my 3 year old has cavities?

Question

I feel like the worst mother in the world!! I brush his teeth everyday but he's got cavities and he's got some missing enamel on his teeth.. he goes to the dentist october 22 but i'm worried that they are going to think i'm a bad mother because of it.. he's got 3 teeth on the side that are starting to lose their enamel and he's got a cavity in his front 2 teeth.. we brush his teeth everyday I don't know what's going on help!!!

Answer 1

I feel your pain! My four year old just got his first cavity and I feel like the worst mother! Try not to beat yourself up though. Some kids/people are very prone to cavities - they have soft teeth, or not good seals on them, etc. I found from my son, the culprit (or this is at least what the dentist told me) was that my son has been on antibiotics pretty much constantly since birth for ear infections (he's on his third set of tubes). So bad for teeth.

Fortuneately, its baby teeth and they'll fall out eventually. Talk to your dentist about what to do when his permanent teeth come in - they may want to put sealants on them or something. But I can assure you, your dentist will not judge you. You'll be amazed how many kids get cavities despite regular brushings, etc. Good luck at your appt!

Answer 2

You are not a bad mother. My 7 yr old brushed his teeth constantly..he loved to brush. I rarely let him have candy or pop. But when he was four, I took him to dentist to find that he had several cavities. The obvious ones were in between the 2 front teeth, but they saw several more in the upper back teeth. When I told them that he brushed all the time and didn't eat a lot of candy, they asked me if he drank a lot of juice. Yes, I said....constantly. He was always a very thirsty child and he drank a small cup and a few minutes later asked for more. I, thinking that fruit juice was so healthy, gave him all he wanted. BIG MISTAKE! The juice was rotting his teeth...they said they could tell that where the cavities were in the front, and on the upper back teeth (where the juice mostly goes when you drink). Later on, a nutritionist told me that children his age should only drink 4 oz of juice a day. This was the size of one of his cups that I guarantee he had at least 20 times a day.

So, don't feel like a bad mother. The dentist will tell you what you need to do. Just take this up as a learning experience cause no matter how much of a good mother we all try to be, we ALL make mistakes. At least, this one can be corrected.

Answer 3

If previous posters really worked in pedo, then they know that the fillings may have been left a little rough because the dentist was in a hurry to finish. 3-year-olds have notoriously short attention spans in the dental chair, even if they are perfect at home. To avoid the screaming fit that many children have in a pedo office, fillings are often not polished to the degree that they are in adults. Ask your dentist about it, but it may not be worth putting your son in the chair again just to have them polished. It may be something that can be done as part of a regular visit in the future. You don't want to push your luck and have him decide he hates the dentist over a couple rough spots. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends restricting juice intake to less than 6 oz per day for children under six. Sleeping with the bottle is not the only problem. If you let your son have a sippy cup with juice during the day, it is just as bad as at night. Always follow juice or milk with water and keep up the brushing. Susceptibility to cavities is not truly genetic, but it is "hereditary". Cavities are caused by bacteria. We're not born with those bacteria, though, so where do they come from? Mom and Dad. When our children put there hands in our mouths or we kiss them or we share utensils or anything else that could transfer those bacteria, they get them. Some people have bacteria that are weak, some are strong. This is why people will say "my family always has bad teeth" or "my family has strong teeth". It's often not the teeth, it's the virulence of the strain of bacteria. There are tests for this, and you pediatric dentist may be able to take a sample and have it checked if you are concerned. It's not cheap though. Good luck. Being concerned is the most important thing. a couple fillings in a three year old is totally normal. But, if you keep up the hard work they may be his last.

Answer 4

My son has 3 cavities so I know how you feel. I felt like a bad mother too! My son's cavities are all tiny and in between his teeth, and my son also has a cavity in his 2 front teeth, a small tiny spot right in the middle. I brush my sons teeth twice a day - every single day , but I didn't start flossing his teeth early enough. The dentist said kids teeth don't always need flossed b/c they are usually spaced out enough to where the brush cleans well enough in between, but my sons teeth are closer together in a few spots.
The dentist wont think your a bad mother, it happens! Just talk to them and find out why the enamel is coming off.

Answer 5

As many people have already stated genetics do play quite a bit with it. Definately consider cutting back on the amount of juice/sugary drinks/milk he drinks and brush or have him rinse his mouth out with water after he drinks them. At this age he shouldn't be using sippy cups he should be using regular cups at this point which will help. Also get some of those flossers makes flossing his teeth much easier! Once you finish with brushing and flossing have him rinse his mouth....at this point teach him how to swish and spit. Once he gets that idea down I would add a flouride rinse to the routine right before bed. Just enough to get it on his teeth to help strengthen his enamel.
Don't feel to bad over his teeth hun. Alot of toddlers have cavities that most people would figure never should have happened. The dentist will see the difference between neglect and coincidence. Now you know and how you act in the future to be proactive about this is more important.

Answer 6

When I took my first son to the dentist for the first time at 3 he had a cavity in his back tooth which had to be drilled and filled. I too felt like a horrible mom. My dentist assured me that even though some people brush and floss everyday genetics also plays a role. After that dentist appointment we got fluoridated water and after brushing his teeth and he had last drink of water, he swished with a fluoride rinse (ACT was recommended to us and they have lots of different flavors!) As long as he can swish and does not swallow it I would recommend doing that. My older son is now 11 and just has that one cavity, I have a four year old and a three year old and so far we are cavity free. Good luck!

Answer 7

Look at your or your husbands/ sons fathers background. my daughter has bad teeth too,we take care of her teeth, brush, floss, even dental rinse. I always had good teeth as a child. I couldnt understand it, both of my sons,(from my ex husban) had nice baby teeth too. My mother in law told me that my husband, and his sister both had bad baby teeth. my husbands nephew had to have a root canal at age 6 and his outher one had 5 cavities. It seems to be a hereaditory problem in my husband family. my husband has good adult teeth. Im sure your a great mother, and you may get some looks at the dentist but I would look at your or your husbands family dental history. Im more than convinced that weak enamel on baby teeth can be hereaditary, its just not very common.

Answer 8

I agree with GEEGEE as far as the juice in the sippy cup in the bed. But also, eating healthy is a big part of it too. Not eating sweets, but also potato chips and junk like that. Try fruits and veggies for snacks. You are not a bad mother!!! Sometimes, it just happens and he will probably have great permanent teeth.

Answer 9

You are not a bad mother! There is probably a reason for it, but even so, brushing a toddler's teeth is a difficult task. Don't worry..no one is going to look down on you.

Answer 10

It could be something he's missing in his diet.

Calcium, maybe?

And that doesn't necessarily mean you aren't feeding him enough of what he needs. I have a disorder where my blood doesn't break down iron. I was constantly anemic as a child and my mother got lectured by the nurses one day about feeding me decent food & she always did. When a doctor finally got wise enough to check, he found that my body just doesn't hold it in.

This could be a sign of something else going on. I'd get him checked out. Just for your own peace of mind.