Question:
My 14 month son has 12 teeth , and the top front 4 have a brown stain and
the enamel is eroded there. He doesn't let me brush with a toothbrush yet,
so I just clean his teeth with a wash cloth.
Has anyone seen this or know who to show? My dentist said she sees kids
only after 3 years of age. ALso how will they examine a baby so young?
He was affected by a virus that caused blisters on his tongue and
big ulcer like patches on his gums, I don't know if his teeth problem was
caused by that virus. Is there a virus that can cause a tooth infection?
Answer:
First off I'll ask...does he take a bottle to bed with him? If so, what's
in it? If it's anything but water you need to break him from it. That's a
big time tooth decay causer. It sounds like his teeth are decaying. That's
how my nephew's teeth started....they turned brown then black. You'll
probably have to find a pediatric dentist to look at his teeth. I would
definitely try to get him to let you start using a toothbrush. The
washcloth will suffice; but it doesn't get to all those deep dark places a
toothbrush will. Try letting him brush them first and then you brush them.
Figure out how to make a game out of it. Tell him everything your brushing
off his teeth. "Well, I see some peas over here. Oh!! And back there is
some cereal. And we can't forget that chicken over here." Something like
that. Kelsey always loves it when I do that. Also, if IIRC, I read on here
in a flouride thread I believe that if you drink a lot of milk and take
flouride treatments it can cause brown spots on your teeth. I don't
remember if it was flouride for sure so someone correct me! Also, I doubt
that the virus he had is what caused it. Kelsey had the same virus and it
didn't cause any problems with her teeth. She just had the blisters.
I suspect he means that he *normally* only sees kids after 3YO. If he
won't, then find a dentist who does, or find a pediatric dentist. A
referral from your doctor may ensure that this is covered by your
insurance. See http://www.aapd.org/ for information on pediatric dentistry.
It sounds like a different problem than what we had - but just in case
... Timmy had been taking iron vitamins in dropper form and that stained
his teeth - the peidatric dentist polished them and voila - all gone.
I have to agree.. I think this is a major cause of teeth decay in
toddlers. My husbands cousins child had to have 2 root canals before he
was was 3 years old because of it.
Did your son ever fall down and bang his teeth? I've seen several
cases where the teeth turned black quite a while after an injury...
In any case, I would look for a pediatric dentist to have a look.
