Tooth decay , fluoride ...and other confusion.

[saharasky]

Last night my dd who will be 3 in February fell in the kitchen (slipped on the linoleum) displacing one of her two upper front teeth and putting 3 of her bottom teeth through her lip. Needless to say I got her in to see a pediatric dentist within an hour(afterhours). This morning we went back in to get an x-ray done to make sure she hadn't broken the root or any of the bone surrounding the tooth. As far as the displacement went she's fine ... her perfect little teeth aren't perfect anymore (the displaced one is pretty crooked) ... but nothing is broken. However the x-ray showed that the tiny spot of discoloration that I've been seeing behind her front teeth for the past month or so is actually a cavity (UGHHH!!! I thought I took such good care of her teeth and am feeling pretty guilty and sorry for myself ... I've got 'bad mama' syndrome). The dentist said we should have had her in at 1 to see him ... but when I asked the dentist that I see 1.5 years ago when to bring dd in they said not till 3 ...should I have brought her in earlier?

The dentist asked us to book an appointment for a month from now to check up on the displaced tooth (which may go gray or yellow) and to 'disc' between her front teeth (something about grinding a space between them to make cleaning easier? anyone know what this involves? I need to know more about it) ... we've also booked a cleaning and fluoride treatment.

I'm fine with a cleaning ...confused about the 'disc' thing ... and conflicted about the fluoride treatment ( I never received fluoride treatments as a child and have great teeth ... and I know if I ask my mom she'll tell me why she chose not to have it done for us) ... but if dd's already got a cavity and the dentist isn't actually treating it would fluoride be a good idea? Why would you choose to get your child a fluoride treatment ... or why wouldn't you?

[kvan]

Hi! My dh is a dentist, so I just asked him about your message. Here's his 2 cents...

'discing' will take away the decayed part of the tooth, and if your dd's teeth are overlapping at all (causing the tough to clean area?) the overlap might be separated too. This will both prevent future decay in that area, by making it easier to brush, and will stop that one cavity from spreading in that tooth and spreading to the adjacent tooth.

Your dentist will probably suggest that you let him apply a topical fluoride treatment (it's goo in a tray) one time to your dd's affected tooth and also her other teeth. Here's why...
Topical fluroide will help the area where the cavity was 're-mineralize'. (become hard, solid, healthy tooth again. Actually, when a tooth re-mineralizes after decay, it is even stronger and less likely to decay than the original tooth! ) The topical treatment will also help the ground down surface of the 'disced' tooth re-mineralize...very important as you are taking away protective enamel by discing.
By topically treating her other teeth as well, she is much more protected in the future from further decay on other teeth. The fact that she had a cavity by age three indicates that she has more cavity-prone teeth than you did as a child (perhaps genetics from your husband's side, her diet, many possible factors) and she will apparently need more protection than you did.
Your dentist may suggest that you continue at home with fluoride rinses. These will continue to boost the body's ability to re-mineralize those spots and mineralize her other teeth.
One thing I'm sure you'll be glad to know is that NONE of the fluoride in a topical treatment will have to be ingested my your dd. It will sit on her teeth, then be rinsed off, (When you rinse at home they say not to have your dd eat or drink for 30min after the treatment to give the fluoride a chance to soak in and not get washed off.)
It is so important to preserve the health of your dd's baby teeth because if she should lose one to decay, it effects the eruption and positioning of her adult teeth as well. Having all the baby teeth in place and healthy lets the body know when to develop adult teeth, when they should erupt, and where in the jaw they should be.
I hope this was a bit helpful, at least. I can ask him for more if you need it.