tooth decay

[wazzakazza]

Please help mortified mum. DS aged four needs FOUR fillings. Dentist says enamel didn't develop properly as decay is only on four back teeth top and bottom. DS only drinks water , very occasionally apple juice, no sweets lots of fruit and veg but is a real snacker (fussy eater syndrome). anyone else heard of theis enamel problem?

[jabberwocky]

Sounds vaguely familiar, but I'm certainly no expert.

ComeOVeneer is a dentist. She may be able to help.

[Sugarmagnolia]

Yes!

When DD was about 3 dentist told me the enamel on her molars hadn't developed properly and we should keep an eye on it. I asked at the time about giving flouride supplements and she said no, it wouldn't help. (She brushes twice a day, mostly drinks water & milk etc, etc). We went back every three months for checks and at 4 DD had to have a filling on one of the molars. She got the filling and I insisted on a script for flouride tablets, although my dentist still swore it wouldn't help teeth that had already developed. When we went back for the next check 3 months later the dentist was AMAZED at how much harder the surface of DDs teeth were! We still go every 3 months and she's had no problems since.

I know lots of people have negative things to say about flouride as well so you'll have to make your own decision. I'm still wavering whether to give it to DS(3). I'm unsure because a)he's still not very good at spitting out his toothpaste and don't want him to get too much and b)his teeth seem fine so far.

[Sugarmagnolia]

DD is 5 1/2 now BTW.

[jabberwocky]

Do they do sealants in the UK?

[LIZS]

ds is getting fissure sealants on Denplan but only on his permanent molars. I was told the enamel problem develops before birth, also dried fruit can cause decay oif it gets trapped.

[Starrmum]

I'm not a dentist, but a market researcher and we're working on a project at the moment about enamel loss.

Unfortunately modern healthy lifestyles - especially drinking fruit juice and eating lots of fruit as well as carbonated water - all contribute to acid erosion, which will damage your tooth enamel.

If you've eaten anything acidic (or drunk anything like orange juice or wine - you, not the kids, obviously!) don't brush your teeth for at least 30 minutes afterwards otherwise you will strip off the enamel that the acidic stuff has softened. If you leave it for 30 minutes the saliva remineralise your teeth.

Fluoride, as far as I can judge, seems to do fantastic things to teeth, especially with early stage decay.

HTH

[jabberwocky]

Very interesting starrmum. I have heard that professional wine tasters will often go all day or a couple of days without brushing their teeth as the sensitivity level goes way up when at a conference type thing. This explains it to me.

[Starrmum]

So lots of fruit and - I'm guessing here - lots of teeth brushing? Could be a recipe for enamel problems, I'm afraid.

One tip I've picked up is when you/your child goes to bed, put a little bit of fluoride toothpaste (only a v small bit) on your finger tip and rub it round the teeth (especially the ones that you have problems with) and leave it over night.

Maybe only do this once a week, as I know there are potential concerns about staining your teeth with fluoride.

[wazzakazza]

thanks very much guys. am a bit nervous about fluoride - don't really know why! but have been using fluoride free toothpaste (probably hasn't helped). will look into this a bit more.