Any dentists out there? Urgently need advice

[KateF]

I have just taken my dd aged 5.10 for a checkup. In the last 6 months she has gone from lovely teeth to a mouthful of cavities and "defective enamel" including her new permanent back teeth. She will need a GA to sort it all out and we are both upset. She never has fizzy drinks and only occasional sweeties and I have brushed her teeth since they first came through. Could these problems be related to her being small-for-dates and what can we do? Should I cut out fruit juice and just give milk or water to drink and what about fromage frais etc in her packed lunch?

i had this when i was little. they can coat the teeth to give extra protection, but in my case it didn't really work

fruit juice can be very bad for teeth, as the fruit acids and sugars in it are just as bad as in squash for example.
milk or water is best to drink...
that isn't to say she should NEVER have fruit juice but it is a good idea to brush teeth afterwards.

also chewing sugar free gum can help as it makes you produce more saliva which fights the bacteria which cause tooth decay

Definitely related to prematurity and presumably also small for dates. My dd is the same and was 2 months early.

Yes my dd has this on all adult molars as they come through - fissure sealants.

oh and i wasn't premature or small for dates. just have bad teeth!

Thanks for quick replies - have calmed down a bit now. I was vaguely told when she was born that "problems" might crop up as she grew up. We have had a bad time with bladder problems and infections related to her developmental immaturity but I never thought of her teeth! I think they are going to seal the teeth when they fix the cavities.
I will cut out the fruit juice. She normally takes a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a fromage frais for lunch and I have always thought the sugar in them was worth it as better than sweeteners but maybe I need to rethink her packed lunch. Wahat do you feed your dd robinia?

My DS1 had these problems too, I never realised they were due to his being IUGR. Interesting!

Dd is the healthiest of the lot - she prefers milk and water to juices. As she was the oldest she didn't have a drop of juice or squash until she was at least three years old and then only at parties. Never has fizzy drinks either. She does like sweets but only gets them very occasionally - once a fortnight maybe. She has 3 meals a day and one snack when she gets in from school. I do allow my children to snack on fruit (which I suppose could potentially be a problem despite being o/w a very good habit) but she tends not to do this. So from a teeth point of view I would say her diet is as near perfect as can be.