Toddler teeth concern - could this be decay?

[Worriedmum333]

Hoping someone can possibly help, maybe even someone in the dental field!

Whilst brushing my toddlers teeth (he’s 21 months), I’ve begun to notice that his molars look quite different to his older sister (4 years) and it’s got me quite worried.

Firstly I’ve always thought that his teeth appear slightly more yellow toned than his sisters, but I’m assuming even siblings have different types of teeth so it’s never massively worried me (he did have antibiotics when he was around 5 months old). However I’ve noticed particularly his back molars look quite rough/sharp edges and discoloured in places? His sisters have always been very smooth and fairly white. Due to lots of teething it’s been hard to get a really good look in his mouth but we always brush twice a day - night time we brush 20 mins after a bottle (he has one morning and night but we are trying to get rid of these).

He was breastfed mostly, then went to formula at about 10 months ish but has never gone to sleep with a bottle
and drinks water only throughout the day. He does of course have things like biscuits and odd treats but I would not say excessively. Eats more veg as he isn’t keen on a lot of fruit.. I’m just starting to panic this is tooth decay?! I’ve seen children with much worse diets and constant juice drinks and their teeth appear fine?!

We did go to the dentist in November and she had a very very brief look in his mouth as he screamed but didn’t seem concerned about anything at the time. I hadn’t mentioned anything as I couldn’t see any problems back then.

I’ve attached a couple of not so great photos but just wondering if anyone can potentially ease my mind… I’m currently trying to book a dentist appointment for him.

Thank you in advance.

No experience, but they look sharp!!

My DC have this - if I’m not mistaken and it’s the same thing but I’m not a dentist (!)- it is called hypoplasia and the yellow is dentin. There is not enough enamel on the teeth and it is genetic/something that occurred in pregnancy.
Defo worth a trip to the dentist asap :)

They look hypoplastic, back to your dentist for them to have a look. I can't see any decay but he's missing his enamel,
Do lots of playing to practice showing his teeth so there is a better chance of them having a good look.

He would benefit from a referral to a childrens' dental department if there is one near you. They may talk about stainless steel crowns in the meantime be very careful with his diet sticking to what you are already doing.

My daughter has discoloration on two of her molars and a small cavity on a third caused by reflux that is often not controlled by medication.
Her dentist is applying a fluoride treatment every 3 months, we have a high fluoride toothpaste and use a mouth wash then put more toothpaste over her molars before bed as she refluxes in the night. She only has water and oat milk to drink (dairy allergy) only in open beakers, no citrus fruits or sweets, fruit limited to with meals. So far this has stopped her teeth deteriorating further and we are working with paediatricians to keep her reflux under control.

My sons teeth are also like this. It is an enamel issue and the teeth are therefore far more susceptible to problems. We've already had 2 fillings at 5 and have to visit dentist every 3 months for check ups. Avoid all sticky foods like dried fruit, windups, raisins etc. Seek out a dentist for advice as soon as you can.

Thank you for your replies and the information. We have an appointment with the dentist tomorrow, so will see what they say. I feel so anxious about it and you can’t help but feel you’ve let them down in some way - even when you think you’re being as on top of things as you can be!
Stainless steel crowns look so extreme :( I really hope he doesn’t have to go through that.
Sorry your daughter is going through reflux Superscientist - hope you manage to get it under control.

Thanks, it's going a bit better now there isn't the expectation that she's imminently going to outgrow it! She's 3.5 now

The crowns feel extremely but unlike fillings they don't need drills. They only do them on the back teeth so they aren't obviously visible. For now our dentist is just monitoring my daughters cavity as it's small but it is a tricky game to play as the crowns can't be fitted on bad cavities. There are also specialists at the hospital for extreme cases.

I get a knot of guilt and dread before every appointment. You are being a fabulous mother for noticing and reacting and the guilt is matched by your love. Letting them down would look not doing anything having realised a potential problem. Good luck

Hi @Worriedmum333 I am in a similar situation with my LO and was wondering how you got on at the dentist?

Hi @Juhw, so we went to the dentist the next day after my original post. She managed to get a look in mouth and said she could see some discolouration on the back teeth, but she didn’t have immediate concerns. She said some children do just have weaker teeth (less enamel) and for some reasons the formation of enamel while baby is in the womb can sometimes be either interrupted or just simply miss a step. She said to keep an eye on them, continue with what we are doing and she would see him again at our next family check up which is next week. There are options in the future is she feels he might need them - as some have already mentioned above.

I think it’s very much a wait and see situation, try and do all the right things in terms of diet and dental hygiene, keep a close eye on them and we will have to go from there.

It does frustrate me because he turns two soon, he’s never had sweets, squash, fizzy drinks, juice, excessive surgery snacks and yet he has weaker teeth. Yet some children I know of similar ages are constantly having those things and their teeth are fine!

We brush at least twice a day for 2 mins with age appropriate (dentist approved) toothpaste, he has a bottle (trying to break this habit) post dinner time and we make sure we brush teeth at least 30 mins after this, fruit/anything more sugary with a meal, try to do things like cheese for a snack or low sugar snacks, limit snacks. It is hard though, especially with an almost 2 year old!!

Hope at least some of that is helpful.