About a year ago, my now 12 year old daughter, got 2 fillings on her back permanent teeth. The cavities were very small and she didn't even need numbing. But I don't want her to get anymore, for now. So, what can I do to prevent her getting any more cavities? She brushes daily, 2 or 3 times a day with a flouride toothpaste, she flosses and never drinks fizzy drinks. She also has those black lines at the bottom of her two top front teeth (sorry, I'm not sure what their called). They're not very visible from far away, do they mean she's got thin enamel or something? I know that drinking tap water is adviced for strong teeth, but the tap water in my area isn't fit for drinking at all. Please help! Thanks in advance :) Oh, and by the way, are 2 fillings for a 12 year old a lot?
Thanks for the replies :) Yes, she has had her teeth sealed, the 2 back permanent ones, top and bottom. She also flosses, but she doesn't use mouthwash, would it be better if she did? She does have an electric toothbrush, but it's not like the ones that cost 200 pounds.
I brush, floss, rinse and don't overdo the sweet stuff... and I have a cavity nearly every year when I go (to my mother's office) for a check up. Sometimes you get them no matter what. I'm just cursed with bad teeth. I never needed braces and my teeth are perfectly white, just prone to cavities.
Have you tried a Sonicare toothbrush? We have some, but I haven't taken the kids back to the dentist since we got them (it hasn't been 6 months yet). But I've heard good things! I'm hoping it will help with my daughter's cavities too!
we got dental sealants on our kids' teeth as soon as they had all their adult teeth in. i was pretty skeptical but it's proved to be a great idea. they haven't had any cavities at all! and they sure didn't inherit great teeth from me, virtually every tooth in my head is filled.
be careful with fluoride. it does help prevent cavities, but the long-term studies have showed that it prevents only a few over a lifetime, but many risks. and if you do choose to use fluoride, keep doing it the way you are, with toothpaste and/or rinse, NEVER with drinking it. fluoridated water confers very little benefit to teeth (you're not supposed to ingest the stuff) but all the risks.
khairete
S.
No, they aren't.
I would discuss this with the dentist. If you see lines in her teeth that concern you, get an appointment.
My SD has a special flouride rinse 2x a week. She also has had prescription toothpaste. If the tap water isn't good, there are other ways to get flouride on the teeth. When I was a kid we had well water and had tablets. Does she floss? I'd encourage her to do so. You might also invest in an electric toothbrush. If you do the sealants, they are not foolproof. They are good but you need to make sure they are done right and fixed if they crack. Mine were not done right and I spent my early 20s getting them removed and the teeth under filled. The dentist said the cracks in the sealant trapped debris and there was no amount of brushing I could have done. Maybe if I'd used mouthwash I would have been better. But I haven't had a filing in years. My sks had sealants, but they also see the dentist more regularly than I did, especially in my late teens.
Have her teeth ever been sealed?
Ask your dentist about flouride varnish.
Here's more information. Literature shows that it can actually strengthen weak enamel and even REVERSE damage.
If you didn't give your kids fluoride when they were little, (if your water didn't already have fluoride in it) then it is too late for the fluoride supplements. When we go to the dentist, they do give fluoride treatments, but the most important time to have fluoride is as a small child, up to 12 or 13 years old.
You need your pediatric dentist to explain these lines. You can't find that out here.
When we were kids, long ago (LOL!), kids had mouthfuls of cavities. There wasn't any fluoride in the municipal water. When health agencies started to understand the benefits of fluoride in the water, cavities became less a standard of oral issues, and nowadays, not nearly as many kids have a mouthful of cavities. Indeed, only one of my children has a filling in his mouth (and ONE filling at that.) However, my other child had 4 baby molars without enough enamel (indeed, not even enough for sealants to stick to) and we filled these until they finally came out. Thankfully we don't have that problem with his permanent teeth. And this kid has no fillings now.
That being said, other than fluoride from little on up, the other thing that "counts" is genetics. Sometimes bad teeth run in the family.
You sound like you are really trying hard to help her with good oral hygiene. Take her to the dentist and find out about these lines. If she needs fillings, you need to get them regardless of whether you want to or not. Leaving teeth with decay in them will just make it so you have to have more difficult work down the line.
Good luck,
Dawn
