9 year old plaque, bad teeth and gums - help needed.

[Asvan]

Hi everyone,

I am feeling like the worst mum today. I took all 3 of my DC to the dentist, the older 2 who are 13 and 16 were fine and got glowing reports. However, my 9 year old wasn't as lucky and I got a bit of a telling off from the dentist.

My 9 year old has always had issues with his teeth. Since he was a toddler, he always gets plaque build up on his front bottom teeth and I have to take him to the dentist every 3-6 months to get the plaque removed. We use an electric toothbrush and I even floss his bottom teeth for him but the plaque just keeps coming back. Last I took him was in March this year.

Today when I took him in, there was a different dentist there and she said my DC9 has bad plaque on all his teeth and his gums look really bad too. She then proceeded to say I should be helping DC9 more to maintain his oral health.

I try my best and do brush and floss DC9s teeth for him every few days but I must admit that the majority of the time he brushes himself. He uses an electric toothbrush. I just feel like no matter what we do, his teeth are just bad and the plaque always comes back. I've also noticed some yellowing on his top two teeth.

Dentist has booked us in for another appointment in a few weeks where she will remove the plaque but I just wondered what else I can do at home, we already have an electric toothbrush and we floss some of his teeth every few days.

Is there anything else I can buy? He uses an Aquafresh toothpaste for 9-12 year olds should I change this to something else? What toothpaste should I get for him?

Any help would be appreciated. DC9 was so upset and I feel like the worst mum (despite the older 2 getting glowing reports).

@Asvan How long has he been brushing his teeth himself? Are you supervising him doing it?

He’s obviously not getting all the bits he needs to. Can you get some of those disclosing tablets? Get him to brush his teeth as normal then chew one of the tablets and it’ll stick to all the dirt left on his teeth and you can use it as a visual to show him where he needs to pay more attention to.

Thanks for the reply. He's been brushing himself since he was about 7 but I do supervise him most of time. I'm thinking of just brushing for him now.

The tablet suggestion is really good, I'll get some for him.

Also I was thinking if my youngest DC has weaker teeth than the older 2? Could that be a possibility?

I've cared for all DCs teeth in the same way since they were babies but DC9 has had the most issues. He's had the plaque issue on his bottom teeth since he was a toddler and it just seems to have got worse. The other 2 dont even have electric toothbrushes but I got him one from a young age and I feel like it's really not made a difference.

I would say the build up is possibly to do with the salivary gland that is located on the floor of the mouth under the tongue. If that doesn't produce as much saliva then that can cause build up on the front bottom teeth. Don't feel like a bad mum or let the dentist make you feel any sort of guilt. I would supervise brushing, especially night time as that is the more important one, maybe let him brush first and then you do it. Mouthwash might be helpful at a different time of day to brushing. Don't rinse after brushing, spit out only.

He needs supervision while brushing to make sure he gets every single tooth. You could put on a couple of his favourite songs as a timer, and try and make it more fun? He really needs to floss every day on each tooth as well.

There's these tablets you get that show up a different colour on the parts you've missed. I had those when I was a kid. That seemed to improve my brushing technique.

Did they need antibiotics recently or any other kind of medications? They completely fuzz up my kid's teeth as it kills all the good bacteria as well as bad.

Is he a mouth breather? Again, this messes with the Ph of the mouth and can increase buildup.

Does he have a very different diet to your other kids, or is he a constant snacker?

A water pic flosser can be good for that age, the gums are less likely to be damaged. Don't be too hard on yourself, sometimes it happens.

He has a very similar diet to my older 2 so I really don't know where I'm going wrong.

In fact because of his plaque issue from a young age, he's my only DC that has an electric toothbrush.

The only thing i can think of is that I've noticed he does sleep with his mouth open, would that make a difference?

The worst part is that he's so upset and it makes me feel awful.

My nephew is 9 and struggles terribly with his teeth. He found the novelty of a a water pick to be revolutionary and he also liked the pokemon tooth brushing app to be helpful. My sister night him xylitol sweets/gum fit after eating as bacteria can’t thrive on that and it increases saliva to flush bacteria away.

Mouth breathing can cause the mouth to be dry so yes that could cause it.

See if your library has "Breath" by James Nestor, he explains how important it is to breathe with a closed mouth and what he did to tackle his own problem. It's even important it is for even things like bite and face shape. Does he have any allergies or sinus issues?

When his teeth are cleaned, is he visiting the same dentist or a hygienist? We had similar issues with our DS which resulted in us taking up a 3 monthly private plan with the hygienist who has been brilliant in not only giving his teeth a thorough clean but also giving home advice. In summary, she recommended Oral B iO toothbrush, string floss (good technique is key!) and a Waterpik. I would also recommend getting an illuminated dental mirror so you can keep an eye on the back of his lower front teeth; this is where the buildup seems to form most quickly and is a good indication as to whether the hygienist needs to intervene a bit sooner.

There are many independent hygienists now with their own practices so would look at giving them a go. They often do cheap rates for children too so it might not cost as much as you think. Try to find one using the GBT system which gets into my DS' nooks and crannies far more effectively than the power scraper used by his dentist.