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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder where am I going wrong,ds has really bad teeth?

73 replies

FreakinRexManningDay · 10/10/2013 14:06

Ds was at the dentist for a check up and it turns out he needs 5 fillings. He is 12. The dentist was asking me about what we eat,brushing etc and I could see by her face that she thought I was lying but I wasn't.

Breakfast is porridge or cheerios with milk.
Teeth brushed.
Lunch in school is brown bread,turkey,butter sandwich,apple,banana and a special K yoghurt bar thing (low in sugar).

Dinner is usually homemade,things like savory mince,cassaroles,pasta bakes etc. Sauces are homemade.

Snacks are usually things like nuts,carrot sticks,a yoghurt.

Sweets or cakes are a rare treat and he always brushes before bed. He is only allowed fizzy drinks at parties and he's not the type to buy sweets and junk foods in the shop,he's very sporty so saves his money for new sports gear. I really wasn't expecting his teeth to be so bad,I feel like a shit parent.

OP posts:
redskyatnight · 10/10/2013 14:09

What does he drink?

WalkingDeadFan · 10/10/2013 14:10

Some people have bad teeth. Down to the saliva or something I read somewhere but can't remember all the details. Does he brush properly? Maybe supervise for a bit to make sure. How about flossing?

nicename · 10/10/2013 14:10

He may just have shockingly sensitive teeth. A neighbours grandchildren has the same.

It is best for him to brush his teeth before breakfast and rinse afterwards (if there's a kids mouthwash like Sensodyne, that will help strengthen the enamel too). Rinse after eating too. Sensoyne helps build up the enamel.

It's not you, its just bad luck of the draw. Your dentist is a bit ignorant if she didn't know this!

Pancakeflipper · 10/10/2013 14:11

Don't feel pants. Some people have crap teeth. You could up their calcium if that's lacking.

My children could have crap teeth because of the meds I took during my pregnancy ( I never knew this was side-effect until the other year).

So speak to your dentist about prevention, anything they can do etc....

Rufus44 · 10/10/2013 14:11

Sorry to hear that, no advice re his diet. I'm sure someone will be a long in a minute.

I have 3 children and the last one had 3 fillings when he was about 6. The teeth you have are Also genetic, so its not necessarily because he is not looking after his teeth.

My teeth are not very good and my little one has weak teeth as well. Hope you get some good advice/help

cacm · 10/10/2013 14:11

A friend had these issues it was what her kids were drinking all fruit juices and only occasional fizzy stuff

NynaevesSister · 10/10/2013 14:14

Well similar happened to me and it turned out that it was a mix of genetics, me letting him drink apple juice without eating food at same time, and having anything sugary at all without having another food at same time. Also he loved yoghurts and would eat as much as four pots at breakfast. Even organic and healthier brands have sugar. Also we cut out all chewy sweets. Treats are a bar of chocolate or Parma violets (he likes them) and biscuits only on a Friday.

wigglesrock · 10/10/2013 14:17

Some people do have bad teeth, I'm one of them. I'm always really disheartened when I see my dentist as I always need something done. My dentist says he can see how well I'm brushing etc, it's just one of those things.

Does your son drink smoothies? - my dentist always checks this. Dried fruit - especially hard on teeth. Hidden sugars - baked beans, tomato sauce etc.

Does he floss, use mouth wash? When does he brush - too soon after eating isn't great either.

Dawndonnaagain · 10/10/2013 14:18

We had a dentist who did this. Went to another who informed us that dentists were paid per filling and that the ds concerned needed one filling, not the four we had been told.

nicename · 10/10/2013 14:19

Apples are a nightmare. Apparently traditionally apple pickers had bloody awful teeth!

imofftolisdoonvarna · 10/10/2013 14:20

Does he drink a lot of fruit juice? I have quite bad tooth erosion (as opposed to cavities) and the dentist said it was acid erosion due to drinking fuck tons of fruit juice as a youngster and teenager - it's bad stuff!

peachypips · 10/10/2013 14:21

As said before it is the luck of the draw. I have no fillings aged 35. My DH has millions. Our diets haven't differed that much through our lives! I'm fortunate.

2tiredtocare · 10/10/2013 14:22

My teeth are naturally weak, his diet sounds fine. You can get extra strong fluoride toothpaste from the dentist, it's pricey but worth it.

Original poster
FreakinRexManningDay · 10/10/2013 14:23

Thanks for the replies,he loves milk and drinks loads of it,sometimes he might have some juice if its there.
Dh has really bad teeth,mostly due to growing up very poor and not having a great diet and no tooth brushing.
I know its the dentists job to reiterate the importantance of looking after your teeth and I really do try to enforce it but I swear I nearly cried when she was standing there looking at me list what he eats like she didn't believe a word I was saying. I've to keep a food diary now.

OP posts:
tobiasfunke · 10/10/2013 14:24

My DS has inherited my bad teeth and he is only 5. He has been to a dentist since he was 12 months, he's been using adult toothpaste since he was 2 under dentist instructions, getting fluoride treatment and now the have had to do seal his back baby teeth as they are so naturally pitted they were in danger of fillings. We use an electric brush. He brushes 3 times a day. He only drinks water or watered down apple juice with meals. He just has crap teeth. It still feels like you've failed despite the fact we've been doing everything humanly possible to help him.
His father on the other hand could never brush his teeth and they are just fine. I floss and swish and brush and am constantly getting problems.

dopeysheep · 10/10/2013 14:29

Are these new fillings when before he was ok? Do you think he is eating sweets etc at school?

Want2bSupermum · 10/10/2013 14:29

I would get a second opinion because five fillings sounds like a lot. I am surprised the dentist didn't talk to you about fluoride options, flossing and asked more specific questions about your son's diet, the toothbrush etc. I'm not a dentist but our DD goes every 6 months to the dentist because he said she has 'weak' teeth and has suggested a fluoride treatment for prevention until she is old enough to start flossing.

No more talk about feeling like a bad parent. If you were a bad parent you wouldn't be concerned about this.

sydlexic · 10/10/2013 14:29

12 year old boys, sorry to be sexist, are not known for brushing their teeth properly. Try disclosing tablets to check he is doing a good job.

nursingdreams · 10/10/2013 14:30

The best thing for us was getting a tooth brushing app on the I pad it plays music while they brush and shows which part of the mouth to brush then moves to another bit. I used to brush twice a day but may have slightly underestimated how long I was brushing forWink. Last time I saw the dentist, after using this twice a day for 6 months, was the first time no one needed fillings Grin

tobiasfunke · 10/10/2013 14:31

I know how rubbish it us. Our dentist kept repeating it's his diet over and over again. DS didn't even get any sugar until he was 2.
Has he had his teeth sealed? When the dentist did DS's she told us they mainly did this with kids when their adult teeth come in but his were so oddly formed there was no way we could managed to brush them properly.
She is recommending DS get this done when his big teeth come in as she now suspects he has crap teeth.

Original poster
FreakinRexManningDay · 10/10/2013 14:31

We eat at about 6pm and he usually goes upstairs at around 7:30pm,has a shower,brushes his teeth (I know he does as I'm usually pottering around upstairs and he will chat as he's getting his stuff sorted for the next day) and then watches some tv or plays his computer games before bed. He's usually asleep by 10pm.

OP posts:
PandaNot · 10/10/2013 14:33

With a 12 year old I'd think he was eating sweets when you're not there.

Sashabella0 · 10/10/2013 14:34

If he does have sweet things wether it be raisins, sweets or yoghurt for example he should eat it all in one go to reduce the time that the teeth are exposed to the sugar. Also is he a mouth breather? Saliva cleans the teeth, but if someone breathes through their mouth it will reduce the flow of saliva.

Dahlen · 10/10/2013 14:39

Fruit and fruit juice are quite often responsible for poor teeth even when the diet is low in sweets and fizzy drinks and someone brushes their teeth regularly.

Also, is he brushing properly? If he's not really cleaning the gumline or between the teeth (does he floss?) that can store up problems.

5 fillings is a lot to go wrong between visits though. Has he not been for some time? If he's been going regularly, I think I'd request a second opinion.

CatFromAcrossTheRoad · 10/10/2013 14:40

Try to get him to eat less frequently and drink water and chew sugar-free gum after eating when he can't brush (even if he needs to spit it out 5 minutes later). That is the only thing that worked for me as a teenager.

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