Dental Issues

I feel like such a bad mom. I had DS in last week for his 2yr well visit and ped. pointed out to me that he has decay on his molars. I could have hidden under the exam table. I try to do things right, but I just can't seem to fit everything into the day. They don't get a whole lot of sweets and they mostly drink milk and water, but I have not been doing such a good job getting them to brush.

I went home and looked at DDs. She has the same thing. I have to take her for her well-visit tomorrow and I'm dreading going through it all over again.
Has anyone else had tooth decay in baby teeth, or am I the only bad mommy here???

Crystal

 

Mine haven't but 2 out of 3 of my sister's children did.
She nursed them all pretty long and they usually fell asleep nursing.
She always brushed their teeth morning and night, but feeding to sleep really hurt their teeth.

 

We don't have any cavities, but we were told that it's more of the constant snacking that can cause decay. Sweets will increase one's chance of getting cavities, but so will snacking all the time. For example, snacking on non-sweet items like crackers still have sugar and that eventually breaks down and if it's not removed from the teeth...cavities may form. This of course makes things difficult when everyone tells us that it's healthier for people to "snack" throughout the day rather than 3 large meals! Also, some children have deeper grooves and crevices in their back teeth which makes them more susceptible to cavities. The toothbrush bristles are unable to get into those crevices sometimes. Maybe you could have them snack on more fruits and vegetables and/or increase the frequency of brushing & flossing. Plus fluoride always helps.

 

Oh I know how you feel....my oldest ds has horrible teeth. I am too embarassed to even say how many cavities he had to have filled and honestly he had to have a crown at the age of 3. I cried for weeks on end. I found out my dh had been giving him juice right before bed (after we had brused). It was a sippy cup. I also made the mistake of giving him a bottle of milk at nighttime. He had a binky too. The dr also told us that bc he had a lot of high fevers and strep and he used to throw up a lot during his sleep that the acid sitting on his teeth didn't help either. We are very proactive about what we let them have. Also...one of the biggest no-no's my dentist told us was that NO gummy anything for kids. Those fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, gummy bears/worms...all those are big no-no's in our house now. He said those will sit in your teeth longer than anything. Even the ones Gerber sells are bad for their teeth and my oldest ds LOVED those. I feel horrible but at least I am trying to make up for it and am being extra careful about his teeth now, he is VERY into brushing his teeth now and extrememly anal about it. So if anything, take it as a kick in the butt to you to be better about it. You found out early enough to do something about it and really teach them about good oral hygiene!