Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

i feel so bad - ds1 (4) has dark spot on teeth

19 replies

samwhite · 19/04/2007 11:59

not sure if right place to post but I'm feeling such a failure, have been so careful about what the children eat , no sweets, only just let them have small amount of dark choclate this Easter, drink only water, nothing sweet with their morning porridge - just ground seed (they do eat a lot of fruit and i do home bake) . cleaned teeth (or attempted to, see below) twice a day.

DS1 did used to have to be on soya milk and did use to be very very difficult to clean teeth (used to clam teeth shut tight) (now is fine with having teeth cleaned). rest of his teeth are very white so i don't quite get why this is happening i feel that i've failed him.

not sure how best to stop this as i can't do much more. and don't want the same to ahppen to ds2 he is also awkward at having teeth cleaned at the moment.

advise please, you can be harsh on me, not looking for symapthy!

OP posts:
WigWamBam · 19/04/2007 12:02

Sometimes it's not about bad parenting or being given the wrong food - some people just have softer enamel than others and are more prone to problems than others. So don't beat yourself up!

Take him to see the dentist, they may be able to stop the tooth getting any worse without invasive treatment.

Lilymaid · 19/04/2007 12:03

DS1 had similar at age 4. He did have a filling so felt annoyed by all the mothers who kept going on about how wonderful their children's teeth were. He is now aged 20 and has never had another filling. It is just something that happens - in his case something got wedged into a crevice in molar and couldn't be removed by brushing.

JonesTheSteam · 19/04/2007 12:07

DS has a dark spot on one of his bottom front teeth. I felt guilty as well. The dentist said that I had nothing to feel guilty about as the rest of his teeth were all fine - it was something that happens sometimes.

My DH's brother apparently was born with a rotten tooth!!!

Original poster
samwhite · 19/04/2007 12:08

thank you, it was at the dentist it was spotted, the molars on both sides (second from back) are very deep and I had questioned my ability to clean sufficently at the last check up, unfortunately i wasn't there this am, dh took him and hence why i feel even worse. dentist said as long as i'm using flouride toothpaste it will be fine without treatment

good to know about your ds lilymaid.

thanks again

OP posts:
hitchcock · 19/04/2007 12:15

my ds has a grey tooth he fell over and bashed his mouth afew weeks lated is tooth(front top) started to go grey/black dentist has said that there is nothing that can be done but it is so noticable when he smiles

people comment on all the time and i am fed up with having to repeat my self why ds tooth is that coulour so dont beat yourself up .

kslatts · 19/04/2007 13:01

I have 2 dd's and dd1 (7) has really white teeth, dd2 has greying on her two front teeth and has a filling on one of the back one's. They both eat healthy food and don't have many sweets and they both clean their teeth twice a day, I was really embarresed taking dd2 to the dentist, but he told me not to feel guilty.

Ifonlyhewould · 19/04/2007 17:37

A dark tooth can a be caused by trauma too, maybe a knock or a bang to the mouth.
This day and age there are soooo many hidden sugars in foods that our children eat. Tomato ketchup for instance contains a large amount. The fries you buy in McDonalds and other burger joints are soaked in sugar solution before frying to enhance the taste and make them crispy. Low fat yogurts contain a lot of sugar too as do flavoured crisps. So, we don't have to be guilty of feeding our children sweets and biscuits for them to have decayed teeth.

southeastastra · 19/04/2007 17:48

is that true about mcd fries? i'm

ViscountessPetitLapin · 19/04/2007 17:50

My DH has a really weird mark on one of his (adult) teeth. The dentist says it reflects an illness he had in his teens. Teeth can reflect all sorts of things.

penpal · 19/04/2007 18:09

Don't worry. My DS also aged 4 has a black mark on tooth (can't bring myself to say decay). I took him to the dentist as soon as I noticed it but DS wouldn't show it to him, been 3 times now and the dentist has only caught a small glimpse of it reflected on a mirror!! He told me not to worry, the tooth obviously had a hole in it and it caved in, baby teeth are different etc. I have some special tooth cream that I smear into the area after each brushing which hardens and protects (I even have hardened pad of the finger I use to smear it in so it obv works!) this will stop it getting any worse. He'll lose the tooth soon anyway. Doesn't stop me feeling such a failure when I see it when he laughs.....

southeastastra · 19/04/2007 18:19

what's your special tooth cream penpal?

RedLorryYellowLorry · 19/04/2007 18:25

Dd had a filling at 4 yo because her molars are very jagged and the soft toothbrush bristles just don't get in the crevices too well. The dentist said it happens and not o feel bad.

Ifonlyhewould · 19/04/2007 19:18

Yes Southeastastra, i'm afraid it is

overtherainbow · 19/04/2007 23:31

My daughter uses a special gel on her back teeth called gel-cam. It prevents further decay. We get it from the dentist - he noticed a few of her teeth were slightly yellow - nothing to do with diet, brushing. He said that she had weak enamel - did give it a name, can't remember, is quite common and can be caused by trauma at birth. Maybe this is what your daughter could have. The gel is very good - you could enquire with your dentist about it.

penpal · 20/04/2007 14:32

Southeastastra. It's called GC Tooth Mousse made by Recaldent, described as 'Topical creme with bio-available calcium and phosphate'. I thnk you can only get it from your dentist. Small 35ml tube cost £18 but you only use a tiny tiny bit and I've had this tube for 9 months now and loads left.

moopymoo · 20/04/2007 14:38

my ds has something i think called hypoplasty which has caused some dark marks on his adult teeth. dentist said was caused by a high temp or similar whilst they were developing under baby teeth. NHS dentist wantd to remove them - all 4 (they are 2nd teeth) but i was at this and paid to see diff dentist who painted stuff on over a period and teeth at back now discoloured but ok. just thought id share that !

Ifonlyhewould · 20/04/2007 16:43

Thanks for that penpal. Ive just found a website that sells it www.gadental.co.uk It's 15.99 per tube with 1.90 post and package. I'm going to be getting some!

Original poster
samwhite · 26/04/2007 23:03

I phoned the dentist the next day as DH had taken DS1 and enquired if there was anything they could put on it. i was told there was (flouride paste) but they wouldn't recommend at his age (they said due to chemicals etc in it) and it wasn't actual decay at this stage and it was only his baby tooth. i now don't know, the trouble at the moment is you just can't upset a dentist or you'll be without one

i'll keep the GC Tooth moouse /gel-cam in mind when i see the dentist next month for my appointment.

OP posts:
scatterbrain · 26/04/2007 23:07

My dd has two "faults" in her baby teeth - the dentist said they grew like this - probably because she had antibiotics for recurrent ear infections as a baby - something to do with them afecting the growth in the gum !

I felt terrible about it - but apparently I couldn't have done anything about them !

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread