Advice from knowledgeable mamas would be much appreciated!
Today the local pediatric dentist looked at DS's teeth and confirmed that he has 3-4 cavities in his upper front teeth. (They got broken when he bonked his head a few months ago and decay has set in. Also one of them had a small hole in the front surface when the tooth first came in, and it now is brownish with decay as well.) She said that tooth decay is caused by a certain type of bacteria (or germs?) in the mouth, and that DH and I should not share any food or drinks with DS because then we might get tooth decay, too.
The dentist recommended brushing with fluoride, and when I told her our family doesn't use fluoride, she asked why. I just mentioned the one that I thought she'd be most likely to understand - that he would swallow the toothpaste and get fluoride in his digestive tract, which isn't healthy. She said she doesn't understand why there is so much anti-fluoride propaganda going around because if a person ingested too much fluoride they would just vomit it up.
She also wanted me to rinse out DS's mouth after every night nursing. That isn't going to happen because neither DS nor I wake up for night nursings. So I told her I could brush his teeth really well first thing in the morning and she agreed that would be better than nothing, but looked unconvinced about whether that would be sufficient to stop decay.
The dentist recommended giving DS a piece of cheddar cheese after meals to help stop decay. And giving him xylitol as a regular sweetener and possibly also the breath mints or gum. She suggested I use a xylitol toothpaste on him if I am not comfortable with fluoride.
She wants him to come back for a checkup in 3 months, at which time he will be 2 years old and she would be able to drill and fill his cavities if necessary. (She mentioned that if the decay stops by then, there will be black spots on his teeth and she suggested we might want to get them filled with white composite for cosmetic reasons, if nothing else.)
Should I use fluoride on DS? I'm unconvinced that fluoride works because DH didn't use fluoridated toothpaste as a child and he has never had a cavity (his dental hygiene isn't the best, either.) Whereas I grew up always using fluoridated toothpaste and brushing my teeth with military regularity, but I ended up getting several cavities filled.
I've been trying the "healing cavities with nutrition" and it hasn't stopped the decay. (Traditional Foods diet; 1ml daily of Blue Ice Gold Theraputics high vitamin CLO with butter oil; bone broths; stevia and xylitol as sweeteners; raw milk and kefir made from raw milk.) If the "healing cavities with nutrition" approach isn't going to work, I don't want the decay to continue unchecked until it reaches the nerves of his teeth and causes pain.
What do you guys think?
Today the local pediatric dentist looked at DS's teeth and confirmed that he has 3-4 cavities in his upper front teeth. (They got broken when he bonked his head a few months ago and decay has set in. Also one of them had a small hole in the front surface when the tooth first came in, and it now is brownish with decay as well.) She said that tooth decay is caused by a certain type of bacteria (or germs?) in the mouth, and that DH and I should not share any food or drinks with DS because then we might get tooth decay, too.
The dentist recommended brushing with fluoride, and when I told her our family doesn't use fluoride, she asked why. I just mentioned the one that I thought she'd be most likely to understand - that he would swallow the toothpaste and get fluoride in his digestive tract, which isn't healthy. She said she doesn't understand why there is so much anti-fluoride propaganda going around because if a person ingested too much fluoride they would just vomit it up.
She also wanted me to rinse out DS's mouth after every night nursing. That isn't going to happen because neither DS nor I wake up for night nursings. So I told her I could brush his teeth really well first thing in the morning and she agreed that would be better than nothing, but looked unconvinced about whether that would be sufficient to stop decay.
The dentist recommended giving DS a piece of cheddar cheese after meals to help stop decay. And giving him xylitol as a regular sweetener and possibly also the breath mints or gum. She suggested I use a xylitol toothpaste on him if I am not comfortable with fluoride.
She wants him to come back for a checkup in 3 months, at which time he will be 2 years old and she would be able to drill and fill his cavities if necessary. (She mentioned that if the decay stops by then, there will be black spots on his teeth and she suggested we might want to get them filled with white composite for cosmetic reasons, if nothing else.)
Should I use fluoride on DS? I'm unconvinced that fluoride works because DH didn't use fluoridated toothpaste as a child and he has never had a cavity (his dental hygiene isn't the best, either.) Whereas I grew up always using fluoridated toothpaste and brushing my teeth with military regularity, but I ended up getting several cavities filled.
I've been trying the "healing cavities with nutrition" and it hasn't stopped the decay. (Traditional Foods diet; 1ml daily of Blue Ice Gold Theraputics high vitamin CLO with butter oil; bone broths; stevia and xylitol as sweeteners; raw milk and kefir made from raw milk.) If the "healing cavities with nutrition" approach isn't going to work, I don't want the decay to continue unchecked until it reaches the nerves of his teeth and causes pain.
What do you guys think?
s Jen
