Four Year Old With Visibly Rotting Teeth....

[CdnMumof4]

...might not be 'baby bottle rot' or their fault..just putting this out there. A friend of mine's 2yr old had to have several teeth pulled and had dental surgery , because they started rotting - it was nothing they caused, but it was something going on inside his own body. He has some rapid decay rate or something, but it's an actual medical condition. so- it may not be as simple as too many sweets, or sending a bottle to bed.

That's too bad for the little one, that's got to be so uncomfortable and probably extremely embarrassing for the parents. Try to stay compassionate, keep encouraging she brush her teeth after every meal while at your home and don't give her any refined sugars- to help prevent more decay. She definitely should go in and see a dentist..I know it's expensive in America to see medical professionals- but isn't there a program within the school system, for families who can't afford dental care? ...might be worth looking into

eta: I went back and read responses- after posting. Mom actually admits to giving 4yr old a bottle???? My 4.5 yr old isn't even allowed to use a sippy cup anymore, heck, my 2.5yr old is losing sippy cup priviledges- a bottle, at 4?! This now makes me think more of the neglect aspect of it ... but, still consider what I have posted above, regardless.

[missnikki]

Thinking out of the box here:

What if you called around to local dentists in your area, and asked them if they would be willing to come and do a 'toothbrushing show' for the kids? You could call it 'dental day', and give parents the referral cards and a toothbrush, etc...to kind of get the kids thinking that brushing is fun? If you can't knock the parent upside the head, get the kid to start doing things right from now on. (Too bad she can't drive herself to the dentist.)

[Unregistered]

sick & tired of lazy parents

Say it's bottle rot, say it isn't and it's medical. I know a kid that doesn't have enamel and is having tooth decay probs. Regardless, I'm tired of lazy parents. My child has regular dental appts every 6 months and doesn't have any decay and almost no tartar buildup. You know why? Because I brush & floss the child's teeth 2 times per day. Yes, me, not my kid. Brushing for 2 minutes each time isn't difficult when you have musical toothbrushes that play for 2 minutes. My pediatric dentist doesn't recommend my child brushing own teeth until 9 years old - only supposed to let them do it after I'm done brushing for the full 2 minutes. Up until then, the doc says kid won't have the dexterity nor the ability to clean thoroughly. A lot is diet too. Parents think nothing of letting their kids drink juice at every meal or throughout the day. What happened to good old fashioned water or milk like I give my kid? I limit juice to 1 serving per day. Candy is given as a sometimes treat and fruit is encouraged in our household as dessert. My child has never had soda and I almost never have it in the house. I know so many kids who have cavaties because the parents don't brush their kids teeth and let them have soda and let them eat candy every day, etc. These same parents don't change their habits even when their kids have to get those cavaities filled. I remember having cavaties when I was in grade school because my parents were lazy - they wouldn't even pay for sealants on my teeth, even though their insurance covered it, they would have only had to pay the deductible. I remember how bad my teeth hurt and I couldn't even eat. I remember how frightened I was of having to go to the dentist and having to get those filled. I didn't want to do to my kid what my parents did to me.

[Chelle]

Baby Teeth Rotten Does NOT mean Neglect!

My 5 1/2 year old has most of his teeth rotten. I went to one of the few pediatric dentists I could find and she gave him temp fillings three times that all fell out the same day! They had to strap him down three times while he screamed in fear and would not let me in the room. I finally waited till a regular dentist would see him, which yes was at age 4. He said there is nothing he could do really, and suggested waiting for them to fall out. He also said some people are born with thin to no enamel and there is nothing you can do about it. So I got another opinion, which was the same.

My son was off the bottle by age 1, he never went to bed with one and no pacifier after 4 months. No candy or sugary and acidic food or drinks in excess, I did everything I could. He brushes his teeth regularly as well. I raised two children already who never had this problem. Yes I am worried about teasing when he starts school this year and more than that I am worried about his health and his adult teeth. If any of you daycare finger pointing geniuses can come up with another solution to pulling all his friggin teeth out I would really love to hear it.

~A Mom Who Knows What's Right

[familyschoolcare]

My 5 1/2 year old has most of his teeth rotten. I went to one of the few pediatric dentists I could find and she gave him temp fillings three times that all fell out the same day! They had to strap him down three times while he screamed in fear and would not let me in the room. I finally waited till a regular dentist would see him, which yes was at age 4. He said there is nothing he could do really, and suggested waiting for them to fall out. He also said some people are born with thin to no enamel and there is nothing you can do about it. So I got another opinion, which was the same.

My son was off the bottle by age 1, he never went to bed with one and no pacifier after 4 months. No candy or sugary and acidic food or drinks in excess, I did everything I could. He brushes his teeth regularly as well. I raised two children already who never had this problem. Yes I am worried about teasing when he starts school this year and more than that I am worried about his health and his adult teeth. If any of you daycare finger pointing geniuses can come up with another solution to pulling all his friggin teeth out I would really love to hear it.

~A Mom Who Knows What's Right

First of all you are right rotten teeth does not always mean neglect. It is however one of the signs. With that said here is some advice on you little one, and some background to go with it.

My sister children had the same problem and she was doing everything right as well. Very long story short..... she talked to the ped. and between the teeth and some other signed they figured out that the child's whose teeth where the worst has acid-reflex. The theory was that the acid was coming up during his sleep and quickening the rotting of his teeth, that with the combination of "bad Teeth genes" caused the problem. He is being treated for his acid reflex and the teeth are not rotten as fast still faster that any other child I know however my sister is told that the rate of cavities in all her children is considered normal.

Therefore my advice is talk to your son main doctor about his teeth if you have not already. The human body is very complex and the cause of rotting teeth may not be in the mouth.

I hop this helps.

[Meyou]

Oh my goodness....that poor child. A cavity can be so painful and she has a mouth of them. That makes me want to cry. How can a parent NOT figure something out to get them fixed? Shameful.

I have another not bottle rot story to share though. My dd complained about a sore tooth when she was 3 so I made her a dentist appt. They said she had 6 cavities and rescheduled to have her sedated for the work. When we went back the dentist came out and proceeded to give me a lecture on bottle rot and how just because I was a teen mother (I was 24 but looked 12) it was no excuse to abuse my child like that. Luckily my mom was with me (I was flustered and close to tears) and immediately stood up and said her granddaughter had been weaned off the bottle at 16 months and we brushed her teeth daily. I added that just because I had good genes that was no reason to belittle my parenting without having a clue. The dentist blustered and stammered and went back into the room. She came out again and apologized and said that from further examination it appears my daughters teeth were very close together and all of the cavities started in between the teeth and spread. Then told me I needed to floss her teeth at least once a day. She's 12 now and all of the caps from when she was 3 have fallen out. My sister, brother and mother all have this problem too.

[Unregistered]

In the Same Boat..

OMG! same thing has happened with my lil girl. I'm 23 yrs old, a single mother of 2 kids. My little girl is 4yrs old and i have a younger son who is 2yrs old. Im a survivor of domestic abuse, 5 years i was with someone i thought "loved" me. I left him a year ago. Ive worked all my life, before my son was born I only had my daughter and i had to leave her with a babysitter which i knew and trusted. I took my daughter off the bottle at 1.5yrs but when my daughter was beginning to talk around 2.5 she would mention she would be given a bottle at her babysitters house?! Without my permission! i was outraged and had a talk with her. She confessed and assured me it wouldnt happen again. Well by then i had my son, and she was taking care of both. Turns out both were getting bottles i noticed bottle rot and was forced to find child care elsewhere. I made sure my son didnt have a bottle past 1 year of age, but my daughter already went too long using a bottle and not to mention all the juices that were given to her I took my kids to the dentist and my son has perfect teeth but my little girl needs her front 4 pulled out and to do that will cost $2,500 i cried. How could i have let it get that far, its all my fault. I work full time and am trying my hardest to save money for it. I do get child support but thats not even enough money to cover my costs of childcare. I spend $900 a month to have my kids well taken care of. So all im saying is tell the mother your very concerned and that she needs to get her kids to the dentist soon!

[BabyMomma]

It Happens...

I'm a mom and it happened with my kiddos. No I didn't neglect, but I did get overwhelmed with a few things (my mom was dying of cancer, running more than one business, husband acting a stone fool, etc.). My oldest had three removed and caps placed on a few and I thought I was the worst parent in the world. My youngest had a tooth color cap put on a front tooth and a few caps in the back also.

I found out that I was more embarrassed at stuff than they were. Coming out of dental surgery my oldest woke up momentarily and said, "Mommy, am I still fabulous?" I replied, "All day long baby, all day long." And that smile is just as bright as when she had all of her teeth.

I'm just glad I found a wonderful pediatric dentist (Kool Smiles turned me completely off) who assured me that it happens, then put us all on the right track. My kids brush twice a day with a specialized flouride after regular brushing. Love it!

So, hopefully the parents of these dental assistance needing children will get on track too. I like the idea of a dentist coming in to visit the children bringing in a few "this is what happens when you don't brush" props. Every little bit helps...

[mac60]

Our dentist told us that people have either "soft" or "hard" teeth. Those with soft teeth tend to get cavities regardless of how great their dental health habits are. Teeth are heriditary, no doubt. You can have 2 kids with 2 very different teeth.

[jojosmommy]

Our dentist told us that people have either "soft" or "hard" teeth. Those with soft teeth tend to get cavities regardless of how great their dental health habits are. Teeth are heriditary, no doubt. You can have 2 kids with 2 very different teeth.

My mom is the admin at a dentist office and has been since before I was born. This is VERY TRUE. You either get tartar and no cavities or little tartar and cavities.

I personally have only NOT had cavities 2 times in my life and am a morning noon and night brusher. My teeth look great BUT I spend a pretty penny each year on dental hygiene. My husband has never had one cavity and brushes 1x per day and rarely brushed (and never had dental care) while in the marine corp.

Additionally, when I was two and my two year molars started coming in they came up in pieces. My mom knew that wasn't right and took me in immediately and I had caps on my back molars until my permanent teeth came in. Obviously my mom being in the dental field didn't neglect my teeth but genetics took over and something wasn't right with them. Maybe this is the case with this kid.

I would look up some free resources, most states have a free clinic where they can be seen. They may have to wait a while though as obviously lots of people tend to go there. I would tell her that her daughter is in pain and would also let her know you are going to call cps and talk to them about it. They can decide if this is neglect or not.

I would talk to mom about how you know this can be a big financial burden but it is necessary. Let her know you will support her- maybe help the kid brush at daycare, or have a tooth day and show all the kids how to brush appropriately.

[youretooloud]

Since this came back up... I'll update....

The five year old got four gold crowns in the back. She's very proud of them, and got to play video games while they worked on her teeth. They are kinda cool looking.

The four year old still has tooth pain, and hasn't been back to the dentist. But, I'll say something again today. I know it's hard.. but, they have money for IVF, they can fix her teeth too.

[actaktmdt]

I'm sorry but that's neglect and cps worthy of reporting. The two boys that just enrolled were removed from their parents why...rotting teeth and underweight acording to fc mom. The 2.5 will be going to univ of Michigan to have 7 root canels.

[broncomom1973]

Well, as a nurse who worked for an oral surgeon for 6-1/2 years, I have seen every spectrum of oral health in both children and adults. It really is sad to have to give either oral or IV sedation to have to remove decayed teeth in a child, however, it is even sadder to have to give IV antibiotics due to infection from infected and decayed teeth in addition to extracting the decayed teeth. Honestly, I have seen many life threatening.....yes, life threatening tooth infections. I have seen people (adults and children both) come in with golf ball size lumps on their lower jaw from infected teeth. I have seen patients admitted to the hospital who ended up with a tracheostomy because the infection spread so far as to affect their airway. I also remember one patient whose infection spread all the way down into his chest affecting his heart. He was in his 20's, also ended up with a trach and was on life support for quite a while. People dont think these things happen, but they do. I live in a fairly rural area and while I worked at that clinic we saw infected teeth on a daily basis. It is going to cost these people alot more than just the cost of extractions if this poor child ends up with an infection (pain is usually indicative) and ends up admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics. I would also like to say that we never turned a person away from our clinic due to finances. Everyday, dentists from all over the northwestern portion of our state would send their patients with infected teeth to us for treatment- extraction. This was in addition to the patients who were walk-ins. I cant tell you how many nights I worked until after 7 p.m. because although our last patient was scheduled at 4 or 4:30, we had to stay late to do surgery on the "work in patients", most of whom had no insurance or funds to pay for the surgery. I even remember the Dr I worked for (he was both an MD and oral surgeon- not all oral surgeons are MD's, some are just DDS with oral surgery training) paying for a patients antibiotics out of his own pocket. The patient told him that they couldnt afford to get the Rx filled, so he called the pharmacy and had it billed to him. His primary concern was always to treat the patient.

Bottom line- it IS neglect.

[laundrymom]

Since this came back up... I'll update....

The five year old got four gold crowns in the back. She's very proud of them, and got to play video games while they worked on her teeth. They are kinda cool looking.

The four year old still has tooth pain, and hasn't been back to the dentist. But, I'll say something again today. I know it's hard.. but, they have money for IVF, they can fix her teeth too.

Holy cow!!! I would mom TODAY how long she is going to let her 4 yr old suffer before getting them medical attention? Because this is a child abuse/ neglect issue.

[BabyMomma]

I've been told by my children's dentist that many times parents neglect to get care for the children because they assume that they're baby teeth will eventually "fall out" anyway. They don't realize the impact it has on the gums, etc. Poor child...