My son has really bad teeth?

Question

I've got 5 kids, aged 3-11, and my 11 year old son has really bad teeth. Every time he goes to the dentist he needs to get at least one filling, he had fillings in practicaly all of his baby teeth. How can I make sure his adult teeth don't end up the same? I didn't mind him getting fillings in his baby teeth cos I knew they would fall out, but I don't want him to end up with fillings in all his adult teeth.

All the kids has got fillings already, even the little one, so I guess none of them has got really GOOD teeth, but my 11 year old is the worst. They do eat sweets and stuff, but I make sure they brush their teeth before they go to bed. Is there any special toothpaste or anything I can use to stop them getting such rotten teeth?

My teeth are pretty bad too, I've got lots of fillings in them and I've had lots of root canals, is it something that I coul.d have passed on to the kids??

Answer 1

The kids need to be brushing at least twice a day, possibly more if they are prone to cavities. Try to get your older kids into the habit of flossing as well, as this can prevent cavities forming between the teeth. Try and restrict how many sweets they eat, and try to make sure they don't snack on them all day - if they're going to have sweets, give them after a meal time and get them to brush their teeth afterwards. Try not to let them drink fizzy juice except occasionally as a special treat, give them wateror milk instead, or some sugar free squash. I don't think bad teeth is something you can pass on to your children except in rare cases when there is a problem with enamel formation on the teeth. It's probably more likely that your own dental hygeine maybe isn't as good as it should be, and you've passed on that trait to your kids? And perhaps you eat a lot of sweets or drink soda yourself, and so the kids do as well? Try and look after your kids teeth - getting fillings isn't fun, especially when they're really young. I didn't get my first filling until I was quite old, and even then I cried all the way through it. And your kids will have more confidence if they have good teeth too. Good luck.

Answer 2

One thing that I've noticed is that you said you have lots of root canals. I think I know what's causing this. You also said you make your kids brush their teeth before they go to bed.

Do you swallow toothpaste? Do you brush your teeth several times a day? I noticed that it was right during the time, that I used to swallow toothpaste, that I started getting lots of cavities and had a root canal. ( I had a root canal done, when I was around 8 years old. ) I used to brush at least twice a day, which meant I swallowed a lot more than I would have if I had brushed once a day.

I continued swallowing toothpastes until I was much older, but when I was 10, I moved to a country where they did not have flouridated toothpaste, and after that I have not had even a single cavity or any teeth problems.

So , my advice would be to switch to a non-flouridated toothpaste. And try to watch out and see if your kids are swallowing it. It is not good to swallow toothpaste, even in small amounts. ( even if it is non-flouridated )

Answer 3

Ok, do you all share utensils or anything like that? I read that most common way children develop Lactobacillus (which eats away at the teeth forming cavities) is from being passed from teh mother to the child. Because all children are born with clean mouths. If you all share stuff, stop it. Try adn get them to stop licking fingers and whatnot. Floss everynight before brushing, and I'd say, brush with baking soda. Or buy some organic toothpaste w/ baking soda in it...they work and clean 3x better than any store bought toothpaste filled with all the unneccesary stuff. And brush every morning after breakfast, and at night before bed. And well, I'd say try and get everyone to cut back on teh sugar stuff. Go for carrot and celery sticks and raw fruits.

Answer 4

What a situation! You must be pretty upset about this one. The thing that comes into my mind is keeping their teeth clean between meals and right after they pig out on candy, &c. Kids are hard to train, but if you can somehow teach them excellent dental and oral hygiene right now (this is your golden opportunity) you will have given them a gift that will last for the rest of their lives. Also, if you can find them a dentist who won't scare the wits out of them all, you can make some kind of good first step to see that your children have a good chance of fine teeth as adults. My teeth are upside down and backwards. I have had trouble with them all my life. My dentist calms me down and makes repairs that last a long time. I'm 63. Finding a great dentist is probably the second most important thing. The first step will be to retrain all of your wonderful children to brush after candy and brush after meals and brush before going nite-nite. If this problem were tossed into my lap, this is how I would handle it. I send this to you with a big hug and a prayer you find the best possible course to follow so your children will not have to follow in Mommy's footsteps when it comes to their teeth. Have a great summer! From G. in South Portland, Maine.

Answer 5

genetics can be an issue rarely. most of the time it is their diet. like sugary drinks ect and if they are eating sweets -don't forget about mints and gums also.. it would be best to brush or rinse immediately afterwards not hours later and another thing to consider is how often they are eating. for instance drinking a coke straight down is not all that harmful especially if you have brushed or rinsed afterwards but if you or the kids are drinking and/or eating sugar and/or acidic foods/drinks often -or over the day sipping and snacking- the more often you expose the teeth is a big factor in developing tooth decay.

in addition, are you on city water with added flouride? and are ya'll using a good flouride toothpaste? ask your dentist if you do not know and see if he thinks home flouride rinses would be helpful.

it is really great that you are concerned about this. alot of parents do not realize how important their kids teeth are for the whole of their lives.

Answer 6

My 5 year old needs fillings too. Both of my kids have been all but cut off from candy and sugary snacks. I get them things like sugar free jell-o, pudding, and not too many things a lot of acids. They drink a lot of milk. And if they prefer chocolate, get ovaltine. My kids can't tell the difference. But they love it. Also, get them to rince with a fluoride, but only the older kids (5+). The younger ones, just keep their teeth as clean as possible. Brush at least 2x a day. Some people just have bad genes. I've been getting fillings since I was 5. And yes, I have always taken great care of mu teeth. Mostly from the fact that I'm so self-conscious about bad breath...I hate it! So, my bad teeth can be contributed to my English heritage. It's just in my genes to have bad teeth, and my daughter is following suite. So, just do everything you can and try not to worry about too many fillings. You worry when you can't get the fillings anymore. Also, when I was little, my mother didn't want me to have a mouth full of silver fillings, so she opted to pay the extra to get white ones. You can't even tell I have as many fillings as I do. Now, they're not only white, they match them to the existing color of your tooth.

Answer 7

It sounds like your son has inherited your teeth. My suggestion is to brush and floss his teeth at least 3 to 4 times a day , drink more water and only give he sweets once a day.

Answer 8

if they eat a lot of sweets they need to clean there teeth after they finshed the sweet. wating 6 hours befor bed to clean them is 6 hours of rot.

Answer 9

as a kid, i was only allowed a small allowed of sugary stuff at weekends and i have never had any fillings

Answer 10

have u ever heard of the word BRACES u can't eat sweets if u've got them on





DUH