Help! My daughter's teeth are chipping!

[Isabelrules]

Though, I did find some threads on chipping in the archives, I still have questions. I am a bit panicked right now. Okay *deep breath* My daughter, Isabel, is 14 months. She has 8 teeth. We saw the doctor yesterday and I asked about a small chip on her bottom tooth that has been there since about 7 months. He said no big deal. I asked about the brownish stain that is between her front and side teeth. He said no big deal, try to brush more often. So I held her down just now, crying and screaming and tried to brush the stain away both with a baby toothbrush and my cloth covered finger. It lifted enough for me to see that it wasn't just a stain, but rather lots of chips between the front and side teeth and on the outer side also. I'm flipping out. What do I do? The doctor reccomended fluoride drops, which I didn't get, should I? Would that help prevent further chipping? There are so many little chips and I see now there is yet another on the other side tooth, but on the bottom, which probably means she fell and chipped it. But those brownish in between teeth chips are really concerning me. What is the cause of this? Is it because I am night nursing? We nurse about 3 times a night still. Should I start to cut down then stop? I was fine with still night nursing, but I'm not if it is causing her teeth to chip. Does the milk pool and eat away at her enamel? I'm freaking out a little bit. My poor baby's mouth! Help! Should I take her to a baby dentist? I know she will NOT cooperate with the dentist at this age, she has a hard time with her mama poking around in her mouth. I do apologize so if I am asking questions that have been answered already. I did look, but didn't find the answers I need. Thank you very much for any insight and info you can provide to this frazzled mom. Oh yes, I have no cavities, slight gingvitis (?spelling) since giving birth, so it's not my bacteria. But my husband has cavities yet to be filled and also needs a root canal. He prepares all our meals and is constantly kissing her. Could he be transmitting his bacteria? Thank you!!!

[lilyka]

I had the chipping thing al my life. The best guess is that my mom took antibiotics during pregnancy. Anyway, floride treatments were my only hopee. They did help some but I have stopped and they keep chipping. It isn't a big deal since they are tiny chips but it is annoying.

[Isabelrules]

Okay, I just read the Mothering article on ECC. Now I am more confused. Am I transmitting ECC to my daughter? I don't have any cavities. Though, I have always had a lot of cavities throughout childhood. A lot. Can I still be a carrier for ECC without having cavities? Should I change my diet? I do eat a lot of sugar. Isabel hardly eats any sugar though. How in the world am I going to find a pedi dentist that knows about ECC? Should I take her to the dentist at this age (14 mo)? Oaky, I'm repeatingmyself! I just can't seem to get a straight answer as to what I am to do about this!

[simonee]

I don't really know what it is and whether it's bad, but mat4mel posted a few months ago about "vertical cracks" ~ I wonder if that's similar.

Usually, brown is an indication that something is or might go wrong, but of course your dentist is a better judge of that than I am

don't worry about your role ~ night nursing is okay, and you're very unlikely to be the cause of this.

And smilemomma would not recommend the fluoride drops, but brushing with teeny tiny bits of fluoridated toothpaste, which will deliver the fluoride right where it's needed instead of in her stomach.

I'll also dig up the thread for making brushing easier. It's very tough for lots of kids and parents, but it seems that after a few months most find a way to get used to it (even we did, and our dd refused to bathe for 2 years )

[simonee]

here are some threads that may help you

vertical cracks

other chip thread

another chip question

brushing the babe

You can also do a search in this forum including the archives on chipped teeth and on stains, I bet you'll find something there.

hth Tell us what happens and good luck to you both

[Isabelrules]

Thank you so much for your quick reply. Thank you for posting those links. I now know how to keep on top of brushing my dd's teeth with Toms of Maine Fluoride and making sure I do it as often as possible, especially after nursing, morning and night. I am glad to see I was right in not getting the fluoride drops. I did read those q&a before I posted, but I still have ?s. I am wondering how to get her diagnosed with ECC. I just have a hunch that is what she has. I am wondering if my husband who needs work done in his teeth, could be contributing to the problem. They are NOT vertical chips. They are a bunch of small chips that started under a brown film between her front and side tooth. I am betting the other chips are from falls and therefore not too concerned. The chips between her teeth are small, like the enamel chipped off in half moon shapes and circles. It looks like she has something stuck in between her teeth, even when they are clean, because of the discoloration. When should I take her to the dentist? How will I find one that is BF friendly an KNOWS abour ECC. What diet changes do I have to make to combat the bacteria? OR is brushing frequently with fluoride enough? What do I do if I find more chips? Is this going to affect her perment teeth. I just feel so bad for the poor baby. I had a lot of teeth problems when I was a kid and was embarrassed and stressed about it, I am saddened to think she might have to go through the same. I cried last night thinking how ill informed I was about it being okay not to brush her teeth until she was olser, and how perhaps I could've prevented this if I had only known. Why are new moms taught to clean every other orfice but the teeth? She got her first teeth in early, about 5 months and I should've started then. No use in beating myself up about it, but I sure feel guilty. Thank you very much for all you help. It is much appreciated and Thank Maude for this forum, otherwise I would be in the dark! *whew*

[KerryM]

I have been going through something similar and have been crazy about it myself. At about the same age my ds had also started showing some pitting and discoloration on his front teeth. I did not see anybody but began to be very persistant about brushing. At about 20m he had a fall and fractured his front tooth so bad we had to have it extracted. The pediactric dentist did not talk to me about the care or condition of the surrounding teeth so I thought nothing of it. About 6 weeks ago another of ds's teeth showed a chip so we saw the dentist again. They scheduled us for a visit to crown the three teeth that are showing alot of decay. Although the visit is two more weeks away, while we have been waiting the tooth with the chip has been falling to pieces and there is not much left.

The threads here have been so helpful to me and have helped me to feel less alone. I still night nurse and ds shows no signs of weaning. I feel decay is probably combo of mostly bad genetics and some milk pooling. I really wanted weaning to be on his terms and am struggling with this issue, especially if it is affecting the health of his teeth. I will see what the prognosis is on his other teeth during his dentist visit in a few weeks and keep mulling this over. Brushing teeth is also a battle for us. He slowly gets a little better at it, but he is the type who wants to do things his way.
For now I have been calling other pediatric dentists for advice, scanning these threads and have an appointment with a naturopath to discuss homeopathics suitable for ds before and after dental visit. He will probably be traumatized and I want to try and minimize it best that I can. I would suggest that you see another pediatric dentist or more, even interview by phone to find one that feels right for you and your precious child.
This is no fun for sure. I am sending a lot of positive energy you way.
LOL
Kerry

[Ava]

Good luck! I am glad I found this thread in my never ending quest for understanding babies with teeth!

[Isabelrules]

Originally posted by KerryM
[ I really wanted weaning to be on his terms and am struggling with this issue, especially if it is affecting the health of his teeth. [/B]

This is exactly how I feel also. Thank you for relating your similar experiences and sending healthy teeth vibes! I have been dilligant about brushing her teeth, and the only chips I see are the ones between her front and side teeth. I only hope those are the last ones I see!

[daniusa]

i have read countless times that chipping and/pitting was a direct result of fluoride poisoning. why treat pitting/chipping with fluoride if that is what caused the tooth to chip? fluoride has never been proven to stop decay. xlylitol can reverse decay up to 80 percent. any info on pitting would be appreciated though as my dds has pitting on his molars. i have stopped using the town water as soon as i noticed them.

[newbymom05]

i have read countless times that chipping and/pitting was a direct result of fluoride poisoning.

I was unable to access the whole fluoride link--many posts had been deleted--but our ds has a chip and decay and had them before he ever had fluoridated water or solids.

[daniusa]

it would be interesting to learn if you had fluorinated water while pregnant? also fluoride does not leave your body.