3 year old with 6 cavities in 6 months

[bandgsmama]

hi,
my daughter recently went for her 6 month check up at the ped dentist & they informed me she had 6 cavities on her rear teeth. they were unable to get xrays because she was so anxious. at her last visit, i had asked about sealants, but they didn't think it was needed. know, she has a mouth full at age 3! has anyone else experienced this? i'm looking into a second opinion.. just looking for advice tia!

[Melaine]

I had 13 or so cavities in my baby teeth, and even a root canal. None in my adult teeth until a few years ago. My parents were very good about brushing my teeth, we ate sweets RARELY, juice pretty much never, etc. My dentist told me that sometimes you just get a "bad batch" of teeth that are just more prone to cavities. Obviously, don't know if that's the case, but it turned out to be true as my adult teeth were much, much better!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ds1 had a few cavities, a root canal (that tooth ultimately had to be pulled) and possible a 2nd toot canal at age 5. The most likely culprits were genetics and because we hadn't been flossing his teeth. They all started between his teeth and grew till they were visible on the top of the tooth on the one that needed the root canal and pulled. The others were found via x-ray. (((((hugs)))) it's a crummy feeling but sometimes it happens. Flossing has helped a ton though and each appt in the past 3+ years has been perfect.

Beth

[ohiomom1121]

Same thing happened to DD (she was 5). They wanted to put her under and fill everything. I went for a second opinion and they thought one needed to be filled and another tooth needed to be pulled because it was loose and filling it wouldn't help so I went with them. We had that done and now we floss and use Act mouthwash EVERY night. They thought the other cavities were so small that we didn't need to do anything with them at this point. I would definitely get a second opinion and have her start using Act. The dentist said it can really make a difference with the tiny cavities. Good luck!

[BarbieSmith]

VERY similar situation with both of my daughters (then 2.75 and 4 years old). Both had sealants put on. Both caused NOT by sweets or lack of brushing, but by genetics and lack of flossing.

As I understand it, TOPICAL flouride (not systemic, as in vitamins or water) may be helpful in stimulating remineralization, but some folks are against flouride, period.

We have been there! The mama guilt is great! But it will pass...
HUGS,
Barbie

[brittone2]

Look into xylitol. You can find mints, gum, and toothpaste that contain xylitol these days. The strep mutans bacteria that causes tooth decay tries to "eat" the sugar alcohol (xylitol) and can't metabolize it, so they die.

My DS1 had an early cavity at 15 months and we started using xylitol at that time. There is now a pretty big body of research supporting its use. The key is to use it several times a day. I think ideally like 5x a day in some form (gum, mints, toothpaste, etc). I think it really helped us.

It makes a lot of sense to me as it kills of the bacteria before it can cause the cavity, which is the root of the problem anyway.

Obviously flossing, etc. can be helpful too.

We don't use fluoride.

Xylitol is toxic to dogs (drops their blood sugar really low) so keep out of reach of any pups in your house if you opt to use it.

eta: also anything sticky...it doesn't have to be sugar...is really not great for kids that are cavity prone. Crackers, raisins, etc. I was insulted when our pedi dentist told me he sees more cavities in children w/ stay at home parents "because they roam the house with cheerios and a sippy cup full of juice all day" (grrrrrrr!!! My kid had only had juice a handful of times in his life at that point etc). But I definitely think it is good to be aware that sticky carbs of any type are particularly bad for teeth, although I'm sure you knew that already.

[SnuggleBuggles]

eta: also anything sticky...it doesn't have to be sugar...is really not great for kids that are cavity prone. Crackers, raisins, etc. I was insulted when our pedi dentist told me he sees more cavities in children w/ stay at home parents "because they roam the house with cheerios and a sippy cup full of juice all day" (grrrrrrr!!! My kid had only had juice a handful of times in his life at that point etc). But I definitely think it is good to be aware that sticky carbs of any type are particularly bad for teeth, although I'm sure you knew that already.

Good point! My dentist said no raisins, gummy snacks, fruit roll up things...because they just sit in the pits and between teeth. He said he'd rather kids ate chocolate all day than those. If you serve those sticky ones, brush soon after.

Beth

[MommyofAmaya]

Sebastian has cavities in his three top teeth diagnosed before age 2. We have been using xylitol 5x+ a day, brushing after night nursings, and using MI paste. We are not using any fluoride yet, but plan to do a fluoride varnish very soon. This has a significantly lower ingestion rate than other fluoride treatments. I have refused GA thus far and hope to get to the point where we have other treatment options. Good luck to you and your LO.

[MommyAllison]

Each time my DD has x-rays (twice so far) they find a few cavities between her teeth. For her, it is a genetic problem - the dentist said her teeth are very clean and it's not a brushing issue, though I think we need to be more consistent with flossing. The dentist tried to troubleshoot with me what in DD's diet might be contributing to the problem, but we didn't end up figuring it out yet - we eat a mostly whole foods diet, no juice, soda, don't do carb-y snacks, not a lot of raisins/similar, not a lot of granola or sweetened yogurt, milk only 1 or 2x per day and always w/meals... They sent me home with a food journal that they'll look at this week to try to see a pattern.

Despite the fact that DD has had fillings, she still absolutely loves the dentist. In fact, she has a countdown right now to her appt this week because she is so excited to go! I really like our office, and the dentist we usually see really *loves* what he does. We did not get a second opinion, but I'd encourage you to if you want to, and maybe you will find an office that is a better fit for your family. DD does have a few sealants now in her molars.

[gatorsmom]

Gator had 4 cavaties in his mouth when he was 4yo or 5yo (can't remember now). The 2 sets of upper and lower teeth furthest back in his mouth were pressed tight together. It was really hard to get floss between them. Apparently I didn't do a good enough job of getting the floss in there because that is where the cavaties were. Those were filled and he hasn't had any since. Since then, I've heard from many moms that their kids had cavaties in their baby teeth. It's frustrating and expensive to have so many cavaties but it taught me to be more vigilant with their adult teeth!