mn poll.... parents of chilren with a healthy set of 'big' teeth...

[NappiesGalore]

did you commit any of the following sins when your dc were young and in their milk teeth, and how healthy were those milk teeth before making way for the decent big gnashers they have now? please.

-brushing their teeth thoroughly mainly only at night

-letting them drink extremely watered down juice from a bottle, or milk from a bottle, to go to sleep with.

-unlimited access to fruit

-other foods with sugars in, not unlimited but hardly rare.

do i need to buck up my ideas? or will it Be Ok, in your experience?

many thanks in advance...

[NappiesGalore]

bump

[olivo]

i have been panicking about some of the things yuo mention, nappiesgalore. my dd is only 12 mo but i still clean her teeth ( all 6 of them) before her bedtime bottle, she east stacks of fruit and she does have some other sugary foods. hshe doesnt yet have juice and i try to clean her teeth in the mornins as well but dont know if dh does on the mornings i go to work early. having read some of the threads on here abuot los with pororly formed enamel, i am dreading dd getting more teeth and any problems that may arise.
scary

[evenhope]

DD1 has beautiful teeth (she's 21)

I only ever brushed her teeth in the mornings.

She never went to sleep with anything in a bottle, though she did have non-diluted C&G baby juice out of a bottle in the daytime

yes to unlimited fruit

she had cakes, biscuits etc as well

[Chloesmumtoo]

Both my two have good teeth. ds is 11 with no fillings or problems and dd is 5 with no problems also. I always brush teeth at night as a rule. Now dd is at school teeth get done in morning also but previously to that could get forgotten. Neither children drank at night from a bottle. Both off bottles by 12 months old. Used trainer cups only during day. ds hated fruit but dd is a fruit monster. No limitations! Always eats things like chocolate bars but rarely rubbish sweets. ds's teeth were in good condition previous to the second teeth and dd has not lost any yet! I think teeth can be genetic but I would reccomend cleaning your childs teeth yourself for as long as pos.

[NappiesGalore]

olivo - have seen a thread or two also [mild hopeless panic]... is just one more thing to feel guilty about eh? before the fact even!!

evenhope - bless you! such soothing words... [anxiety lessens]

[NappiesGalore]

ok. thanks chloesmum... some balancing perspectives...

the bottles at night are a real prob eh? have at least got one of them on water in his night bottles...

[LiegeAndLief]

The teeth your kids end up with depends a lot on nature as well as nurture. My brother and I were treated exactly the same as children with regard to teeth. Mine are big, strong, very close together (had to have 2 removed to make room); his are smaller, far apart, prone to enamel problems and staining. We never went to sleep with a bottle and our teeth were brushed twice a day, but we had a lot of fruit and some sugary food.

[brimfull]

depends on the teeth ime.

dd is nearly 16 ,has no fillings ,never had any in her baby teeth either.

we did brush her teeth thoroughly am and pm

often used disclosing tablets to teach her proper brushing when she was about 7-8yrs

she ate sweets and fruit and fruit juice regularly,but did encourage her to have cheese or something afterwards .

She has been told by dentists she has beautiful teeth.

I think she's quite lucky.

They were coated when she was about 13 I think .

[brimfull]

she never had bottle in bed

[saggarmakersbottomknocker]

dd has really healthy teeth - not uniform at all though and she's had to have braces.

She is 13 and has had no fillings or extractions for decay. Milk teeth healthy, 'big' teeth healthy.

Teeth brushed twice a day.

Drinks only milk and water.

Eats no fruit or fruit juice.

Eats no sweets but drinks flavoured milk and eats a fair bit of chocolate.

She had a dummy 'til 4

[JackieNo]

Our dentist prefers chocolate to other sweets, as it dissolves off more easily, and doesn't leave bits stuck to the teeth. She hates crisps and 'sticky food' ( - yet another thing to be paranoid about).

[castille]

Our rules are:

• teeth are brushed after breakfast and before bed
  
• no food or drink (except water) after evening brush
  
• fruit, and indeed all food, sugary or otherwise, is eaten as part of a meal, and no snacking outside mealtimes on the whole.
  
  But despite my schoolmarm approach, DD1 has inherited DH's teeth - nice and straight but with feeble enamel - and has had quite a few problems. So... I'd say a lot of it is down to genes anyway.
  
  If you're worried, I'd say the most important thing is to get rid of the bedtime bottle and the fruit/sugary snacks. Dentists all say sweet things should be part of a meal.
  
  

[olivo]

so how do you get rid of the evening bottle? I've gone even more paranoid now! and what do i do for snacks when she is at nursery as they provide fruit? she loves her fruit!
Nappies - sorry , dont mean to take over your thread but am worried now!

[NappiesGalore]

olivo - i meet your sigh, and up it to a great big huuuuuge sigh... HOW oh how am i supposed to do away with evening bottles with one ds who is ADDICTED to milk - its like crack for him i shit you not. and one ds who... ok, the juice one i know i can change. i evebtually got the 4yo off juice bottles at night by talking (scaring) him about teeth... but quite how i get a 19mo to understand that i dont know...

as for the milky boy... no chance. he is dependent on the stuff. i could cry thinking about trying to stop bottles at night as is the way all 3 get to sleep.

[NappiesGalore]

cheers sally (hello btw!)

you make an interesting point re; who is more addicted to the bottles, child or parent... do i have the strength to address it tho???

am loving that your dc have no teeth problems

[snorkle]

I have one sweet addict, who had milk to go to sleep on until about age 2 and unlimited access to fruit etc. and who often skips cleaning teeth. All the teeth are very good in spite of this (but probably just lucky to have strong teeth). Admittedly, it's not a full set of 'big' teeth yet - only the milk incissors have been replaced, but there's some adult molars right at the back too. For a 12 yo I'm a bit surprised there's still 12 milk left to fall out, but I think losing them late helps keep the replacements in good nick as well.

[minorityrules]

5 teenagers, no fillings

They all had milk and juice in bottles up to 2 years old, they do have fizzy drinks and I have never limited sweet foods (everything in moderation)

They do brush twice a day without fail with a good (branded)toothpaste and use a mouthwash regularly and have seen dentist twice a year since before teeth

I think a lot has to do with nature, some people do seem to have very strong teeth, but the brushing is also very very important

[ghosty]

DS never went to sleep with a bottle.
Drank only watered down fruit juice or water.
No excessive suger (he doesn't like sweets
He has had 3 fillings in his milk teeth [totally gutted mother]
He is 7 and has had his 4 '6 year old' molars (the ones that come down at 6 that don't replace any milk teeth) 'sealed' by the dentist.
They are the teeth that get the most cavities and fillings in the teenage years and so in Australia they seal them to protect them for as long as possible. The seal lasts well into their 20s.

[Mrs34USA]

I live in the land of the all American smile. All of my kids committed the ultimate sin of drinking milk at night when they were little AFTER the whole teeth brushing thing. The two eldest now have a boootiful smile (and very straight, WITHOUT hundreds of dollars of work as well).

I am firmly under the belief you are either born with strong teeth or not. The End

[Boredveryverybored]

My dd has great teeth so far she's 6 1/2 has 4 'big teeth' rest of them still baby teeth. We brush nightly religiously although morning burshes have always been a bit hit and miss. She eats a lot of fruit, not may sweets but does have them occasionally.
I on the other hand alwyas had perfect teeth, never had any fillings. I needed a brace as an early teen to straighten then but otherwise perfect. Yet in the last 5 years they've gone to hell! Have needed three fillings and dentist is convinced I live on a diet of sweets after seeing the state of them recently. I don't and I brush daily aswell as flossing/mouthwash etc.

I definiely think it's genetic as my dad is exatly the same.

[Freckle]

My 3 have always cleaned their teeth morning and night. They have eaten plenty of fruit and drunk fruit juice, although never after having cleaned their teeth. They have eaten a reaonsable amount of sugary snacks, although these were more limited when they were younger.

DS1 (13) has all his "big" teeth. He had no fillings in his baby teeth and the only dental work carried out (apart from his current brace) was to repair accident damage.

DS2 (11) is similar although still has some baby teeth to lose and the same goes for DS3 (9).

I think that you just have to be vigilant and absolutely committed regarding cleaning of teeth. If you are concerned about sugary foods, including fruit, you can always ensure that teeth are cleaned after eating such items straight away.

[sandcastles]

Best thing to so is, as castille pointed out.

• teeth are brushed after breakfast and before bed
  
• no food or drink (except water) after evening brush
  
• fruit, and indeed all food, sugary or otherwise, is eaten as part of a meal, and no snacking outside mealtimes on the whole.
  
  You should be brushing teeth until they are old enough to do a thorough job by themselves. Use disclosing tablets as they get older & start getting their adult teeth through.
  
  My dd snacks on fruit & cheese mainly, but does have choc & occasional sucky lollies, cakes, biscuits, had milk in beaker in bed until 3 & has got to 4 & has brilliant teeth.
  
  Good Diet & good oral hygiene is best bet. As JackieNo's dentists said, choc instead of sweets where possible.

[sandcastles]

"You should be brushing teeth until they are old enough to do a thorough job by themselves"

By this I mean either they are using disclosing tabs & coming up clean after, or until you are unable to scrap plaque of their teeth. It is different for all children, but boys take longer than girls.

Also, keep a close eye when they do start brsuing by themselves, just incase they slip.

If you ABSOLUTELY have to miss a brushing session, best to miss morning AS LONG AS it has been done before bed the night before & nothing except water was consumed.

[pigsinmud]

I go with the luck idea. Dh (almost 40) never had anything done to his teeth - cleans his teeth twice a day, but very naughty as he often has cup of tea straight after cleaning his teeth. He has no fillings. Me - very well behaved and always have been at teeth cleaning and yet I've ended up with fillings.

Boys (7 & 9) have good teeth with no problems. We clean at night after milk and then after breakfast. Only water once teeth cleaned. I still help 7 year old. Dd2 (15 months) still has bottle at bedtime and I've barely brushed her teeth .

Hardly ever have sweets, even more rarely have fizzy drinks, but they do have the odd bit of chocolate ans usually a biscuit after school.

I really wouldn't worry - I think it's luck. As long you brush twice a day and steer clear of too much sugar outside of mealtimes, I think it's ok.