Hi Vets. I haven't been online in a while, but our first trip to the pediatric dentist was SOOOO depressing, I had to post and look for support/advice from those who have been there.

All of my kids have cavities in their baby teeth--and not just one or two. I am APPALLED and embarrassed that my 4-yr-olds have to have fillings! I was really taken by surprise, 'cause they brush every day, and I help them, they get very little candy or sugary juice, but I guess it's not enough. The dentist says they have unusually 'grooved' surfaces, which can trap food or sugars, and I had lots of fillings as a kid, so some of it is genetic. He says they have to brush for 4 minutes each time, floss, and use a mouth rinse. I should make HIM come over and try to enforce this just once!

Anyone else had to subject their kids to multiple fillings and sealants? On top of it all, they 'pappoose' the kids--put them in a colorful straight jacket, basically, to do the fillings. One dd has already done it and did very well, but I'm afraid the other 2 will freak out. And I'M freakinig out about the exorbitant cost of all this work. UGH.

The dentist actually said that I should have had them to a dentist by the time they were 12-18 mos. (Pediatrician recommended age 4!) Talk about feeling like the world's worst mommy...

Laura, mom of ggb's 7/99

What a bummer Don't beat yourself up. If you were brushing their teeth, what more could you have done if you took them earlier? You would STILL have been brushing their teeth, and the cavaties would have just been spread out. I just took my trio at FIVE years old. I had every intention of doing it at three, but I was pregnant, and sick, and then the new baby....And my guys didn't have any cavaties. So, not going to the dentist isn't the cuprit, genetics are the reason, as you said. I never had a cavaty until I was 13 and my DH only has had one...at 40! So, now you know that you'll have to brush longer...although 4 minutes ain't going to happen, is my guess. Maybe try to use those colorful flossers twice a week (trying to be realistic here), and that's about all you can do.
Tamra

Laura,

I am one of the lucky moms. My girls are nine and have not had a cavity, although we did do sealants. They brush morning and night, but I would not say I diligently chech.. ....constrasted to my best friend's nine year old.....she rubbed his gums clean, brushed each tooth as a baby diligently, and he has always brushed his teeth with inspections and supervision from her....he has had more cavities than I can count. My husband and I do not have problems with cavities although I had 14 to be filled after pregnancy, but that is a whole other story.., so that could be part of the reason, but also her ped told her not to do fluoride drops as an infant, the girls had fluoride in those yummy Poly-Vi-Flor(sp?) vitiamins. So, to you now, the moral is sometimes it is just genetics, to those with babies reading, maybe you should consider fluoride.

Need to change my sig line, they turned nine!

Tammy
Proud mom of
12 year old identical GGG

Oh Laura. Don't beat yourself up. There's nothing you did wrong. My dentist says I have "groovy" teeth and so does one of my boys. I'm sure he has cavities in his future too!

I do recommend the sealants. Actually, check with your doctor if he does sealants or protective resins. My dentist stopped doing sealants years ago. Apparently, the sealants can pop off and you can't tell. Then decay can start. He does protective resins only but they are expensive. They are actually the "white" fillings that are put on the teach. He does it on the rear permanent molars. All four of my boys have had them. Unfortunately, my insurance only pays for silver fillins so each "white" filling, called amalgams?, is about $100 or so. We just spaced them out for the boys and made sure we did them first on the boy with "groovy" teeth.

My doctor doesn't do "papooses." The sealants were NOT a problem at all. My dentist has a TV monitor that is hidden in a pair of goggles. The kids watch Disney movies while it's done. No pain, kinda noisy. They air brush the teeth very clean, apply the resin, use light to harden the material, voila, it's done!

I have had my kids move to electric toothbrushes. My oldest son has problems with tartar buildup, despite everything. The doctor thinks it is a hormonal issue with him and for a few years, we did professional cleanings every 4 months. Now, just every 6 months. We use tartar control toothpaste, a good electric toothbrush, lots of flossing. He's had no problem and he's been wearing braces for 6 months now.

My little guys are now using electric toothbrushes. I have one that hates the taste of all toothpastes. We found he likes Tom's of Maine, with flouride, in the strawberry flavor.

Only my 10 year old flosses regularly. That's something that's hard for my guys to do. But the oral rinses might be helpful. Maybe I'll look into that........ Anything to reduce their dental bills. I just paid $540 yesterday, after insurance......

Genetics do play a big role. You can't change that. Do what you can and don't worry about the rest..... You are a GREAT mom!

Sharon

I was wondering when to take my girls to the dentist (they are 2 1/2 years). I actually went on Tuesday for a checkup and asked him when they should be seen and he said not until about 4 years old unless I see a problem somewhere. My pediatrician recommended not until after 3 years because it is too traumatic and she thinks if you take them too early that they will learn to hate it (my dentist agreed on this one). I know if I took my girls at 1 years old, they would probably have bitten the dentist!!!! Good luck to you and your little ones. Also, my nephew had cavities at 4 years old too, so its not completely unusual. Lets just hope their permanent teeth are much stronger

Khrissys3girls

Mommy to Lindsey, Kaylee, & Carly born 8/30/01 at 31 weeks
AND John Thomas born 1/17/06 at 39w3d

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We too have had several cavities (Nichol's had 6 total and Meghan 2 - CJ -0). Our dentist said it's a problem with micropreemies - mine were born at 27w3d and antibiotic use - Nichol was on antibitiotics, monthly and daily for 8 weeks for a year from the time whe was 9 months until she got tubes then no ear infections until the tubes fell out and we were back to monthly for 6 months when she was referred to an immunologist who diagnosed her with chronic sinus infection - 30 straight days of antibitiotics but we've now gone longe without than we had in 7 months.

I felt horrible too until the dentist told me that 99.9%-100% of the girls' problems were genetic - there teeth were actually still "very white" given there age but she could see signs of no enamel and very little enamel that will be several more cavities unles the teeth fall out first.

Our dentist didn't use the papoose either - the girls were given a choice of a booster chair or mommy's lap - both chose to sit on my lap and did very well although it took a long time since our dentist was excellent about stopping whenever Nichol tensed up.

Laura
Mom to Meghan, Nichol & Christopher (5/8/99)

Laura
Mom to M, N & C (5/8/99)

Pappoose the kids? That sounds more frightening than the fillings! One of my girls had to have 2 (maybe 3) fillings at 4 too. Dentist said that she just had spotty enamel and that her perm. teeth should come in fine. So far, the new teeth look great. I cannot fathom taking a 12-18 monther to the dentist. Yikes!!! You are not alone- I didn't start my girls til 4 either.

Theresa
Happy Mommy to 4 girls and 1 Boy

Theresa
DD-9
DD-7
GBG- 3.5

Laura- poor dear- don't beat yourself up. I would believe the "gooved" thing. Very tough to get stuff out of deeply grooved teeth. I don't know a thing about the papoose - but my thought is that i wouldn't let my children be papoosed. Your daughter did fine - that's great. It would actually be me who wouldn't do so well. Mine all sat in my lap for their cleaning & did great. The dentist jsut worked around me & it was great. Also- my dentist has a laser for tooth work & it is FABULOUS!!!!! Only hits the decay- won't hit the goob part. NO NOISE!!! And very easy to undergo. I was soooo pleased that my kids never have to hear that drill. May want to research it.

I also will do the sealant- my dentist did recommend it & I really trust him. He said it protects the grooves & will result in a lot less cavities. But we won't do it until the permanent teeth come in.

Also- my dentist is a family dentist. I asked my ped what he thought I should do about a dentist- do children need a pediatric dentist. He told me to use a family dentist if I had one I liked - cause the ped dentists tend to not let MOm in with them while getting the work done & certainly not let them sit in Mom's lap. So we have our family dentist. Just a few things to consider.



meplusthree BBG 9/99

meplusthree BBG 9/99

I started to take my Girls to the pediatric dentist when they were almost 3 and their little brother was one. They are all going again next week and Henry, who is 14 mo., will be seeing him too. We had a pedi dentist come talk to our MOMS group and she said children should be seen by the dentist as soon as they get their first teeth. Our pedi dentist is great. All of my kids are a bit leery of the chair,so they lay across my lap and he looks at their teeth. So far, no cavities and we are real hit or miss with the brushing....But we have flouride inour water so maybe that' s why. I had lots of cavities as a kid and the x-DH has really bad teeth-he's had one pulled and he's never been to a dentist in the 7 years I've known him. (gross) Anyway, there are some great pedi dentists out there -just wanted to let y'all know.

Korrie~
^i^B/G/G 24 w 3d,1/17/00
B 10/31/01
B 1/27/03

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Thanks for all of the great replies and advice. I had real 2d thoughts about the pappoose too--that my dd would be terrified and so frightened of the dentist for life. They wouldn't even let me in the room, tho I could watch through the window behind her. He believes that they do better that way. I asked about mild sedatives, and it was unbelievably expensive, and he said she wouldn't need them. He is a VERY nice doctor and has a great way with kids, so I trusted his opinion. She did amazingly well--not a peep out of her, and big smiles when she came out of the room. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the other 2 do as well...
Laura

I started my kids with the dentist at the age of three. That was recommended back then. I took them in every 6 months. They have all had their molars sealed with sealants. I know some have fallen off but I paid to have them replaced. The only childhood cavity that we had, was a pinpoint at the gum line. After I paid $80.00 to have it filled we all looked in the kids mouth and no one could find the filling, it was so tiny.

My oldest son is not an avid teeth brusher so he just had his first cavity filled at 23. His fiancee is in school to be a hygenist (sp). She just cleaned his teeth on spring break and found 3 more cavities next to the sealants. The dentist said that they were in deep grooves that the sealant missed.

His fiancee also told me that sealants aren't always a good idea because if the tooth isn't completely dry before the sealant is applied the tooth can decay under the sealant and cause a huge problem. She said it is almost impossible to get a childs tooth dry enough. I guess my kids will find out later in life if that is true or not

mom to:
Ryan 32 The Lawyer
Jason 30 The Chief Meteorologist
Chris 30 The College Student
Tim 30 The college grad

I love hearing their versions of their childhood memories!!

Don't beat yourself up about this ! Is your dentist implying you could have done more ? I hope not, because there are a lot of things out of your control ! Genetics, the shape of their teeth, being preemies and certain meds and treatments are all factors you can't control !!!!
My boys both had 4 and 4-1/2 hour dental surgeries in the hospital :'( . Because of their age, 5 yrs old, they were covered by our health insurance for the hospital and anesthesia. That much work done 'in the dental chair' would have been much too traumatic for them. My boys both have celiac disease, that often affects teeth and causes cavities and both have had very frequent antibiotic use.
My daughter, who has basically eaten the same and brushed the same (because we brushed their teeth every time until they were 5) as the boys. She had no cavities then, and still doesn't (crossing my fingers for her next visit ).
I know it stinks to have to pay so much to the dentist, our copays were several thousand dollars-each, and our daugter needs oral surgery to remove an extra tooth and we have more dental work coming up too, and we were told all three are going to need braces soon

Lorraine

Reach for the heart of God and not just His hands.
Organ donation saves lives!
Life happens when love is given.


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Just wanted to sympathize with you. My kids are 7, like yours. Just went to orthodontist today. Two don't have to go back for 6 months - Yeah! Lots of work down the road but not right now.

But one of my boys has tongue thrust. It is causing "buck" teeth. He's looking at braces this summer and he'll only be 7 1/2. And he's my worst teeth brusher. Oral care will be a challenge!

Hopefully, I'll only have two in braces at a time. By the time my oldest (age 10) is done, the last two triplets should be ready!

All this from two parents who never wore braces. Genetics are funny.

Sharon
7 year old b/b/b + 10 year old son

They said they won't see my kids till around 3 yro I have tired to get the girls in early sorry to hear about the cavities. Did they put sealants over their teeth with grooves? I had that done as a teen helped with cavities.


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Don't blame yourself Laura. I've taken my 5 year-olds to the dentist several times and they have yet to allow the dentist to look in their mouths! We practice opening wide in the waiting room, and they watch me sit in the chair and have my teeth checked, and when it's their turn they clamp their hands over their mouths. Must try again soon - they are getting less shy now after two terms at school. There's no concern about the cost as it's all free, it's just too depressing to make the time and effort to get them there for nothing..

I'm not going to try and get my children to use dental floss for a while yet. It's hard enough to get the teeth properly cleaned with a brush. They are scared of the electric toothbrush but I'll try it again soon. Meanwhile I rely on new, different character toothbrushes every few months to keep them interested in brushing.

OMG! A pappose! That is appauling to me. My boys just sat in the chairs. One only had a little novicane and the other didn't need any novicane. My boys did grea the first time. The second one, Easton has a small cavity so we took care of it. This last time Blake had a small one. They are like a small dot, since they will be loosig teeth we had the option but had it taken care of. I give my kids soda, candy and etc.. Unfortunately we don't floss. They brush in the am and evenings. We brought the boys at age 2-3 I think, We called the dentist and went by what they reccommended! They love the dentist. We also chose to wait in the waiting room and not in with them during the fillings cause I think they would of played off us. They did awesome!

Good luck and keep brushing!
Danielle
Easton, Blake and Hunter

Danielle
Easton, Blake & Hunter
1-24-99

Laura, if you do not like idea of "pappoosing" the kids, find a dentist who do not do it. I know that many dentists in our area use pappoose, but ours doesn't; he believes that the practice makes kids to associate dental visits with unplesant experiences.

When I've heard about this practice for the first time, I was appalled ( and I come from a third world country, so it's not easy to apall me). I made a point to find a dentist who does not use pappoose.

He also said that first visit should be at about 3 years.

Inna,
mom to Rachael (8/7/99),
Evan, Ari and Josh (5/29/01)

Don't feel bad. I know of another little girl who has fillings or crowns almost every tooth and she just turned 4. She also brushes, but just has some issue too (not sure what exactly). In fact she turned 4 on 3/16 and had a 3 hour dental appt that day for some of this work. Poor thing. I don't know many people who take there kids to the dentist before age 3-4 either. We began at age 3 1/2 and luckily it came out ok. The 2nd visit for them is next month.

Good luck - you can only do so much and the rest is out of your control, so try not to stress too much about it (easy to say I know).

Trip33
Jared 10/96
Emily, Allison & Nathan 3/00 at 37 wks

Laura:

I am sorry I didn't read this earlier--we've been getting ready to sell our house, and I've been using the main board as an escape, but didn't "eavesdrop" over here. We're in the middle of a very traumatic dental crisis with DS, who has a serious cavity on one of his baby molars. We started with a cleaning/exam with my dentist, who found the cavity and sent us to a pediatric dentist. This guy was NOT a good match for us (DS went from adoring the dentist to fearing him) and also found two more cavities. Finally we ended up with a second pediatric dentist (by now, DS has to be held down and his mouth pried open for anyone to see anything--do NOT get me started about his, I could cry when I think of how WELL DS did with the first dentist, who he continues to adore, and plays "Dr. Sal" games about). Turns out DS has FIVE cavities, including the original biggie that affects a nerve, and will be in pediatric dental surgery at the hospital for 2 hours at the end of the month.

If I could go back and follow the pediatric dental guidelines, and get DS his first appointment with a pediatric dentist at 1 year (or actually, as soon as the first tooth erupts, but let's not get carried away), I would do it in a minute. OF COURSE IT WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. The pediatric dentists do a more thorough job checking the back molars for cavities, they can recommend sealants if the teeth have deep grooves, and we wouldn't be looking at surgery if we'd caught this cavity within 6 months of it starting. If we haven't been so crazy-busy with the house, and if I weren't so embarrassed and guilty about how this happened, I would have posted a big warning on the main board: TAKE YOUR KIDS TO A DENTIST AT AGE ONE!

I'm totally freaked out about the surgery and taking DS to the hospital where he was born again (how silly is that?), and the only consolation is that he'll be asleep, and when he wakes up, no more toothache (wonder if his sleep will be better now, too?) and no trauma from the dentists.

Neither DD has a single cavity, and they probably wiggle MORE than DS when we brush their teeth. So it's not the brushing or the diet that I regret, just that I didn't take them earlier (when I knew those were the guidelines) so we could have had mild treatment instead of THIS.

Best wishes,
Jody
g/b/g born Jan 2001
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Jody
g/b/g born Jan 2001
http://www.geocities.com/hombiblio/

Jody
Both of my boys had dental surgeries in the hospital under general anesthesia, they were 4 and 4-1/2 hr surgeries . They had both been to the pediatric starting at one years old, and so had their sister. They all had the same brushing habits (we brushed their teeth) and the same number of frequent visits. Genetics, their antibiotic frequency and their both having celiac disease all played a part in their problems. Don't beat yourself up over things that are out of your control, or things you could have done differently. Sounds like you have done than a lot of parents already, as far as dental care. hope the dental work goes well.

Lorraine

Reach for the heart of God and not just His hands.
Organ donation saves lives!
Life happens when love is given.


http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradenwild