TOOTH ISSUE!? Has anyone been through this before ??

Linda - posted on 09/23/2012

I would like to help you put this in perspective. The first thing my grandson was diagnosed with was amelogenesis imperfecta, and dentist said his little toddler teeth would have to be all crowned. We were devasted, how unfair, as we watched his little teeth rot before our eyes, and we did everything right, cleaning teeth, fluoride, healthy food, no bedtime bottles... but then he was suspected of having chromosome deletion, mental retardation,global deveopmental delay, needing special braces, autism, sensory, suddently the bad tooth enamel didn't seem so bad at all! Wow what a wake up call, we were so upset about tooth enamal and thought life was unfair??? and thankfully, after genetic testing (no chromosome problems) autism testing (nowhere on the spectrum) 2 years of braces he is running everywhere, speech therapy he is talking to everyone, occupational therapy, physical therapy, the only problem he has left is slight large motor delay, and sensory integration. But he is ahead cognitively, and no sign of mental retardation at all. I'm telling you this so you will always keep things in perspective. One of the little boys in his therapy program can only move his eyes, nothing else. Yes it seems unfair and hard for a child to suffer with tooth enamel defects, but it is really nothing compared to all the things so many children do suffer with, and it put it all in perspective for us. Here is a video of my beautiful grandson, he has come so far... Yes he still needs tooth restoration, but after all he has been through, that is nothing.

Determined - posted on 01/02/2012

My 2 1/2 yr old daughter has the same thing. Unfortunately she inherrited it from me. I am 24 and more than half my teeth are crowns. She has already had 4 cavities. Like you she gets no sweets at all, very rarely drinks juice. She brushes, flosses, and rinses. If your little one can spit and rinse use pronamle tooth paste and mouthwash with flouride. Talk to your dentist about getting his teeth sealed. Avoid foods with a lot of acid: lemons, oranges, salad dressing, etc. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do other than that. There is a 50/50 chance that his adult teeth will be affected I'm facing the same thing with my daughter and my 6 month old son (yep I'm already brushing his gums like you too, people think I'm crazy for it). All you can do is be proactive and hope for the best. My daughter never gets candy not even holidays grapes are her candy. For easter we will her eggs with other things like small toys, cereal, crackers, change, ribbons for her hair and she is ok with that. For halloween she goes trick or treating but we send her candy to the troops overseas. I fight with my husbands family alot because they think I'm depriving her, but candy/sugar is not a right of passage. Stick to your guns make sure no one else is sneaking him candy/sugar behind your back. Take him to the dentist every 6 months and if you see something that looks like a cavatiy forming DON'T WAIT for that next appt. Nothing but water after bedtime is what we do. good luck hun, pray, and remember it is not your fault.

Michelle - posted on 12/08/2011

From the sounds of it your son has what my son has it is a hereditary disease in the teeth where the denten which is what hardens the teeth is not there it is called dentnogenisis imperfecta (not sure of spelling) if this is the case then more then likely the top teeth will be affected as well but not nearly as badly my son is now 10 and his adult teeth just have a slight discoloration. He has never had a cavity and takes good care of his teeth, it is something that he inherited from his dad who had the same issues with his teeth. Hope this helps

Summer - posted on 12/07/2011

i have the same issue with my daughter, she has weak enamel. some to find out her daddy DID too, but his teeth are fine now as an adult. the dentist can give you floride supplements that will strenghthn hid basby teeth as well as his adult teeth. also whe he gets his adult teeth you can have the dentist pull a sealer on them to strengthen the enamel. it will prevent cavities and othrer damage. also try useing the pronamel tooth paste if he is good about spitting as it will strenthen soft spots and repair damage to the enamel. my daughter has never slept with a bottle i delute ALL her juices. she has been breastfed. yet she still has the issue, its nothing that you did wrong or didnt do. it just happens. it will be ok, i promise. there are steps you can take to reverse it to a degree and steps you can take to prevent it from getting worse.

Jane - posted on 12/07/2011

Sometimes life just isn't fair, There are folks who ignore their teeth and never have a problem. And there are those who do everything right but have a mouthful of problems. Yes, it could have been the antibiotics you took - tooth enamel forms during the second trimester so antibiotics taken at that time might have affected his tooth formation. But it could be due to something else. Common causes include:

Mother's health during pregnancy (illnesses, diet deficiency)
Prematurity
Birth difficulties
Medications given to mother prior birth or to child during early childhood
Early childhood diseases (high fever, pneumonia, middle ear infection, viral infections etc.)
Chronic / frequent childhood illness during first four years of life
Poor childhood nutrition (deficient diet, lack of calcium, phosphate, vitamins A, C, D)
Trauma to mouth or primary teeth can cause localized enamel defects

Rarely it is due to genetics that result in Amelogenesis Imperfecta, bad enamel on every tooth.

It won't go away, unfortunately, but there are a few things you can do for your kids. You can make sure they get a multi-vitamin and that you have fluoride-treated water. And take them to the dentist every six months.

"What are the treatment options for enamel defects in children?

The aim of treatment is to reduce tooth sensitivity, strengthen teeth and improve their appearance. Children with enamel defects should see dentist or paediatric dentist regularly (at least every 6 months). Type of treatment required will depend on the severity and symptoms of the enamel defect.

Fluoride treatment (gel, rinse, remineralising cream)
Restoration includes direct tooth coloured restoration, facing or crown, stainless steel crown.
Extraction for very badly formed and decayed teeth followed by orthodontic management." From http://www.dentist4kids.com.au/ToothEnam...

A couple of things to check as they can contribute to poor enamel include whether your child has a dry mouth, has allergies that can cause him to breathe through his mouth, or has acid reflux.

My molars are formed wrong, with very fragile enamel. The solution for me was to have massive fillings put in to replace the fragile centers of the molars back when I was a kid, to use Sensodyne toothpaste, and eventually to have crowns on 8 of my permanent teeth. My parents have good teeth but my grandfather apparently had fragile teeth like mine.