(Hylands) Teething tablets the cause of caries/cavities?

[dawncayden]

My son has major teeth problems and we are always trying to find out 'why'. My husband thought of something last week...Our son has had a great diet and exclusively breastfed BUT we were big believers in homeopathics.
When he was teething we would give him tons of Hylands teething tablets day and night.
So we are thinking that putting sugar tablets on a babies budding teeth without brushing after, is a huge reason why he has so much decay.
Has anyone else made this connection or have any thoughts?

[flowmom]

That wasn't a factor for dd, but who's to say it wasn't a factor for your ds?

Personally, I am coming to the conclusion that my nutritional status during my first tri with dd is the cause of her susceptibility. I was still nursing, I was losing weight due to pregnancy nausea, not taking any prenatal vitamins (also due to pregnancy nausea), and I got bacterial dysentery while travelling in Mexico. I think those combined to make dd's tooth enamel weaker . I think that healthy teeth should be able to handle an imperfect diet.

[lacysmommy]

Those are interesting thoughts... for my DD, I think that the nursing through pregnancy was a huge factor, I didn't do well on taking my prenatals and was anemic (probably deficient in a few other areas besides iron I think), and I think she's been vitamin D deficient as well. And anecdotally, she ate Hyland's Teething Tablets like candy while teething, as they really seemed to help her. I will be doing a lot of things differently when we have baby #3, and I will not nurse through pregnancy/tandem nurse again. I won't take out my IUD until DD2 is weaned.

[wannabe]

Originally Posted by lacysmommy

And anecdotally, she ate Hyland's Teething Tablets like candy while teething, as they really seemed to help her.

Hylands ARE candy

[ChickyMama]

I worry about this a little, I give my ds hylands teething tabs several times a day. But breastmilk is very sweet as well and is washing over their gums constantly.

[bunnybartlett]

very good question!

my oldest had some cavities that I didn't expect at her first dentist visit at 3 years old.We limit candy and I encourage brushing....

I never thought about the hylands till you mentioned it....

hmmmmmmmm


how much sugar can they contain??

[milkybean]

They are on a lactose base.

They aren't candy.

I can't possibly even try to imagine a way I could blame them for the problems DS has had with his teeth, and even if they were, homeopathy (though no Hyland's; we always felt that a single remedy did a better job than the "shotgun approach" of hyland's teething tablets) did so much for DS's health in those days (and these days!), that I would never do anything different. Overall health vs baby teeth, there's not even a question in my mind...

[dawncayden]

Originally Posted by milkybean

They are on a lactose base.

They aren't candy.

I can't possibly even try to imagine a way I could blame them for the problems DS has had with his teeth, and even if they were, homeopathy (though no Hyland's; we always felt that a single remedy did a better job than the "shotgun approach" of hyland's teething tablets) did so much for DS's health in those days (and these days!), that I would never do anything different. Overall health vs baby teeth, there's not even a question in my mind...

Yes they are a lactose base (lactose — major sugar in milk = glucose + galactose)

Because ds never ate any candy or chocolate until recently, and he has only had juice about 3 times in his life, we feed him whole homemade foods we are trying to find culprits as to why he had so much decay.
I was a big believer in homeopathics, I actually wanted to get trained as a Homeopath, and because of that ds had A LOT of Hylands. I got them at a discount because of where I worked and they really seemed to help, he had Calms 4 Kids EVERY night for about 2 months. He had the C Plus tablets when he was sick, and he had the teething ones quite often too. There probably wasn't a day that didn't go by for a year that he didn't have Hylands in his mouth. Dh made the connection...what have we been putting in his mouth over and over, HYLANDS!
We didn't brush after putting it in his mouth, did anyone else?

I'm just looking at the 'whys' I want to avoid decay with our next child. Ds's teeth are fixed now (as of last week, yay!)

[dot1]

Originally Posted by dawncayden

My son has major teeth problems and we are always trying to find out 'why'. My husband thought of something last week...Our son has had a great diet and exclusively breastfed BUT we were big believers in homeopathics.
When he was teething we would give him tons of Hylands teething tablets day and night.
So we are thinking that putting sugar tablets on a babies budding teeth without brushing after, is a huge reason why he has so much decay.
Has anyone else made this connection or have any thoughts?

I suspect Hyland's may have been a contributing factor to 12 mo dd's decay in 2 upper central incisors. They came in at around 9 and 10 months missing enamel on the ends. She had also had homemade fruit purees (apple and plum from our trees) and some organic brown rice baby cereal, along with other veggies too. When I gave her the tablets i held them between her gums until i felt them dissolving. She absolutely loved them like candy. We had also only been using a soft silicon toothbrush...so if there was any food residue it probably wasn't removed well. Plus we had some all night nursing marathons.

Essentially we had sugar and breastmilk constantly on her budding teeth. We've since changed LOTS of routines and the cavities don't seem to have progressed, although i have noticed a white line on a lateral incisor in an area that i hadn't been as vigilant in reaching with the toothbrush.

So - no clearcut answer for you, but IMO if the tablets didn't get brushed away they could very well have provided a nice steady, reliable food for the s. mutans bacteria.

[daisycullen2003]

dawn,
you may want to check out www.westonaprice.org. not sure you are familiar w/ this type of diet/philosophy, but thought i would mention it. weston price was a dentist in the 1940's who traveled the world to study traditional cultures to find out why his patients here in the US were experiencing deteriorating health. the foundation's mission is to educate people about his findings and which foods contribute to strong teeth, bones, etc. they focus on children's health as well as the health of parents hoping to conceive. they emphasize that diet up to 6 months prior to conception for both parents is crucial. the diet they recommend may seem contrary to what our culture believes to be healthy. it's definitely worth checking out.
lisa

[wannabe]

Originally Posted by milkybean

They are on a lactose base.

They aren't candy.

I define candy as something that's just sugar. Since they are a pellet of just sugar, they're candy.

How do you define candy?

[luv2bamommy2]

I don't know if they can actually 'cause' cavities or feed the bacteria that eats the enamel of a baby's teeth, but my mom is extra cautious with my children's teeth and always swipes a Spiffies over their teeth or sprays SPRY 'Rain' in their mouths after using any homeopathic remedy.

Personally, I wouldn't want to be without the remedies. They've been such a blessing.

I guess it is a matter of common sense - which my mom has and I don't. Sorry :>(

[Astoria]

Also keep in mind that to have decay, you have to be colonized with decay producing bacteria that a baby will usually get from mom or dad. With another baby, a good rule of thumb is for mom and dad to get a thorough cleaning before conceiving (cause you do swallow bacteria during it), then cleanings during pregnancy and have excellent oral hygiene yourself. If you have a lot of dental carries, try to not give your saliva to your baby through mouth kissing, licking pacifiers (if you use one), sharing spoons, etc....

Calcium during pregnancy really helps too.