6y-o Goes To The Dentist...

[MrSquigle]

How do you get a 2yo and 5yo to floss properly ??

I want a good dentist for my kids, my son went to get a filling when he was 3 and was terrified. Dentist did not help at all.

Just after that episode I read of a young boy basically being forced to get whatever he was getting done to him, he was held down to do it. He had a fit or seizure or whatever and ended up mentally retarded from it.

[Screws]

(Wait for half an hour to an hour before cleaning after drinking carbonated or acidic drinks; they can soften the enamel, which then gets brushed away by the toothbrush.

interesting .

can you post the link to that research.

M. A. Bassiouny, J. Yang, "Influence of drinking patterns of carbonated beverages on dental erosion", General Dentistry, May-June, vol. 53, no. 3, 2005. [2] [3]

[fletchsmile]

you will find the information here.

eruption times for teeth

they may come through early or late.

if you think that they are long overdue , and if there are no little bumps under the gum where the tooth should erupt then a visit to a dentist and an x ray will confirm whether the teeth are in fact present or not.

milk teeth are much "softer" than the permanent dentition and do decay much easier and faster, and with todays sugar loaded diets and some childrens reluctance to brush or allow parents to brush for them decay in milk teeth is common.

the first permanent molar which erupts at about age 6 is the most common tooth to need fillings and crowns , its usually the first adult tooth to erupt after the incisors and suffers the most as at that age oral hygiene and diet can be less than perfect.

Excellent cheers for the info. Judging by the info on there she should have central incisors 6-12 months, laterals 9-13 months. So I guess late, but maybe not overly so. She was born 3 weeks early and was a small baby at only 2.5kg, even the wife was bigger when she was born. There are bumps under her gums as though as you mention. I guess she's just taking after her Thai mum in being late for almost everything No doubt when they start coming thru she'll complain the same as well

BTW To the OP there's also quite a bit on there including interactice case studies for teeth. One was talking about fillings decayed teeth etc for a 3 year old.

Edited October 15, 2007 by fletchthai68

[Screws]

Also, if I was the PM, I would make it a crime, punishable by jail, to put children down with anything but water in a bottle; not so much for the punishment basis but to make that point that baby bottle tooth decay is 100% preventable.

Google images has the pics - 'baby bottle tooth decay'

[taxexile]

thanks screws for the reference , cant find the article though , only the wikipedia page that quotes it.

baby bottle tooth decay is 100% preventable

you make a good point there , it really is down to the parents to protect their kids during the early years , as it is almost impossible to get a child under 6 (or older) to practise good oral hygiene on their own.

[MrSquigle]

My 2yo goes to sleep with only water now, has done so for about last 10 months.

Will be interesting to see the difference when she goes to dentist, but that will be a nightmare as she will not even open her mouth for a doc to shine his light in just for a looksie for 5 seconds.

[Screws]

Also, if I was the PM, I would make it a crime, punishable by jail, to put children down with anything but water in a bottle; not so much for the punishment basis but to make that point that baby bottle tooth decay is 100% preventable.

Jut like to point out that the above comment is just something that has been developing in my mind over a number of years, purely as a way to emphasise the preventability of baby bottle teeth; there was no intention to embarrass or cast nasturtiums at anybody, hope no offence taken.

Perhaps it is societies pre natal classes that are in error.

Please help spread the word.

[MrSquigle]

Anybody know if you can get fluoride tablets to put into drinking water ?

Or a good fluoride toothpaste available here.

Also what is recommended for kids for fillings these days, my son needs a couple of fillings and want to start with the right stuff and not amalgum.

[taxexile]

Also what is recommended for kids for fillings these days, my son needs a couple of fillings and want to start with the right stuff and not amalgum.

composite fillings are tooth coloured , but the placement procedure demands a dry field and a co operative patient , not always possible with young children.

glass ionomer cements are tooth coloured and the placement procedure is quicker and easier.

amalgam is rarely used for childrens fillings these days , even by cash strapped uk nhs dentists.

[taxexile]

Also what is recommended for kids for fillings these days, my son needs a couple of fillings and want to start with the right stuff and not amalgum.

composite fillings are tooth coloured , but the placement procedure demands a dry field and a co operative patient , not always possible with young children.

glass ionomer cements are tooth coloured and the placement procedure is quicker and easier.

amalgam is rarely used for childrens fillings these days , even by cash strapped uk nhs dentists.

[MrSquigle]

Well...2 years ago my son, then 3, needed 1 filling. My wife took him to the dentist and they gave him an amalgam filling.....he also put on a turn to make us all proud.

Now I want to get rid of it, but also aware that this tooth will fall out sooner rather than later I think...or hope.

Any cost or other benifits between the 2 you mentioned and are they both readily available in los ??

[taxexile]

there wont be much difference in the cost.

both readily available in thailand.

composite is a much stronger material and will withstand the biting forces generated better than the glass ionomer cement , but for a limited lifespan (small to medium sized) filling in a milk tooth , for a nervous child , glass ionomer can be the most practical solution.

ive seen a lot of composite used here for childrens fillings , and i suspect that thai children are less fearful of dental treatment than western children.

my admiration for thai dentistry increases every time i hear a dental story , or meet a thai dentist.

[MrSquigle]

Thats nice to hear...now I just have to find one that will talk my kids into it.

Took him for a clean the other day, told wifey make sure they do not do any fillings, just check what he needs and clean and I will go with him when he has them done. Even for the clean he put on a turn, but they got the job done at least.

I just will not let a dentist hold him down and force him into it, just not the right way and want someone, as well as me, to con him into it.

Thanks for the advice on fillings.

[taxexile]

holding a child down and forcing them to undergo treatment will just instill a great fear of dentists into the child , to say nothing of the how horrifying it must be for a child to have to have that done to them.

sometimes a couple of visits where the dentist just entertains the child and lets the child hold the mirrors , squirters and sprays etc. and lets the child feel the revolving cleaning brushes on the palm of their hands can make the child feel more comfortable and less fearful.

the dentists time might be costly for the parent , but the results can be worth it.

[MrSquigle]

I think I posted above about this, but some time ago here in Los a child was held down by the dentist, the child had a seizure or whatever from the panic and ended up permanently disabled from it. More to it than just hoping the child is not forever put off the dentist.

I am kind of trying to do the same thing by going for cleanings a little bit more often, maybe couple more times before he gets the real works. But would like to make it a good dentist straight off, so he can get used to that one.

Think i will try the one mentioned above next month.

[chatette]

I took my child to the dentist from six months old just to get her used to it. The very first time there was a child being held down next to us (at the Mahidol dental hospital's old pediatric clinic), which was pretty disturbing....Thankfully she was too young to know what was going on or to remember it even if she did. They now have separate treatment rooms, not that she's had anything more than than a check up in 9 yrs.

[MrSquigle]

Excellent, how did you manage that though.

Even though our son, 5yo, brushes 3 times a day, particulalry for the longest and strongest time before bed and he is not a big junk food eater at all, loves fruit and good food, yet he has several holes.

How do you do it.

[MrSquigle]

Just took our son to a local dentist nearby as he had a slight toothache and the side of his gum looked funny where the sore tooth was.

Dentist said he had an infection down into the roots and needs root canal treatment.

Now I have never really heard of this happening for a child this young...5yo...but a few weeks ago he went for a checkup, found 4 small holes and 1 little bigger. I left them go as I knew he would put on a turn about it and also that he never complained of tooth pain, so figured it could wait a while.

Seems the larger hole that was pointed out before is the one that has become infected.

He brushes his teeth at home twice a day and at school after lunch, also at home if we are not out, but often are. So I figure his hygene is ok, he knows how to brush and we watch him regulalry to make sure he is doing it properly, he knows to brush strong and for a long time everywhere.

My question is, can this root canal be right for a 5yo ??

By the way, prices quoted were no more than 1500b for the xray, root canal and filling with composite, not amalgam. Price for the other smaller one with composite were 3/400b each. Dr seemed ok, but obviously not sure till she is doing the job. Due to go in tomorrow for it.

[bina]

going to the dentist is like training a horse to lift its hooves; its something that u get them used to at very young age with no pain or pressure so that in the future, when u do have to do something, its w/o fear (which adds to the pain); yesterday i did a filling in my tooth, as usual i had to argue with the doc (a russian dentist) that i do it w/o pain killers... since i dont wait for big holes, the pain is minimal, the doc tells me every few minutes how much longer it will be, and what he still needs to do...in the beginning u just get them used to opening their mouth for a second, each time u add on so they can say ahhhhh! then YOU put a toothbrush in their mouth, move it a bit and take it out. each time u do this u increase their tolerance of "stranger's" hand putting dental equipment in their mouth for short time. its the equivalent of tapping a horse's hoof with the hoof pick, but not really doing a cleaning or picking. its so much easier this way.

all my kids, all our kids here, go to the pediatric dentist from age one; they are all taught to say ahhhh! let the doc look, and get a small prize. parents dont accompany them, our caretakers do that as it is doen as part of when they are in daycare on the kibbutz; by the time any treatment actually has to be done, the majority of the kids go on their own with no fear; special needs kids are accompanied by their parents, or if bad reactions or major fear is shown... its a good system but needs a cooperative dentist and intensive education and preparation (all the kids get 'brainwashed' about dental care, going to a dentist, in the childrens' houses and kindergartens to the point that if a tooth/gum slightly hurts, our kids will ask right away to go to the dentist as 'he makes it better'. )

there are countless books about teeth and dentists in english or pictorial also, not to mention stuff for kids on the internet even for preschoolers that prepare a child so he/she doesnt need to be restrained. sometimes all the differnce in the world is made if the dentist leaves the chair tilted less, hard for the dentist but sometime better for the patient (my son absolutely cant be tilted back, his gag reflex and fear kick in.. a bad combination, so they tilt the chair less, and give him more 'upright' breaks, when he needs treatments. he is also left laying prone for a few minutes after as he is a 'fainter' although that has gone as he has reached young adulthood.

i think in israel we still use that silver stuff whatever its called, in our teeth unless u buy private... not sure...

just ideas, really

bina

[MrSquigle]

Well, he went, he hated it, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

Root canal treatment, needles, drills....now i know why I never go myself.

Funny thing after it was that he said none of it hurt, just did not like it. So now using that little bit of intel for the next visit to finish it next week.

[Goinghomesoon]

Youngest had major root canal work at 4 and a half years of age when she came to live with me. Four of the six teeth are still there five years later (two failed and ultimately had to be removed). She has no residual fear of dentists (she happily went today for a checkup) but can vividly remember her first meal without pain, the day after all the root canal surgery was finished.