Teeth

Having a six year old means we have increasingly regular discussions about teeth. Most of these conversations center around which classmate has most recently lost a tooth and Noah's growing concern that he hasn't lost one yet. But in the last two weeks the discussions have shifted. After a visit to the dentist, we discovered that Noah has six cavities. Yes, six! My first response after the initial shock was guilt. Guilt that perhaps we hadn't brushed enough especially during the deployment or not doing things the right way. The dentist picked up on this and commented that he must drink a lot of juice. I immediately became defensive and poor Noah nearly started to cry (we don't keep juice in the house, it a special treat at birthday parties, etc and he was upset that he would never get to taste juice again). My guilt then morphed into anger and dismay. How could this happen? We are pretty healthy around here. Snacks are usually fruit, veggies, and cheese and crackers. Drink options are milk or water. My kids are excited if they get a Hershey's kiss every now and then as a treat.etc. We didn't floss every day and yes, there were some nights when tooth brushing got overlooked and even those occasional nights of midnight snacking. But in general we really do try to be pretty healthy. How can my little guy have gotten six cavities?

I am writing this post to share the information I have been reading during the past couple of weeks. Information that I had never heard before. Information that I believe all dentists and family physicians/pediatricians should be sharing with families. In the six years that I have been a parent, no health care provider has ever mentioned any of this and when I recently brought it up with our current dentist. She said "oh yeah, that is a good idea. Everyone should do that". Really? then why aren't you telling everyone? why isn't there a big stack of handouts about this in your waiting room? How did I miss this? So here it is. If you already know this and I am just a slacker mom who is six years behind the ball, please ignore this post.

So here's the deal:

Noah's cavities are probably due in part to my history of cavities. Sharing not only family history but also passing along germs that encourage the growth of cavities. Wish I had been more proactive while pregnant and nursing by taking xylitol regularly and not sharing food.We used to see a lot of xylitol gum in Japan. We chewed it, but never even thought about offering to our kids. Turns out we should have.

Here are a couple of sites that convinced me that we should have been doing this on a regular basis. We have all started using toothpaste with xylitol. We have all started chewing xylitol gum or these candies after every meal. And I am looking into ways to use xylitol in baking.

In addition to xylitol, I am also considering the use of M.I. Paste. Our dentist is exploring options for ordering it. We are also flossing the kids' teeth every night. Brushing at least two times a day. Trying to avoid chewy/sticky/ sugary foods. Use ACT rinse (not Camille who is still too young). And we are in the process of having all of his cavities filled before our move. Some dentists and patients testify to the positive results of remineralization...curing cavities without ever getting them filled. It would be nice to avoid putting him through the procedure but I worry about heading overseas with so many cavities. So far he's had four of the cavities filled. Not fun, but he has done pretty well with it all.

I know this probably isn't the most coherent post, but I just wanted to share our recent experience. I really wish I had known these things (especially the xylitol info) before now.

Some additional spots for information and support:
Ask Dr. Ellie
Alternative Kids Teeth Yahoo Group
Very Young Kids Teeth Yahoo Group