8 teeth...EIGHT...ROTTED TEETH

I've posted before that we're having severe problems with dental issues. It seems that our pediatric dentist who we go to every 6 months MISSED the fact that EIGHT of J's teeth are rotting. YUP, EIGHT. Actually the new dentist said 4-6 on each side are affected. We're exploring which ones need to be pulled, space maintainers, etc.

I can count on one hand the number of times they've had soda. We need to stop juice pronto. No sticky candy at all. We aren't a big candy household so my dentist suspects fruit snacks are the main culprits. They're now banned from my house.

I took it for granted that having my first cavity at 24-25, always having strong teeth (to the point where 5 of mine needed to be pulled out because the roots wouldn't dissolve) meant that my kids would somehow have the same strong teeth.

I just wanted to give a heads up to those who do give out that kind of thing to their kids. I know there was a joking post about fruit snacks being the devil & everyone posting about how people were overreacting. Having now seen the damage that's been done, just be wary.

Re: 8 teeth...EIGHT...ROTTED TEETH

OMG- that is terrible.. did you use the flouride drop vitamins? my dentist told me that those prevent cavities..

I also floss DD teeth where they touch- not sure if you do that as well...

I am sorry you have to go through this

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jesus..im so sorry!! dental work isnt fun for anyone, let alone a little kid.

DS doesnt even get much juice or much of any sort of chewy fruit snack, but im going to think twice about introducing those after reading this.

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Alex is 5 and already has 2 cavities - I know it isn't her diet - we rarely give her treats, juice, etc. I had a long discussion with the dentist about it who said much of this is genetic, and has to do with the shape, size and proximity of their teeth. As it turns out, Alex's teeth have a lot of "ridges" in them in which food can get stuck, and they are compacted very closely together, so even a piece of fruit can cause serious damage if it gets wedged in between two teeth.

So, we started flossing two times a day, and it seems to work - no issues at our last visit!

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I don't let my kids eat any sticky candy, fruit snacks or soda.... yet one of my children had 4 cavities at her 4 year dental visit and the other child had none. Hereditary I tell you. My side of the family, well, our teeth are horrible. DH's side has great teeth. I am religious about brushing their teeth and flossing too, and we even use mouthwash. She still had 4 cavities.

My niece is 7 and she already had several teeth pulled, a few space maintainers and what look like several gold teeth....

I have a mouth full of bridges, 2 implants, and several roots canals and caps and crowns. My teeth were also wicked crooked and I am now doing Invisalign to straighten them - more so because I need to stop them from overlapping and causing cavities between them than the straight teeth aspect of the process.

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First, that effing s*cks that the dentist missed 8 rotted teeth - the h*ll? Seriously! I'm so mad for you.

But I also want to say that while I don't think what you are doing is a bad thing with eliminating the sticky sugary stuff, I know from experience that some people are just more prone to dental problems than others. I have always taken care of my teeth and I have always had problems. Always cavities, root canals, etc. My old dentist, who I trusted implicitly, told me that some people have more acid in their saliva than others, some have naturally softer teeth, sometimes it's hereditary...but the fact that the dentist missed all that was going is beyond words. I'm sorry you & J have to go through this. Poor kid!

Man, I'm livid now.

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Im sorry to hear he has to have all that work done.

When I had brought my DD for her first dentist appointment at 31/2yo she also had 8 cavities. Most were early decay but one was a deep cavity that needed a 'children's root canal' and has a cap on it. That tooth will fall out when she is around 12. I felt horrible about all the work she had to sit through, but she really was a tropper.

The dentist felt it could be part genetic and the fact her teeth are so compact in her mouth. I also felt could have been from overnight BF when she was a baby. As well as the obvious of occasional lollipops, fruit snacks ect...

But on a positive note we now use prevident toothpaste , and floss every night, as well as rinse with Act! rinse and she has been cavity free for 3 years!

Both my DDs now know that if they eat a lolly pop or any other treat candy they have to immediately brush their teeth when they are finished! LOL


ETA: It does seem crazy that your old dentist missed 8 cavities, but I have heard that some ped dentist's dont always agressivly treat early decay cavities in teeth that will soon fall out.

Message edited 2/18/2011 1:11:23 PM.

Re: 8 teeth...EIGHT...ROTTED TEETH

Poor J!

Message edited 2/18/2011 3:23:31 PM.

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Oh no, that's terrible. I'm sorry. Poor J.

Re: 8 teeth...EIGHT...ROTTED TEETH

I always try to reinforce to parents that anything that dissolves is better than anything that sticks and stays. So a hershey bar is MUCH better than fruit snacks because it washes away. Juice and milk should be taken with meals and not sipped throughout the day. Fluoride rinses before bed(ACT) is a great way to recalicify weakened areas. Sorry about the bad news. Hope the restorative is quick and painless

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Ugh!!! I feel so sorry for J (and you too)!!!

Sometimes it's just the type of teeth they have. One of my son has very creviced, soft teeth and has had so many cavities -- and he brushes faithfully!!! My other son who eats 10x more crap has hardly any cavities.

I know you said you have a new dentist, but for any reason if you end up not liking them I highly recommend the pediatric dentist my kids go to. Hell, I wish I could go to him. He's in Smithtown.

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I am really sorry about this situation. I am sure you are extremely upset!

The first thing that came into my mind though is this: your kids have been going to the same dentis for years, correct? All of a sudden, your son goes to a new one and he has 8 rotten teeth?

I am not saying your new doctor is automatically wrong or dishonest, but in this situation I would most definitely seek a second opinion before any procedures are performed!

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Thanks everyone. It's a horrible situation. My dentist has said that we need to work gradually because fear of dentists can be a life long thing.

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Re: 8 teeth...EIGHT...ROTTED TEETH

oh no!!!
I have been meaning to FM you to see if there was an update!

Now that you have changed his diet and I'm sure the dentist will be giving him new tooth brushing skills he should be fine. If he goes to a party & gets a goody bag filled with candy, tell him to pick his favorite piece, eat it, then brush & throw the rest out.

It is not uncommon for children to have tooth decay in their deciduous teeth but not their adult teeth once they change their diet.
Ask your dentist about products like MI paste or other products with Recaldent.


to you and your boy!!!

Re: 8 teeth...EIGHT...ROTTED TEETH

I've had horrible teeth my entire life. My diet, no matter how I brushed, flossed, and rinsed. Or how many times a year I saw a dentist, I always had/have decay.

's for your DS - and hoping the procedure goes quickly and as painlessly as possible.

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Ugh...poor guy...sorry that you guys have to go through this. Thanks for the warning on fruit snacks! And milk too?

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Wow, poor kid... Thanks for sharing, we're definitely going to limit fruit snacks. We stopped giving it to them for a while, but recent started buying them again.

Re: 8 teeth...EIGHT...ROTTED TEETH

a lot of it is genetic
i have awful, thin-enameled teeth
so does my mom..
my dentist works on both of us and always laughs..
but I will say flossing makes a huge difference.

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WOW...that's incredible. I'm sorry to hear this. Will they give him the gas when he gets the teeth filled so it doesn't bother him so much? Marron recently had to have 3 done and she was fine with the gas.

Just another warning...also be careful of "healthy" snacks like raisins, Craisins, and any other dried fruit. I am like the Snack Nazi at my house. Our dentist also told me her problem is because she has very porous teeth with a lot of hills and valleys that are very tightly spaced where stuff can get stuck. I don't let her have ANYTHING sticky...besides fruit snacks already mentioned, Skittles, Peeps, Tootsie rolls & pops, taffy, jelly beans, etc are all banned in my house. And if I catch her biting a lollipop she loses it. When she gets a goody bag, or halloween candy, Easter basket, etc. I scour it for the "banned" stuff and just let her have basically the cholocate. Oh great, I just realized I'm raising a chocoholic!!