extraction of milk teeth

[cheekymonkey2]

Feeling very traumatised. I took my ds aged 6 to the dentist a month ago and found out he needs various fillings. Felt terrible and guilty etc. Took ds for 1st filling last night. The dentist said he would start with a small filling then progress from there. So he did the filling and my ds was very good and cooperative. After the dentist said the filling was bigger than it looked and if that was an indication of the others he may have to do extractions of the teeth and he went on to say how they also remove healthy teeth to even out jaw etc. I am utterly ditraught. His next appointment is in 2 weeks but i feel i can't cope with this.

Why do you feel guilty. Some children just have bad teeth. Ds's milk teeth were mostly okay but two of his adult are hypoplastic. He will need treatment and my attitude is just to get on with it. No use feeling guilty about it.

Sometimes it's just one of those things. When I was little, my friend had some of her milk teeth extracted and I remember my mum being so surprised because my friend's mum apparently cleaned my friend's teeth twice a day and restricted sweets and juice. Unless you have been lax on the teeth cleaning front and allowing too many sweet things then don't feel guilty.

My 5 yr-old is having 2 teeth out in Feb. I feel your pain I was quite distraught to hear about this too. We have cut the fruit juice back to once in the morning and just try to be more diligent about brushing both morning and night, and extra if she has a sweet treat. I think it was a mistake to let her try to do it herself.

You just need to absorb what you've been told and then yes, just get on with it basically. We haven't been advised to take out any healthy teeth though. I'm just expecting we will have to correct the alignment when her adult teeth come in

I had loads of fillings and even some of my milk teeth taken out but now I am 37 and I have not one filling

And I still eat loads of sweeties

Don't feel bad. My milk teeth were great, my adult teeth are shockingly bad. 4 root canals and I'm only in my 20's. Nothing changed diet or hygiene wise (except switching from lollies to choc). It just happens.

Fruit juice is a major culprit of causing decay. It tends to attack the areas between the teeth where the brush cannot reach. The reason they would remove healthy teeth is to counter balance the jaw and to try and prevent the teeth drifting unevenly as if they do the child could end up with misplaced permanent teeth.

As acinonyx said, take heed with what the dentist advises in regard to dental health and stop feeling bad. You have the power to prevent further damage to the other teeth.

If you aren't sure on dental health then ask to see the hygienist at the practice for some advice.

Something I was told which I don't think is well known, is we shouldn't clean teeth until at least half an hour (and preferably an hour) has passed because the enamel coating breaks down a bit after eating and takes that long to harden up again. If you brush at the wrong time the enamel is worn down over time. This was news to me. If you're in a rush, it's better to brush before you eat. I've asked friends who didn't know either. Why don't they advertise this fact?

DD has a brownish line on some front teeth and has done since she was two. She was bf and I was very strict about sweets and brushing. We do the dentist every three months to monitor and it's not got any worse but I feel horrible every time and more horrible that they can't explain it. I've had one dentist suggest some antibiotics I took when BF or even a health problem she had when the teeth were emerging.

If you've not done anything wrong then don't feel too bad - some teeth are just like this. At least you'll be super-aware when the adult teeth come in and hopefully they'll be fine.

Sue DS who is 3.8yo also has that brownish line on one of his front teeth. He drinks watered down fruit juice, he never gets it straight, but still he has this line. It really bugs me, but the dentist didn't have any worries over this when she saw it, so perhaps it's okay?? I am also strict with sweeties, they get rationed out and I brush his teeth twice a day.

Best not to feel guilty over things you have no control over - you can only carry on supervising what she eats and keep on with the brushing.

wannabeglam I've heard that too about the enamel.

I wouldn't worry if you don't get alerted to it at the dentist. It can start as enamel damage and can develop into cavities according to mine. DD's hasn't but I am super-strict about brushing and she has been having fluoride treatment at the dentist every 3 months.
I don't feel guilty - and I do. Because she's my baby. But also I know I've done nothing wrong.
Next worry is fluorosis from the treatments which would cause the same type of line but on adult teeth! That's very common in the children of medical professionals I've been told - clean too much at the crucial time and you risk over-dosing the emerging tooth with fluoride! Or so I'm told.