2nd set of molars/Fluid in ears

hardworkingmommy

Thu, Apr 08 2010, 11:49 am

My DD who's 2 has been constantly waking up at night for the past few weeks. We took her to the Dr. twice already & he said she has fluid in her ears & we should just keep on giving her Motrin. Then last week she started complaining that her teeth hurt especially when she ate hard foods. Well I took her to the dentist & he said every things ok it must be her 2nd set of molars bothering her.
Any idea if her teething can cuz the fluid in her ears (she doesn't take bottles so that can't be cuzing the fluid) & is it normal to keep giving her Motrin every night?

Rodent

Thu, Apr 08 2010, 5:58 pm

As far as I am aware they are not related. I have two who have had grommets/tubes put in and another with impaired hearing from fluid in the middle ear who is headed down the same path. It's caused by narrow eustachian tubes that can't effectively aerate the middle ear and they fill with fluid that isn't able to drain away (through the same narrow tubes). In some kids it happens after an ear infection, it just never drains away. Some it is genetic as it appears to be with our kids (my husband also had ear issues as a kid and was on antibiotics for basically 5 years straight the way he says it). The fluid can also be responsible for ear infections down the track (our #2 seemed to have one every couple of weeks last year). A course of antibiotics can sometimes clear them (not successful in my brood though).

Is your daughter having pain from her blocked ears? If not, why are you supposed to give her motrin all the time? If they were infected ok but that doesn't seem to be the case. I understand if her teeth are bothering her but the advice based on blocked ears only (before you went to the dentist) seems odd as that alone should not be painful and just to blanket medicate to cover bases seems somewhat irresponsible (personal opinion). And tooth pain, especially molars, can radiate up into the ears btw.