My daughter is a year and 2 months old and she has 6 teeth. I brush twice a day using earths best toothpaste. I have noticed that her teeth some to not be evenly white. and some parts seem whiter or less white than others. Is this some form of stain building up or is this normal?
SHe doesnt eat anything with added sugar except occasional raisin bread. other than that, she eats a lot of fruit, veggies and all her food is home made. she does drink diluted prune juice but it is very diluted. She also stil nurses at night. could any of these be causing her teeth to had be unevenly white?
My husband thinks her teeth are just like that, but he also sometimes wonders if its the nursing at night that is causing this. I am worried about this so any advice would be really appreciated. I will of course show her teeth to the doctor at her next visit
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I think this happens to a lot of babies but I can't remember why it happens. I doubt it has anything to do with what you're doing! @mrs. pen's son mentioned something about this once and I can't remember what she found out about it. Hopefully she'll see this post and respond!
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It really depends on the way the white spots look. It could be a couple different things. Cavities usually start as white spots, but it could also be natural variation. I see both all the time! Do you notice them changing or have they always been there? Are they more toward the gumline or are they on the edges?
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I would love to follow this thread. My daughter only has a few teeth and the bottom ones seem to be a bit yellower then the others
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Have you taken your LO to a pediatric dentist yet? We started at a year and I think it is the ideal place to start when it comes to tooth questions. C has one tooth that is slightly discolored because he chipped the tip so it is a little less "alive" than the other teeth but shouldn't affect him long term. What about fluoride, does your water have excess fluoride? I know that can mess with teeth as well, too much vs. too little.
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I experienced that concern. She's almost 2 1/2 and I don't notice it anymore or it's gone. I was so concerned that antibiotics given when she was little was the culprit. We went to the dentist just before 2 and she didn't mention anything. Maybe the discoloration started right after that though.
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@mediagirl: Okay thanks, I really hope so. I will look for @mrs.pen's post on this
@yellowbird: I honestly am not sure if they have always been there, I dont think so but cant tell for sure. They are not near the gum line, more towards the center of the teeth and the egde
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@Mrsbells: I think that sounds normal then. Obviously, I can't be 100% because I cant see them, but cavities are usually near the gumline.
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@pelikila: I havent taken her to a dentist yet, I didnt even realize they have dentists for children that young. I will look into that. I dont know much about flouride. Her pediatrician gave us vitamin supplements that have flouride but she doesnt like the taste so I dont give it to her
@808love: thanks for that, I hope my daughters fades away too
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@yellowbird: ok thanks.. I hope you are right!!
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@Mrsbells: yup, @mediagirl: is right. J still has this issue and it came about just a few months after his first teeth came through. I showed his teeth to his doctor and she said it was normal and sometimes just early signs of tooth decay which has absolutely nothing to do with diet but is more related to genetics. She said as long we we're avoiding sugar and daily brushing that's it's not a big deal! She is also a huge proponent of extended nursing and said that the sugar in breastmilk has no negative effect on baby teeth.
I didn't like hearing it was early signs of tooth decay but she was so calm and unworried about it and didn't make it sound like it was actual cavities or decay so I stopped worrying. It's been at least 6 months since I noticed and his teeth are still perfectly fine! We just brush once a day and his diet is probably 75% produce.
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Just thinking of the healing effects of breastmilk, I have a hard time believing that it would contribute much to decay.
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I took DD to the pediatric dentist at 15 months. They just took a look in her mouth to check for cavities. They talked to me about brushing... We brush 2-3x a day with Spry toothpaste which has xylitol to help prevent cavities. We'll switch to fluoride toothpaste when she can spit better...
My ped dentist also urged me to quit night nursing, but after some research, I decided not to, and to just be very diligent about brushing. My research found that breastmilk does not directly cause cavities per se... One ped dentist told me this, actually... It's not really BM alone that can do it, but moreso BM in combination with any food left there from meals (hence why I brush 2-3x a day). There are other factors I've focused on instead too, like not sharing utensils, so as not to spread cavity-causing bacteria.
I've also read that many mothers nurse toddlers, don't brush regularly, and still never had problems... While many do "all the right things" and still get cavities. So sometimes it comes down to genetics in having good/bad teeth from the start.
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I'm not sure if it's possible to have on baby teeth, but this sounds like fluorsis to me. I would be conscious of how much fluoride she is getting. The wiki page has a good graph of appropriate fluoride intake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis -
@Mrs. Pen: Thanks a lot you really make me feel better. I will still look into taking her to a pediatric dentist
@lemondrop: Yeah it really worries me when people say my breastfeeding her at night will make her teeth rot
@SAHM0811: Thanks, I feel the same way as you, I know many moms that dont even brush their toddlers teeth and they eat lots of added sugar and their teeth are fine.. I will still get an expert to look at her teeth too
@kiddosc: Thanks for that link I will look into it..
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I've also resorted to "wiping" his teeth, when I can't get a good brushing. I do it when I am wiping his face off after a meal, I don't know if it helps or hurts, honestly.
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@looch: Haha thanks for that. Do you use a wash cloth to do this?
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