Well, hell.
DD (2 yrs. 10 mos.) had her first visit to the dentist today. I had noticed some decay at the gumline between her top front teeth and wanted to get it checked out. It looked like two cavities were forming. DH has cavities and she really takes after him, so it wasn't a huge surprise.
She was awesome. So was the hygienist. The appointment itself went really well. She got her teeth cleaned with a Dora toothbrush (BIG hit!), had her teeth counted, did the rinse and spit routine, and got her teeth x-rayed. Then The Talk. She had very little plaque and it was clear we were brushing regularly. But there are two cavities visible to the eye. And 8-10 MORE between her teeth. Her molars are fine, but there's a cavity between all of her front teeth, top and bottom. And her enamel looked very strange to the dentist and hygienist. They said it was unusually pitted and didn't seem to have formed properly.
They don't feel equipped to handle her case, so we've been referred to a specialist, a pediatric dentist with hospital privileges.
:
We have a healthy pesco vegetarian diet. We eat some sweets but compared to the average American, whoa. Much healthier. DD brushes her teeth once or twice a day, every day, with adult help. We use xylitol toothpaste. We floss her teeth several times a week. We have city water, so it's fluoridated. (Not something I'm thrilled about, but it knocked the dentist's theory about lack of fluoridation out of the water, so to speak.) She has juice maybe once a day, watered down 50-50, and water, raw milk, or breastmilk the rest of the time. We do tend to mix some chocolate into the milk because the sugar helps break it down so it's easier for her to digest. Since I noticed the spots between her teeth, I've taken sticky sweets like raisins out of her diet. She's never had a bottle. And not that it matters, but she hasn't nursed at night for over a year, well before we ever noticed any cavities forming.
I've got two weeks to do some research before we see the specialist. I welcome links, articles, personal experiences . . . whatever you have to throw at me.
Here's what I know:
I was on some prescription medication for vaginosis about halfway through my pregnancy with her. I don't recall the name and I don't recall anything in the insert about dangers to fetal tooth formation, but I'm going to go back and check out my records, then do some looking.
She had a couple high fevers (103F+) about 3 weeks before her first tooth showed up. Never did figure out what caused them; she recovered quickly, but it was one of the first things the dentist asked me.
DH developed cavities fairly early on, although I don't recall him ever mentioning enamel problems. I'll have to check in with MIL. The dentist did say there might be a genetic component at work.
They don't seem to be bothering her, but man oh man, this just sucks.
DD (2 yrs. 10 mos.) had her first visit to the dentist today. I had noticed some decay at the gumline between her top front teeth and wanted to get it checked out. It looked like two cavities were forming. DH has cavities and she really takes after him, so it wasn't a huge surprise.
She was awesome. So was the hygienist. The appointment itself went really well. She got her teeth cleaned with a Dora toothbrush (BIG hit!), had her teeth counted, did the rinse and spit routine, and got her teeth x-rayed. Then The Talk. She had very little plaque and it was clear we were brushing regularly. But there are two cavities visible to the eye. And 8-10 MORE between her teeth. Her molars are fine, but there's a cavity between all of her front teeth, top and bottom. And her enamel looked very strange to the dentist and hygienist. They said it was unusually pitted and didn't seem to have formed properly.
They don't feel equipped to handle her case, so we've been referred to a specialist, a pediatric dentist with hospital privileges.
:We have a healthy pesco vegetarian diet. We eat some sweets but compared to the average American, whoa. Much healthier. DD brushes her teeth once or twice a day, every day, with adult help. We use xylitol toothpaste. We floss her teeth several times a week. We have city water, so it's fluoridated. (Not something I'm thrilled about, but it knocked the dentist's theory about lack of fluoridation out of the water, so to speak.) She has juice maybe once a day, watered down 50-50, and water, raw milk, or breastmilk the rest of the time. We do tend to mix some chocolate into the milk because the sugar helps break it down so it's easier for her to digest. Since I noticed the spots between her teeth, I've taken sticky sweets like raisins out of her diet. She's never had a bottle. And not that it matters, but she hasn't nursed at night for over a year, well before we ever noticed any cavities forming.
I've got two weeks to do some research before we see the specialist. I welcome links, articles, personal experiences . . . whatever you have to throw at me.
Here's what I know:
I was on some prescription medication for vaginosis about halfway through my pregnancy with her. I don't recall the name and I don't recall anything in the insert about dangers to fetal tooth formation, but I'm going to go back and check out my records, then do some looking.
She had a couple high fevers (103F+) about 3 weeks before her first tooth showed up. Never did figure out what caused them; she recovered quickly, but it was one of the first things the dentist asked me.
DH developed cavities fairly early on, although I don't recall him ever mentioning enamel problems. I'll have to check in with MIL. The dentist did say there might be a genetic component at work.
They don't seem to be bothering her, but man oh man, this just sucks.
I know how this feels. My son has had a few cavities since he was around 3 and its just awful.
First make sure you find a VERY GOOD pediatric dentist that is not only treating your child's teeth, but the child as a whole and treats them like a person.
:
You could also sweeten water w/ xylitol and lemon to make lemondade, although maybe acidic lemon isn't a good idea for your dc's teeth.?. Weak herbal tea?
That really is reassuring to me.
