It is between his upper lip and his gums at the very top. It looks like a white circle and it has a red streak coming down to his teeth. All of his teeth are clean and we brush them about once everyother day (I know it should be more often, but he is 3 and he runs).
Please help. Thank you.
2007-05-21 13:32:24 · 4 answers · asked by melissa 2 in Health ➔ Dental
If this white area is an ulcer most likely it is a cold sore (Herpes simplex) or Canker sore (unknown cause). Sometimes a cold sore can be very difficult the first time. When children are first exposed to herpes simplex their first outbreak is often multiple lesions in the mouth and on the lips or it can be just one larger than normal one. However, it could also be a canker sore which may have been caused by trauma during brushing when the plastic of the toothbrush hit his gums b/c he was squirming and this can induce a ulcer like this. Just try and keep it free of bacteria, use hydrogen peroxide you can gently put a little on w/ a Q tip. You could get some topical anesthetic like ambesol to put on it but it might burn a little at first.
2007-05-21 13:40:04 · answer #1 · answered by spongebobrogers 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you are concerned you should take him to see the family doctor.
You should observe if your 3 year old has any other symptoms before going to the doctor.
It could just be isolated gum irritation in response to something, eating hot foods, an inury, or an immune response that triggers a sore in the mouth, an oral infection etc. .
In anycase it will most likely go away on its own, and the doctor will prob tell you there is nothing to worry about. Always watch for other symptoms, and make sure you take good care of your childs mouth, and monitor their wellbeing, which im sure you already do.
2007-05-21 13:45:45 · answer #2 · answered by Cristina 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would be best to simply leave it alone until the doctor has a chance to look at it. It is an abcess of some sort, possibly from poking the upper gum with something. You can give him children's Tylenol or Motrin for the discomfort, but don't poke around at the sore. The mouth is a bacteria haven, and the last thing he needs is an open sore in his mouth. You can try to get him to rinse his mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash, but given how they taste, that's not going to be easy to do and not strictly needed at this point. You may be refered to a dentist or oral surgeon for consult, seeing it's in the mouth, and likely given antibiotics for him to take. They usually don't bother trying to drain them, it's better for the body to take care of it on it's own. They will also try to figure out what caused it, to make sure the teeth aren't endangered. Baby teeth don't have roots like adult teeth do, so it's not likely abcessed due to tooth decay.
A trick I learned to convince my reluctant tooth brusher to cooperate was to let him brush my teeth, after I brushed his. He got a kick out of it, and I just brushed again later- out of his sight of course! Aside from making the brushing easier, it also helped him learn proper brushing techniques. Also, try the electric battery type brush, they seem to think those are neat to use.
2007-05-21 13:44:55 · answer #3 · answered by The mom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is it a canker sore? Very common. Buy some over the counter stuff to put on it (will sting at first, but will put a protective coating on it so that foods dont aggravate it) or have him swish his mouth out regularly with either listerine or warm salt water. No need to see a doctor for those.
2007-05-21 13:40:58 · answer #4 · answered by floridasun5 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Give him some pain relief
either some paracetamol (acetaminophen if you are in the USA) or you might be able to get a teething gel and rub it on the sore spot
It won't affect what the doctor sees
2007-05-21 13:39:46 · answer #5 · answered by Orinoco 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
dont touch anything let the doctor see it at its worse dressing it up could corrupt a condition a doctor is looking for.
2007-05-21 13:38:03 · answer #6 · answered by xtraudinair 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋