2 kids, bad teeth, expensive, help!

[Maggi315]

HI,
I just read through lots and lots of archives. I have 4 kids, 15yo and 6yo have great teeth! 10yo and 3 yo have HORRIBLE teeth. My 10yo has had several teeth pulled, a "baby" root canal, has a nance bridge to hold other teeth in spaces, and will need fairly extensive orthodontic work starting next year. Now she has another abcess and will need another tooth out. I am feeling guilty, because the oral surgeon really wants her to have general anesthesia, but it is another 150-350 on top of the 200-300 for extraction.

My 3yo saw the ped dentist because his molars seemed discolored. Well, turns out he needs 6 teeth worked on ($744).

I have read about diet, etc. but since I have 2 with beautiful perfect teeth and 2 with nasty teeth, don't buy into that too much. What else have others done to improve teeth that are bad?

Also, are abcesses after having cavities filled common? I am starting to wonder whether these dentists are causing more harm than good. This is the 3rd tooth they have filled that has later become abcessed and needed removed.

Thanks!

[Shiloh]

Also, are abcesses after having cavities filled common? I am starting to wonder whether these dentists are causing more harm than good.
=I think abcesses are more gum health my mom and grandma had crappy gums - but beautiful big teeth.

I would look into mouth wash products that help with natural flora for the mouth and kill bad tooth killing bugs

My sister and I have small chicklet teeth but gums like a horse! I think alot of caveties has more to do with enamel, tooth shape etc.

I have heard that different things can help tooth decay - mouth breathers, lack of swishing saliva, an overgrowth of one type of bacteria, an overly acidic mouth....not just the sticky sugar they used to blame it all on.

My dental hygenist thinks peroxide mouth washes might help kill strong bacteria (my dh has bacteria that can knit sweater teeth overnight
also I think I heard somewhere that acid reflux can also kill teeth.

but pop pop kills teeth

[JaneS]

Read this book and you might rethink the diet connection:
http://www.mercola.com/2001/jan/21/weston_price.htm

There's an awesome chapter on "Primitive Nutritional Control of Dental Caries"
It's all about how the minerals and vitamins in the diet remineralizes teeth and cavities. Includes homemade bone broths, cod liver oil and high vitamin butter.

For control of gum disease, gargling several times a day with the sodium ascorbate version of vitamin C is excellent for knitting the gums back to the teeth. That completely stopped my bleeding gums in less than a week.