The appt broke my heart today (Full Version)

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Leslie_JnJs_mom -> The appt broke my heart today (6/12/2008 11:16:58 PM)

Jessica had her dentist appointment today. We were expecting fillings and maybe some crowns. Her four front teeth on top had to be pulled out. I had to keep holding my breath so I would not cry when the dentist told me. Ihave no idea how her teeth could have gotten so bad. I could tell by the way the dentist was talking that he assumes Jessica eats junk food and pop all day. I could not think of anything to say so I just sat there. It was not until he was gone that my head cleared. I was wishing for the chance to tell him that we do not eat junk food and her brother has no problems with his teeth. When I was taken back to see Jessica it broke my heart even more. A little one coming out of anesthesia is truly heartbreaking.



isaacsmom -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/12/2008 11:23:09 PM)

Bless her heart! How old is she? That's frustrating the dentist assumed those things. [8|]Everyone's teeth are different, and he should know that as a dentist.



Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/12/2008 11:29:21 PM)

She is 3. I wish more then anything right now I could turn back the clock and see the cavities sooner then I did. Although sadly I think I did and thought the slight discoloration was just the chip in her tooth and not a cavity or perhaps her teeth chipped because they already had cavities. I keep going from one side of I got to them as fast as I could to the other that says what kind of a mother am I. I should have seen them before they got bad.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 12:08:58 AM)

Leslie, when I was in 8th grade, a friend of mine said that her dentist told her that a lot of how it is with teeth has to do with genetics, and not what people eat.

If you are really worried about what the dentist thinks, why not write him a letter (not a nasty one, a polite one), telling him the truth?



Szaftoo -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 9:57:21 AM)

When my son was three, the dentist told us he was born without dentin on his teeth which has something to do with the enamel. This caused cavities and discoloration. Evidently something happened while I was pregnant which caused this. He was given some kind of drink that made him drowsy and then given anesthesia to have five baby teeth pulled. It was very difficult for us but it all worked out very well with no problems or side effects.
Fortunately all his permanent teeth had dentin and he is just fine. I will pray for you and Jessica.



Leslie_JnJs_mom -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 10:04:07 AM)

Thanks! I got pretty sick with an intestinal infection a few times when I was pregnant and had to take antibiotics. I wonder if they hurt her teeth? The backs of her teeth were discolored a yellowish when they came in then started chipping almost right away.



Kat_D -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 10:06:12 AM)

We had a neighbor who had a little boy that this happened to. He didn't eat junk food, but his mother had regularly given him juice in his bottle when he was a baby and that's what caused it.[:o]



bluestone -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 10:14:53 AM)

So much of it is genetics. My grandmother had all of her teeth at age 87!
I have very good teeth. Both of my parents and my siblings all got dentures at an early age, as did an Uncle.

Don't feel bad..it is not your fault



manda59 -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 10:43:30 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Leslie_JnJs_mom
Thanks! I got pretty sick with an intestinal infection a few times when I was pregnant and had to take antibiotics.




Was it a tetracycline by any chance?



reach -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 10:54:53 AM)

My nephew had holes in all of his eye teeth. The dentist said he had 8 cavities and he was 3 years old. We did not give him pop, sugar, etc a lot.

A few months later, I saw his cousin on his Dad's side. He had the same thing. So we think it was genetics on his Dad's side.



TorchHeart -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 11:02:27 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Leslie_JnJs_mom

Jessica had her dentist appointment today. We were expecting fillings and maybe some crowns. Her four front teeth on top had to be pulled out. I had to keep holding my breath so I would not cry when the dentist told me. Ihave no idea how her teeth could have gotten so bad. I could tell by the way the dentist was talking that he assumes Jessica eats junk food and pop all day. I could not think of anything to say so I just sat there. It was not until he was gone that my head cleared. I was wishing for the chance to tell him that we do not eat junk food and her brother has no problems with his teeth. When I was taken back to see Jessica it broke my heart even more. A little one coming out of anesthesia is truly heartbreaking.


My sister is a dental hygenist, and she's thing things like you're describing where it turns out to be a genetic condition. Some people just have bad teeth due to their genes, and there's nothing you can really do about that.

Try not to take it too hard if this is the case.



manda59 -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 12:13:44 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: reach
My nephew had holes in all of his eye teeth. The dentist said he had 8 cavities and he was 3 years old. We did not give him pop, sugar, etc a lot.

A few months later, I saw his cousin on his Dad's side. He had the same thing. So we think it was genetics on his Dad's side.




A lot of it isn't actually diet, but how often (and how well) the teeth are cleaned. The recommendation here in the UK is that the child's teeth are cleaned by the parent twice a day, and that a toddler/child isn't given a bottle of milk to go to sleep with - that the teeth are always cleaned just before they go to bed (with nothing being given afterwards).

Apple juice, or apple cordials, can stain/rot young teeth btw, even if given in a cup, not a bottle.



Karaboo2 -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 3:06:23 PM)

Or you be like me and just have really freaky teeth ... most 'normal' people ave two sets of teeth ... the primary (baby) teeth, and then the permanent adult teeth. Oh no .. not me ... this is set #3!!! I had my baby teeth, and then a full set of 'adolescent' teeth, and now I'm on my permanent adults. I've also had two full sets of wisdom teeth extracted (yes, 8 wisdom teeth ... 4 that came with the adolescent ones, and 4 that came with the adult ones) ... just goes on to prove yet again that I am not 'normal' because normal is boring!

(Oh, and each set that grew in was significantly weaker than the previous ... so I've had more fillings as an adult than I ever did as a child, although I had 4 teeth pulled around Jessica's age as well ... and we don't eat sugary food either!! I've actually chipped two adult teeth by flossing, of all things!)

(((Leslie))) hopefully Jessica's adult teeth will come in a LOT stronger and resilient than her baby teeth.



TammyIsBlessed -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 4:04:46 PM)

Wow Kara - that's craziness!

I've heard of babies being born with a tooth (usually it's a 3rd "set" that falls out and regular baby teeth come in afterwards).

I don't think I've ever heard of having 2 sets of wisdom teeth before!!!



Karaboo2 -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 5:28:01 PM)

Yeah ... it was rather freaky ... mind you, the dental surgeon certainly didn't mind getting to make even more $$ ... although he *did* do it at a reduced rate the second time, just because it was SOOOO weird!



amybreit -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 5:34:42 PM)

Wow Kara - my FIL was born with 2 sets of adult teeth too. He had a cleft palate & I always thought it had something to do with that. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum our niece (his granddaughter) was born w/o her adult eye teeth.

Leslie - my dd had several fillings in baby teeth & 3 that they put crowns on. She would chip her baby teeth easily & cavities would form. She's 10 now & all her adult teeth seem to be strong & not prone to chipping or cavities. She still has a few baby teeth, but so far so good! Our dentist told us that it's not uncommon for kids to have "weak" baby teeth & "strong" adult teeth. I'll pray for that for your Jessica! BTW - she didn't eat a lot of junk food either. And my mom was born with really weak teeth, but her adult teeth were weak too, so she had dentures at an early age. Her theory is that her twin brother got all the teeth making stuff, because he has great teeth.



zoebob -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 5:42:18 PM)

I was wondering about the tetracycline too. However, if her baby is only 3 then I think it's not likely they don't RX that now because of some of these issues. I had it as a little kid and my adult teeth are yellow and very bad. I have several missing teeth and the ones that I have: I think probably 80% of them have fillings/buildups.



MyMasquerade -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 5:52:11 PM)

My daughter had something like that. They called it bottle rot from drinking a bottle until she was almost two.



MyMasquerade -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 5:53:25 PM)

Oh and her teeth now are great.



iluvatar -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/13/2008 7:16:04 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Szaftoo

When my son was three, the dentist told us he was born without dentin on his teeth which has something to do with the enamel.


A friend of mine (who's in his early 30's) had a similar condition and battled rotten teeth all his life - he even had one fall out while eating a piece of beef jerky (he complained that it made him look like all the bums who came into the gas station where he worked). Finally, he got fed up, had all his teeth pulled and got dentures.

-Dan.



Christian30 -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/14/2008 1:01:01 AM)

I'm so sorry about your dear daughter. But I'll bet she looks a lot cuter than I have while losing teeth in my 40s and 50s.



PrincessDonna -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/14/2008 10:04:21 AM)

quote:

A lot of it isn't actually diet, but how often (and how well) the teeth are cleaned.


This isn't true either.

I have 3 bio children (plus one not born yet). They all get their teeth brushed at the same time and in the same way. My oldest has horrible teeth, like his father. The rest have not a single problem, like me. My oldest's issues are either genetic or caused by the many asthma meds he was on in the first 3 years of his life, or a combination of those.

I'm sorry about the dentist's attitude. I've also experienced that "you're the mom, it must be your fault" attitude. If she doesn't eat junk and you've brushed as recommended, it is NOT your fault, no matter what they think. Last time we went to the dentist, the hygenist my daughter saw commended me on taking care of her teeth, and then not 3 minutes later, the one my son saw basically told me I was a rotten mother. I told the second hygenist to talk to the first.[;)]



manda59 -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/14/2008 10:08:00 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PrincessDonna
quote:

A lot of it isn't actually diet, but how often (and how well) the teeth are cleaned.


This isn't true either.


What makes you think that it's not true that a lot of it isn't about diet?

I said "a lot of it", not "all of it".

Your example merely shows that some of it isn't about diet.



PrincessDonna -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/14/2008 12:09:09 PM)

I'm saying that when people find out about my son's teeth, and the OP's daughter's teeth, their first reaction is to "educate" mom about proper nutrition and hygiene, when the problem may be caused by NEITHER of those. If you are one of those moms who could not have prevented the problem and who is trying to get them taken care of, it is very offensive and can produce unnecessary guilt if mom isn't able to toss those kind of comments aside.



manda59 -> RE: The appt broke my heart today (6/14/2008 12:20:20 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PrincessDonna
I'm saying that when people find out about my son's teeth, and the OP's daughter's teeth, their first reaction is to "educate" mom about proper nutrition and hygiene, when the problem may be caused by NEITHER of those.


They do it presumably because they are erring on the side of it often being caused by lack of care. Dentists care passionately about teeth (if they didn't, they wouldn't do their job) so sometimes they get a bit passionate about dental care too. It's understandable. And they do get to see some horrendous things .....

quote:


If you are one of those moms who could not have prevented the problem and who is trying to get them taken care of, it is very offensive and can produce unnecessary guilt if mom isn't able to toss those kind of comments aside.


No-one can make you feel guilty unless you allow them to. Caring too much about what other people think can produce that guilt, other people can't.

Actually, my ds had to have six first teeth out (with 12 injections) when he was 6 years old due to discolouration and decay. The dentist asked me about nutrition and hygiene, I explained to him that my ds ate well and had his teeth cleaned twice a day, and he concluded that my ds's teeth tended to be like mine - weak enamel, and awkward pits in the tooth surface. I didn't feel guilty, I had nothing about which to feel guilty.

I had to have 4 second teeth out (by gas, which was a totally horrible experience) when I was 8 or 8, due to decalcification. That was because my mother used to give me a nighttime drink of diluted rose hip syrup. She didn't realise it would rot my teeth.[&:]



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