Taking children to the dentist

chen

Tue, Nov 15 2005, 1:13 pm

timeout wrote:

So last night I went to the dentist and he told me even though he can see that my sons teeth are brushed he has 5 cavities shock

I don't understand this since I don't allow candy sticky sweet foods or other.

Since this is my sons first year in school he is getting snacks from other kids but 5 Cavities that's ridiculous.

Did he go to bed with juice or milk bottles as a baby? milk is loaded with sugar, breast milk even more so. if the baby often falls asleep with a pool of milk or juice in the mouth that'll do it.

Starchy foods like potato chips and crackers ( corn flakes are the worst!) stick to the teeth and cause cavities if not brushed away quickly. what counts most is not just how much sugar (or starch, which saliva converts to sugar) is in the food but also how long it is in contact with the teeth. soda, which is loaded with sugar but normally stays in the mouth only briefly, is not as bad as cornflakes which get stuck to the teeth and may stay there for hours.

is your water fluoridated? does your son drink water? if the answers are yes to #1 and no to #2, you can increase his water intake by making beverages and foods with water--oj from concentrate, soups, tea, reconstituted powdered milk, and so on--rather than buying bottled beverages.

if he's getting sticky sweets or dried fruits from friends that will also do it. some people are just more prone to cavities than others in any case. it would seem that your son may be one of the unlucky ones and will have to be especially vigilant all his life.

raizy

Tue, Nov 15 2005, 9:18 pm

it really does have to do with genitic. my son had surgery on his mouth teeth. all the back teeth capped and filled. when he was 3 yrs old..

his father has bad teeth his grandmother has it and everyone else in hubby family has bad teeth. it does not mean bc u ate sugar your teeth will rot. some kids get it genticaly.