Toddler Teeth

[harpo14]

I am currently on holiday ... today while my son was yelling I noticed a black mark on a molar and a brown mark on another. He is only 20 months old and they have not been through very long. He is only starting to put a toothbrush in his mouth and it has proved difficult to even get to that stage.. as for toothpaste he doesnt like anything I've tried.

I have a sinking feeling that this is tooth decay and I feel terrible .. I have failed him... I never wanted a child of mine to have fillings - I didnt have my first till I was in my 20s.

I have emailed the dentist to try and make an appointment for asap after.we get home and I know that only a professional can tell of its decay or not.. I guess I'm looking for some reassurance in the mean time.

How likely is it that a child that young would have decay that quickly? It is the first time I've noticed any blackness - I'm pretty sure i would have seen it before now. Any help/advice?

What had he been eating before? Could it have been a bit of food stuck?

Teeth were non negotiable for us - if they didn’t want to we literally pinned them to the floor - the screaming meant their mouths opened!

You can get unflavoured non foaming tooth paste called Oranurse and toothbrushes which brush more of the tooth than normal ones, there is a brand called Collis Curve which ds's dentist recommended.
Toothbrushing is one of those things that just need to be done, even if the child doesn't like it. There are lots of ways you can try and make it more fun, but if these don't work, it still has to be done.

Well it turns out my husband had fed him oreos and said nothing when I mentioned ds teeth!

The tooth brushing is an issue though... at least now hes putting the brush in his mouth when we give it to him... but its hardly a thorough job...

You need to do the brushing. Dentist recommend you brush a childs teeth at this age.

You need to brush them! I wrap mine (18M) in a towel so his arms are pinned to his side and we make a game out of it with singing and going upside down. I then let him "brush" himself for a bit at the sink so he can practice. He loves it but we have been doing it since his teeth first came through at 7 months.

Have you been to the dentist? Again you're supposed to start that when the teeth first come through and then go every 6 months.

Don't worry too much that you haven't done it, just focus on doing it religiously now.

I found My ds difficult when it came to his teeth, what we found worked was putting his tooth paste on my brush, put it in my mouth then let him 'take my brush off me' and then hold his hand guiding him to do his. Not ideal, and not the right brush but better than nothing at all.

You really should be brushing his teeth, not leaving it just to him. Even now I still brush my 5 year old teeth after he's had a go at it.