[Love_My_Bubba]

The other night DS was testing his lungs and while his mouth was a big gaping hole I caught a glimpse of a brown spot on one of his lower molars. I took him to brush his teeth and it wouldn't come off!

I am completely panicked because we can't get DS to sit still for a diaper change let alone to have a dentist take a drill to his mouth. I'm pretty sure what you guys are going to tell me is that they sedate young children and that just makes me shudder.

Could any of you mommas who have had dental dealings let me know how this goes down?

Thanks!

 

[amandaleigh37]

My son just turned 2 and needed some fillings. (Despite being breastfed, eating VERY little sugar, and brushing regularly... UGH). The dentist did it in the office with no anesthesia or anything. He did it in 2 visits because there were other problems with his front tooth enamel to fix too. Anyway, the drill was silent and my DS did GREAT with the tiny fillings on his molars. It was VERY quick and he barely even flinched. The second visit was yesterday, working on his front teeth - and did not go well. He fought it and cried the whole time

, but it was over quick and now it's done. The first dentist I went to wanted to use general anesthesia but I wasn't comfortable with that so we got a second opinion.

 

[MissMommyNiceNice]

It could just be something stuck in his tooth. I see stuff in there all the time, and even with brushing it doesn't always come right out. Crayons especially have sticking power.

 

[onyxravnos]

my almost 2 year old has two big brown spots on his front teeth like the poster above me this is despite BFing, very little sugar, and brushing. Some kids are just more prone to it then others. Lots of kids can eat junk and hardly brush with no cavity's others can brush all the time and still get them.

:

Like the other poster says it depends on 1. the dentist, 2. the kid, and 3. how much work needs to be done. Make an apt to have it looked at and go from there. If you LO does okay with the dentist you can try it that way if not you can always consider having him put under for it.

oh and something to consider, you might look around at holistic health clinics in your area, they wont be able to fill the cavity of course but they might have some ideas for helping to strengthen his teeth.

 

[Sheryl1678]

My dd also has cavities on the front teeth and molars. It is heartbreaking. I am very strict about sugar so I know that isn't it and she was ebf until 3yrs old. The cavities rapidly got worse after she weaned.

I have since read that a lack of high quality animal protein will contribute (and we are vegetarian). I am trying to add raw milk, raw milk products and cod liver oil. I think there is a lot of information about this on the weston price website.

 

[bdoody11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissMommyNiceNice It could just be something stuck in his tooth. I see stuff in there all the time, and even with brushing it doesn't always come right out. Crayons especially have sticking power.

I want to second this. I thought I saw dark spots in my DD's molars. It turns out it was stuck food. Now when I see anything I brush her teeth well before I freak out.

 

[lmk1]

My son has yellow/brown spots on his front teeth. I freaked out thinking they were cavities, but the dentist said that his enamel is ok, just the surface of his teeth is rough and so gets stained. I did do some research while I was in the freaking out stage before we got to a dentist, and it seems that xylitol is good for reducing the amount of cavity causing bacteria in the mouth. You may want to read more about it...see the wikipedia article.
When we got to the dentist, she actually gave us some samples of spiffies wipes, which are wet wipes with xylitol that you can rub on the baby's teeth.

 

[Momalea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love_My_Bubba The other night DS was testing his lungs and while his mouth was a big gaping hole I caught a glimpse of a brown spot on one of his lower molars. I took him to brush his teeth and it wouldn't come off! I am completely panicked because we can't get DS to sit still for a diaper change let alone to have a dentist take a drill to his mouth. I'm pretty sure what you guys are going to tell me is that they sedate young children and that just makes me shudder. Could any of you mommas who have had dental dealings let me know how this goes down? Thanks!

As a mother of two children with dental issues, I've found that most dentists will do a "baby" filling on young children. They use no shots, just quickly remove as much decay as possible and put a temporary filling in it. The process takes a few minutes. Of course, it's temporary, but with any luck it'll last until your child is a few years older and can stand longer work done. One of my ds's temporary filling has had to be replaced twice, but that's the nature of them (though he has one in his molar for almost a year that's doing great).

From vast experience with family and pediatric dentists, I'd be sure to get some referrals from friends or off MDC for a gentle dentist in your area. My dd and I went through some really hard experiences before finding the dentist we now use. We work with a pediatric dentist who specializes in special needs kids so she's really patient, gentle, and mellow. Very important for my dd who now has lots of dental anxiety.

 

[Love_My_Bubba]

I forgot to come back and follow up! We took DS to the dentist (he did REALLY well, now he loves to open his mouth like a lion and a dinosaur) the next day and the brown spot is not yet a cavity but it's on its way. The reason he's having problems is because he has no enamel on the tops of his molars. This shouldn't surprise me as I have always had problems with MY molars. I have a few crowns and the teeth that don't have crowns all have fillings.

So, new question. Have any of you mommas whose LO's have dental issues ever had the sealant put on their teeth? ANy opinions are GREATLY appreciated as he's back to the dentist to track progress and start a plan of attack in 2 months. I'm really happy with the dentist, he's the one tjhat DH and I see. I was a little wary of not going to a ped. dentist but he was awesome. Small belssings, huh?

 

[moon.mom]

thanks so much for posting this-

I recently found a brown spot on my dd back molar
(she's almost 3)
and i know it's a hole- b/c i scaped at it- it's a little indention.

How does anyone respond when someone says, "Oh- you shouldn't breastfeed them to sleep- that causes cavities!"

I have always had lots of cavities- so i know she's probably gonna be like me.
oh well...

thanks for posting this! i appreciate reading everyone's advice!