, however, another dentist (at the same practice!!!) said at a pre-treatment consult (he's the one who will be doing the work) said his problem was actually enamel hypoplasia. Great. I have put myself through the ringer thinking that night nursing had caused or greatly contributed to my son's problems.
After all I've read, I no longer believe this to be true. I believe breastmilk ON TOP of food can be a big problem...
My son is 20 months old, he has decay on his four front teeth and on one other tooth. It looks good for caps on three front teeth and one extraction
of one of his lateral incisors. And a filling on the other tooth.My husband and I decided on general anesthesia at the local children's hospital. It was a hard decision but we feel he wouldn't handle any of the other alternatives as well.
I want to make sure that I do all that I can to make this the least bit traumatic for William and to try to prevent any further caries/cavities.
So this is the plan:
We are brushing his teeth twice a day now. Once after breakfast and right after supper. We are now using fluoride toothpaste Tom's Silly Strawberry, but just a smidge. I know I need to step that up to at least three times a day or actually after he eats anything for a while. Any other times will be with non-fluoride paste. (Fluoride 2X a day max) I'm comfortable with it, as we put such a tiny amount on the brush.
We are supplementing with calc phos 6X and cod liver oil.
I have on order Spiffies (xylitol wipes) and some xylitol gum (for husband and me) and xylitol mints for William.
We've slowed down to a crawl the amount of crackers he can have for snacks (they were Annie's cheddar bunnies and Annie's whole wheat bunnies) and increased the cheese, apples, grapes, and nuts, specifically cashews since they are pretty soft for a nut and I can break them into small pieces.
I have known decay from pregnancy. The dentists wouldn't take x-rays, so no decay fix. I just never got around to going after William was born because he took all my time. I didn't know about s. mutans then, and I didn't know about it being a contagion. So, my husband and I will be visiting the dentist soon to make sure we are/ or get decay free. He should be, he's been since William was born.
I just started soaking toothbrushes in listerine. But I've only done it once and am not sure how often I should do it.
OK. Here are my questions:
1. How hard is it going to be to make sure I or my husband are with William before he's under and to be there as he's waking up? I have a pre-op meeting at the children's hospital this week, so I'll be able to ask what their procedures are. One momma (a lactation consultan) told me she just held her child and told them she had been in an OR many times and "Let's GO" and then took off with her baby. I can't say that. It wouldn't be true.
2. calc phos. I'm giving him 2 tablets twice a day. Is this enough? (NuAge brand)
3. Cod liver oil: after I bought it, I read on the back that 1/2 teaspoon only provides 2.5-20 IU. I bought Nordic Naturals "Peachy Keen" for kids. William loves it, I give him 1 teaspoon, but I've found out that RDA for his age is 400 IU. Another brand (Carlson's) claims 500 IU per teaspoon. Should I switch or is the Nordic Naturals OK?
4. Xylitol: I can't find the formula anywhere for how much xylitol is enough. I know that he would need it at least three times a day. My other concern here is that the studies I've seen indicate that you need the xylitol to be in the mouth, like gum, or mints or xylitol candy. My son is too young for gum, and candy is a choking hazard. I plan on crushing the mints for him, but he's probably swallow the dust pretty quickly
5. This is a very silly question: I've read about how grapes and cheese and nuts and nut butters and apples are good for fighting bacteria but I can't find sources to explain the hows! Also, if I'm brushing his teeth after he eats anything, then how is eating these good foods going to help? Only while he eats, or is there a systemic help?
6. How long should I attack those s.mutans with a vengence before going back down to brushing 2x a day? 6 months, a year?
Small comment: I've noticed a lot of Smilemomma's posts have been edited. I saw the thread as to why (kinda). Just wanted to say, I was sorry to see that. It seems a lot of really good information is now gone.
April
Mom to William, 20 mos old
:
