I feel awful everytime I look at DD's teeth, she has 3 cavities, any advice?

[sherby]

I always thought we had been so good at looking after her teeth. We brush morning and evening and she has chocolate perhaps twice a week at the most. She never drinks juice or fizzy drinks and loves milk so I don't know where we are going wrong?

I noticed two brown spots on her back molars a month or so ago and took her to the dentist who said she had two cavities that needed filling. The appointment isn't until next month, but I have just had a good look at her teeth tonight and her back left molar is completely rotten. I mean it has gone black and has a big hole in it. The other one is going the same way too . She also has another brown spot now on one of her top molars.

I really don't know what else we could be doing? She eats a hell of a lot of fruit but we have cut right down on acidic stuff and only a tiny bit of chocolate on a saturday. But I feel bloody awful. The dentist was a bit wishy washy really, didn't have much advice. She did say 'oh we can coat her teeth when her big ones come through' but didn't offer any advice for the time being.

I really am at a loss as to what to do, I hate seeing her with rotten teeth in her mouth

no asvice im afraid but just wanted to say something, idont know what though. it must be awful, but it does sound like you have dont everything you can to prevent this happening.

next time you see the dentist could you be abit more forceful about getting some advice?

i have terrible teeth and am terrified of dd's being the same and am fanatical about brushing them, but i read somewhere on here that is it alot to do with your actual tooth type, some people just have week teeth.

my dd is 3.2 and never been to the dnetist cause i know she would scream the place down, but i am going to have to take her soon.

dont beat yourself up about it, there is nothing you cna do now anu more than you are doing is there

I know how you feel, cos we had the same thing with dd1 when she was little. Hardly ever had sweets, but her teeth were rotten. When she was 5 hers got really bad and she had to have some taken out. She kept getting infections and absesses (sp) etc.

My dentist was lovely though and said sometimes the enamel doesn't form well. He reckoned it was cos when the back teeth were coming through she had chicken pox and the infection stopped the enamel forming. I dunno, that's just his theory.

She's 12 now though so has adult teeth which seem much better.

Her dad has terrible teeth too. Maybe it's just genetic.

Try not to worry too much.

I completely understand! My DD had three fillings last year when she was only six! I was absolutely mortified, since I've only ever had one filling in my life and always bang on about oral hygiene.

With us, I think it was the amount of fruit DD ate as well as drinking quite a lot of fruit juice too. Since the fillings (we went private and had them done and the teeth coated too - thankfully they're baby teeth), we've abolished all fruit juice in the house, I try and give milk or cheese with any fruit that she eats and I nag endlessly about her tooth brushing. I also bought children's mouthwash for her. Thus far, her check-ups have shown no further decay and all is ok for the time being, touch wood.

I think perhaps some children just have teeth that may be weaker than others. Mine are like horse's teeth - ridiculously solid - whereas I suppose DD's are just weaker for some reason.

Sorry to hear about your daughter, Sherby. My DD got a cavity when she was 4 so know how you feel. Just wondering whether she eats raisins / other dried fruit?

I agree you prob. have done nothing wrong she may just have weak enamel...few ideas though..

Do you brush after milk at night? Milk can cause tooth decay. Do you have flouride added to water in your area? If not, and she has weak enamel you may need to use the next "age" up toothpaste to get the right amount for her. Chin up, at least she'll get another set!

Thank you for replies, it is nice knowing we are not the only ones! She did eat a lot of dried fruit but we have stopped all of that now. She doesn't understand why she suddenly can't have satsumas, raisins, fresh orange juice, too many apples or any of the other things she loved poor girl.

Interesting about the chicken pox, DD had chicken pox whilst her back molars were coming through!

It's a thought isn't it?

My dd (almost 9) had this but dentist has filled them after removing the gum that had grown through the gap in one

What age is your dd?

I only ask as my dd has lost one of the teeth which was filled so if she is that kind of age it will not be there for long.

Ask the dentist if there is anything else you can do to protect her teeth for when her adult teeth come through.

I feel for you. Not least as I have far too many fillings for my liking!

I took the DCs to the dentist yesterday, with some trepidation as apple juice and dried fruit are the least of their sins (think coca-cola and Haribo). According to him, some children are just lucky and can eat pretty much whatever they like and still have perfect teeth; others are just made differently. He put some fluoride varnish on DS's back teeth to aid enamel growth (or something), so it may be worth asking about that?

He also said they should brush their teeth before breakfast rather than after, as it coats the teeth in fluoride ready for an acid-attack - though you may already do this!

Please don't be hard on yourself, I honestly think some people are born with stronger teeth (like hair and nails) and your DD has just been unlucky.

This sounds very much like both my girls, who have very weak enamel on their molars. We have always been very good about briushing, avoiding fizzy drinks, rationing sweets etc. but it is just bad luck tbh.

How long does your dd go in between eating? I read somewhere that it takes 3hrs for the mouth to neutralise after eating/drinking, so sugary things are best given at mealtimes and snacks in between times should be tooth friendly with only water to drink.

Sounds easy, but I do this with my ds and mindees and there are obstacles everywhere!!!

"Only water at snack time" I say. "I don't like water/why can't we have juice" etc etc

Toddler group put out biscuits

Granny says "oh have some juice ds"

Lollypop lady hands out sweets to the kids on the way out of school

and so on.

Cheese eaten after fruit can help neutralise the teeth and my mindees now all shout for cheese after a fruit snack!

Also, don't brush within half an hour of eating because the enamel is at it's weakest then and can be brushed away.

DS crying, got to go...

I would use Floride drops and have teeth coated. Orange juice is terrible for teeth but in every other way really healthy! It's not easy!

My DD has the same problem - I go to a specialist paediatric dentist who is brilliant, and she referred her to a paediatric dental consultant - three fillings at 5, was mortified like you, as brush regularly, very strict on sweets etc. DS has no problems at all.

He said tooth decay is down to approx 20% brushing, 30% diet, and 50% bugs and the make up of saliva in the mouth. He was very reassuring in a way, and I am told he is the best there is, but poor DD has a lifetime of having to be careful.

We never have juices/smoothies other than with meals, lots of milk, brush twice and put flouride tooth mousse on twice a day too. I'm told tooth coating lowers risk by about 40%.

I hope it works out Sherby, DD is having her baby teeth coated. See if you can get referred maybe?? This guy said if a tooth is decayed it puts all the others at higher risk, so they need sorting out.

I would be careful about giving flouride drops. We gave them to ds when he was about 4 on the advice of the dentist and his back teeth came through and had holes almost immediately. Another dentist told us it was flouridosis caused by too much flouride

My dentist said flouride drops are only really effective if used in the first few months of life, but he wouldn't recommend doing that.

The first teeth are already formed by birth, and the second teeth within a few months. This is why a traumatic birth can cause individual teeth to form imperfectly.

This is what I was told anyway. If anyone knows differently I am always interested to hear what others have been told.

dd1 is about to have dental treatment, and she's only just 5

Two crowns and a filling - I was horrified, she brushes (and I do) twice a day, properly, and doesn't eat a lot of sweets or sugary drinks etc. I had no fillings till adulthood, so was really

The dentist said its mostly genetic. He also said that soft or thin enamel in baby teeth doesn't necessarily mean the same in adult teeth, so here's hoping...

Have just come across this thread. My 2 younger kids need fillings and dd in particular had awful back teeth. She admitted to me recently that she used to lie about brushing them and that she would sneak up biscuits etc to eat in bed . I know she needs a tooth extracting and at least 1 filling but was so ashamed when I noticed this a few months ago, I kept putting off making the appointment in the hope that the rotten tooth would fall out .

Today, I plucked up the courage to make an appointment. Usually you have to wait ages but I have been given a cancellation for tomorrow so I think it was 'meant to be'. She SWEARS that she will take proper care with brushing in future. In fact, I will stand over my kids and check (a bit late I know). I am dreading tomorrow but its the first step I guess to putting things right.

Some people just do have weak teeth.

I always looked after my teeth as a child, never had sweet or fizzy drinks and rarely ate chocolate etc. I had a mouthful of fillings at an early age, and it was the same story with my adult teeth. I need a filling at the moment, actually (probably my 11th or 12th?) although I am scrupulous about oral hygiene

My sister was one of those kid's who devoured sweets by the bucketful and pretended to brush her teeth - never had a filling in her life.

our dentist said dried fruit was pretty much the same as eating toffees in terms of dental health and to watch out when we gave it to dd.

Well got back from dentists today. For ds2 (7) 1 cavity that needed filling and adult teeth sealed. Dd (11) had 2 small cavities in baby teeth which are ready to fall out so dentist left them. The back tooth I thought they would take out as it has cracked several times is actually unsightly and discoloured but 'hard' so doesn't have to be pulled - dentist says it is not going to cause problems with permanent tooth and to take it out would mean putting in a 'spacer' so its best left. Am hugely relieved there wasn't more to be done although when I discovered it had been 18 months since last check up