Kid brushes teeth everyday and has 10 cavities! 2nd opinion?

flowerpower

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 4:07 pm

Its hereditary. My son brushes daily since he was a toddler, goes 2 times a year for a check up, barely eats sweets or junk, and has the worst mouth. He had root canals and tons of fillings done. I would fill any tooth that has a cavity- baby teeth included. But go for a second opinion.

amother

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 4:10 pm

OP here

He is 8 years old. I have to say I really trust this dentist since I've used him for years with good experience so I guess I won't be seeking a second opinion.

I'm just so surprised that a kid could have that many cavities!

How in the world will this kid behave while the dentist fills them?

Anyone else had a kid with this many?

octopus

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 4:13 pm

My dentist tells me this all the time: One person can never brush his teeth and never get cavities. Another person can always brush his teeth and get cavities because some ppl are just more genetically predisposed to it. Then most ppl are in the middle- if they brush they don't get cavities and when they don't brush, they do.

amother

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 4:26 pm

You should probably get his vitamin D level checked. Even if its does come back that the level is in range you should give him some supplements. My nephew that's 5 years old, coming from an extremely healthy house where sweets don't even enter the house, the kids brush their teeth twice a day, starting having horrible teeth rotting. The mom have him a sufficient amount of vitamin D for a few weeks and his rotten teeth turned into gorgeous healthy teeth! The dentist was ready to remove 4 teeth and thank g-d none had to be removed.

asd3

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 4:26 pm

I just had this with my eight yr old ds also he had major cavities and ended up with caps on all his molars. His brother and sister younger than him have no cavities and also don't brush often. My son hates anesthesia so I had to use laughing gas also. My sister has two kids with major teeth problems and they were so bad about letting things get fixed she them put out and had everything done at once.

acccdac

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 5:00 pm

My son had a cavity of sorts on each tooth. It ranged from a surface cavity to root canals. He had two teeth fix at a time (not fixing baby teeth can cause damage to adult teeth). We chose not to put him out. If I remember correctly he would have needed it done twice.

Each time we went he was worse than the time before (rightfully so). Was one of the hardest thing we had to do as parents. One of the times the gas put him to sleep, he would cry every time the dentist turned on the drill, broader it went near his mouth. I knew he wasn't in physical pain but that the issue was emotionally hard for him.

Midway through the process he started OT. We were taught exercises to do before going and that helped.

It's been 2 years and I don't see any negative affects from it. He is getting better at allowing the dentist to touch him (not a trauma thing but a sensory thing). I also went through the necessary means to have the insurance cover the dentist I trust. He is too old (based on insurance) to go to pediatric dentist, but I had his pediatrician write a doctors note for approval.

You need to make sure you feel confident with your decision. Know you options and your child and do what's best for him.

(Btw....originally before you said you'd been with this dentist for a while I was going to tell you to get a second opinion. We started with new dentist, my dh was told he has 3 cavities for the first time in 10 years. We went for a second opinion and they said no cavities. They were also trying to pull money out of us for our kids teeth)

ElTam

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 5:29 pm

I have three kids. Same basic diet. Same toothbrushing habits. One kid gets cavities, and the other two don't.

With cavity kid, we now brush her teeth for a minute after she brushes. And, look into whether your kid need his/her adenoids out or has allergies that need treating. Kids who breathe through their mouth at night get more cavities. We just had cavity kids adenoids out, so hopefully that will help. They were blocking about 80 % of her nasal passages.

Scrabble123

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 5:38 pm

What toothpaste does he brush with? Does he brush for at least 3-5 minutes? Does he also floss (he could have fillings in the flossing areas). Does he brush at the correct angle? Does he brush his tongue? Maybe he is brushing too hard? Maybe he should brush after every meal? Does he drink juice after brushing? Does he eat lemons? Does he use mouthwash?

Some people are more prove to cavities. This list could go on and on..... If it makes sense to fill or not: that is a question for your dentist who will decide when the tooth is coming out and the depth of the filling.

Scrabble123

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 5:43 pm

amother wrote:

I took my friend's children to the dentist.
She had a 6 yr old with 6 cavities, 8 yr old with 6 cavities, 10 yr old with 12+ cavities and 2 root canals, 12 yr old with 2 cavities & one root canal, 14 yr old with a lot of little cavities (flossing cavities). The mother was great about taking them to the dentist, just their previous dentist was terrible & had a hygienist that did not perform proper cleanings. They behaved wonderfully. Some of them he did not even numb for the baby teeth. I took them to a regular dentist, not a pediatric. They had a few filled at a time, scheduled out over a month period (sometimes two appointments in one week), with regular novocain injections (or as I said before, sometimes nothing)

I know another woman who has children who scream when they are getting a cleaning, so it's hard to say how your child will behave since all children are different.

acccdac

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 5:58 pm

ElTam wrote:

very interesting, I never heard of that, my son is a mouth breather at night

FranticFrummie

Fri, Aug 15 2014, 8:16 pm

If your child is not using an electric toothbrush, start him NOW. Not only does the electric to a better job, but it will get him used to the vibration feeling. You can tell him that a dentist's drill is like an electric toothbrush, only a whole lot faster, and will help get the extra junk out of the tooth.

DD just had two cavities filled, and she didn't need any numbing gel, gas, or novocaine at all. She was SO brave! She was terrified of getting a shot, so she figured the minor discomfort of the drill was worth not getting the novocaine.

Don't be afraid to ask your dentist how many of these cavities NEED to get filled, and how many are just pits in the enamel. Look at the X-rays with the dentist, and have him point out to you which ones are needed, and in which order they will be filled.

With DD, they filled the two easy ones on the first appointment, so she would see that it wasn't so bad. They had her come in a few weeks later for two deeper ones, and she was just fine with it. They stopped often and asked her if she wanted anything to make her more comfortable, and explained the entire procedure every step of the way.

What I loved best is that they talked to HER, and not me. They treated her like a mature person who could speak for herself, and I think that made a really big difference because she felt very in control of the whole procedure.

Honestly, I think the whole thing was way more nerve wracking for me than it was for her!

mazal555

Mon, Aug 25 2014, 8:30 pm

I know it's been a little while but I would make sure that your son hasn't had too much flouride. I live on a moshav and I know this is one of the symptoms of too much exposure to flouride-based pesticides as a child.

How is his calcium absorption in general? Do you eat a lot of phytic acid? http://www.westonaprice.org/he.....acid/