fillings, abscesses and fluoride gel

[bananabrain]

Hello,
I wondered if anyone out there has had any experience of any of these things with their child.
My 5 yr old ds1 seems to be unluckily prone to cavities - despite taking care of his teeth (we thought) and not allowing too many sweets etc. - he now needs his third filling.
More worryingly, he has an abscess. It isn't hurting him - the dentist found it at his visit last week and recommends that she doesn't do anything as he's so young to have a tooth out (would have to be a GA ). Could the abscess just linger there without causing any trouble, or is it likely to flare up suddenly? The only info I can find on the internet seems to imply that abscesses should be dealt with immediately, although it also sounds as though they are usually very painful.

Apart from being EVEN stricter about sweet foods / fruit juices and keeping them to mealtimes followed by a teeth clean - is there anything else we can do?
We bought some fluoride gel (Clinpro) at dentist but haven't used it yet as I got a bit worried that it said for 6+ - although I think that's to make sure they don't swallow it. He's nearly 6 and sensible enough not to. I also don't like the idea of too much fluoride, but cavities and abscesses are maybe worse.
We bought some listerine for children and he used that tonight, so I thought we might use the gel a couple of nights a week and the listerine on the rest.
Any opinions from dentists/dental nurses/people who have been through similar would be greatly appreicated.
I feel guilty that this has happened and worried this abscess as going to lead to awful pain and untimately a hospital visit.

Maybe he should have some antibiotics for the abcess. Can you phone the dentist and ask? Try disclosing tablets, they stain the plaque and make it easy to see where abouts he is missing spots. Flossing is also a good way to get rid of food particles and finally, toptip from our dentist, sugar free chewing cum. I really don't like to see children (or adults for that matter) mindlessly masticating, but the dentist did say it would help our dd.

Do not rinse after brushing, leave the toothpaste around his teeth.

Do not brush immediately after food, wait 20mins or so, otherwise you are more or less brushing acid around his teeth.

A chocolate bar is better than sucking sweets, as sweets tend to last longer & stick in the pits of the teeth.

Check food labels, LOTS of foods have hidden sugars. Glucose, fructose, honey, molasses, sucrose are all sugars. Some popular children's food can have 2 or more.

Sugar free chewing gum contains artificial sweeteners. Sorbitol.

Disclosing tablets are a good idea.

I am surprised that they don't seem to be treating the abscess.

Just had another thought, our dd had silicone plugs put into her molars because she has deep grooves. I'm not sure if they are available in the UK and if they are how much they would cost.
I really would ask for some treatment for the abscess. I had one and it was the worst pain imaginable.

Thanks for the replies & good tips. I didn't realise about not brushing for 20 mins.
I thought it odd that she's not treating the abscess but wonder if because it isn't hurting and is small (about 1/8 pea I suppose) that it is "drained" and actually not a problem atm. I really don't understand how abscesses work, despite reading all about them and being supposedly a science specialist!! I'm inspecting it every night to see if it is growing or looks worse in any way. I've pressed on his cheek where it is and brushed around that tooth very well, and neither causes pain (and believe me, ds1 would let me know!!)
He is due back for filling in a couple of weeks, so if it causes no problems in the meantime I might wait until then to ask her.

Are his teeth slightly loose in his gums or has he got gum disease

keep away from fruit juices and definitely grapes as these are the most acidic

No his teeth don't seem loose and gums look ok. I hope you're right about weak milk teeth, and his adult ones will be fine. He has his front bottom two through already, so hopefully more will follow soon. We certainly know to be very careful now and scrupulous about brushing and using mouth wash.
I think we have been guilty of allowing too much undiluted fruit juice - so now he is having water except with meals.
The abscess hasn't been drained by the dentist, but as it is small and painless I wonder if it has drained naturally. She did say the only long term solution is having the tooth out but she'd rather wait until he's older. She said it is "open" so she doesn't want to refill the tooth.
If it shows any signs of flaring up I'll take him for antibiotics straight away. I'm hoping with good hygeine we might minimise a really bad infection, but don't know if it's inevitable.

if it is a full blown abscess it is dangerous not to treat it or take the tooth out. If it burst ,it can cause scepticaemia as the worst scenario

I didn't realise that abscess has/was drained. That's good, so yes,...at this stage no treatment is correct! The fact that he isn't in pain is good.

If it is open then it will drain. Also, he is being seen again soon, so she can check it then.

if it doesnt drain he needs urgent treatment

differentname.... yes she definately said it is open, so that sounds promising if it means it will keep draining. He assures me there is no pain even when he bites down, and it isn't swelling up, so that makes sense.
We'll just have to keep a close eye on it.
I'll take up your suggestion of using sugar-free gum too, especially if we're out and can't clean teeth after lunch.

Yes, open draining is better than antibiotics! Better to let the body do the job itself if it can. You seem to know what to look out for, (pain, swelling etc) that's good!

Also keep the tooth as clean as possible. I don't know if you still do, but I still brush dds teeth or at least supervise very closely!

Yes, we usually go over the teeth after he has done them. Are you a dentist or work at a dentist?
Thanks for the advice.

I was a dental nurse for 15yr prior to having children.

I would also ask the dentist about using adult toothpaste. I read last week (sorry can't find source) that children's toothpastes don't contain enough fluoride to make them effective. I'll ask the orthadontist tomorrow when I take my girl.
Our dd has fabulously strong teeth, I put this down to having fluoride drops then tablets while we lived in ME and Thailand. Her dentist told me not to give them to her here, despite not having fluoride in the water, it can lead to osteoporosis. You can't do right for doing wrong sometimes.

Antibiotics will clear it up if it returns, our DS aged 5 fell at Christmas landing heavily onto his jaw, 4 weeks later he awoke with a hideous swollen face and lots of pain, Dentist treated an abcess caused by his tooth being cracked from the fall, 2 weeks later he returned for a check up and due to the damage he had it pulled out with a local anaesthetic.....(they use a numbing gel first) It was the most horrid experience of my life watching him, but he dealt with it fine and despite the tooth being in such a mess the tooth fairy still visited! Just thought I'd let you know that even if a tooth needs pulling out, that it doesnt necessarily mean a GA.