Mottled Front Teeth - 2yr old?

[Theonlyoneiknow]

DDs top two teeth look mottled with sort of brown, grey marks on them.

Dr google is pointing me towards dental fluorosis which I had never heard of before. I feel utterly crap! She doesn't spit out her toothpaste as she just seems to chew the brush before I can get close enough to quickly clean her teeth (she really hates it). DS doesn't spit his toothpaste out either and he is 4.5yrs.

I am now worried that I will have caused DD to have permanently stained adult teeth and also DS (although his teeth look fine at the moment I read that that doesn't mean the adult teeth won't be affected). I really need to work on him spitting out his toothpaste :(

Sorry, I know this is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.

Until i can get her seen at the dentist, any comments?

Should I switch to a non fluoride toothpaste for the time being?

Thanks
TOOIK

[ilovepowerhoop]

It could be a problem with the enamel itself rather than fluorosis. I would continue brushing as usual but get her seen by the dentist. Has she never visited one before?

[Matildathecat]

My ds has some mottling on his teeth which appeared very early, the dentist said he had very little enamel in places. For years he had coating applied to his molars to prevent decay.

Taking tetracycline in pregnancy can be a cause, which I hadn't. The dentist suggested that an early chicken pox infection might have caused it. He did have chicken pox quite badly at about nine months.

It's not that noticeable now but if it were I'm pretty sure cosmetic dentistry could help.

[ihatethecold]

My son, now 23 has this.
I was told it was because of the high amount of fluoride in the water when I was pregnant.

I have no idea whether that's right or not.

[ilovepowerhoop]

Ds had chicken pox around 6months old which I think may have caused his bad enamel on his molars

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Thanks for the replies!

She is very reluctant to let me look in her mouth, tooth brushing has always been really difficult. I never had any anti-biotics when I was pregnant with her but she has had steroids twice for croup when she was about 6 months old, and has had maybe three courses of anti-biotics so far?

I can recall white spots on her teeth a few months ago but there are definitely more grey/brown marks now. It almost looks as though the enamel is thin in places (I have the same problem on the bottom half of my top two teeth).

Will see what the dentist says although I have no idea how he is going to get a good look, especially at the back teeth. She will either need to be laughing or crying to open her mouth!

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Clutching at straws here but I give her a liquid multi-vitamin daily which is brown (and contains iron), could this also be a reason for causing the marks on her teeth? Am not sure though as the marks are only on her top two teeth not all of them.

[DayLillie]

Can you still get children's toothpaste with less fluoride in it?

Mine always came with me to the dentist, sat on my knee from being babies so that they learned what to do - dentist's idea.

[RoganJosh]

How much toothpaste do you use? I wouldn't expect a 2 yr old to be able to spit. I think you're just meant to use a smear of toothpaste though.

[ilovepowerhoop]

its advised they use one with at least 1000ppm fluoride from when they start getting teeth

[ilovepowerhoop]

yes, it is just a smear for children under 3 and a pea sized blob for over 3's

[NoArmaniNoPunani]

It's a really bad idea to look online and decide it's fluorosis. It could be a number of things. When was her last dental exam? If more than 3 months ago, ask for another one and get a proper diagnosis from a dentist

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Yes, she just uses the child toothpaste for 0-3yrs with a smear.

Her last dental apt was about 8 months ago, have an apt for week after next.

I know, I am bad for diagnosing things on Google!

[NoArmaniNoPunani]

Fluorosis occurrs before eruption so if this is fluorosis (rare in primary dentition) the teeth would have erupted like that. The minerals for the primary teeth are laid down in utero. The amount of fluoride you give her now will not cause Fluorosis to teeth already erupted.

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Thanks noarmani that's what is making me really worry about her adult teeth.

This has opened my eyes up to a whole raft of things I never really knew about re: dental care.

[NoArmaniNoPunani]

There's no point worrying about her adult teeth when she's 2. The most likely cause is caries, second most likely is disruption to enamel formation in utero. The answer to both of these is good diet any oral hygiene. If you establish these now her adult teeth will be fine. Fluorosis is so unlikely in primary teeth.

[Theonlyoneiknow]

I know, my problem is that I WCS (worse case scenario) everything

[HopeClearwater]

It's probably decay. You really need to get her to the dentist.

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Yip her appt is next week. Although I have stopped using the multi vits that have iron in them which was a brown syrup and they don't look so bad

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Thought I would feed back following her appointment.

He said its nothing to worry about and the marks are there from when her teeth developed and doesn't necessarily mean her adult teeth will grow in with the same marks. He also said marked enamel (in DDs case) meant it was a bit stronger than normal enamel.

As DD hates having her teeth brushed he said to focus on bed time and not worry so much about daytime. And as she sucks her thumb in bed he also said her front teeth were pronounced slightly but it's not worth worrying about yet (she is 2)