My son is 14 months and he has cavities on all his upper teeth. What to do?

Im supposed to take him to the dentist but im nervous as to what the outcome will be. I was researching on toddlers and cavities and i don't see how they can fix a babies teeth when in order to do so they would have to put him under. Is this safe? Im told that it is refered to as baby bottle mouth but my son breast feeds.

My son is 14 months and he has cavities on all his upper teeth. What to do?
of course you should take him get treated, otherwise, the teeth will contoinue to decay (not only the ones he has affected but the other ones in his mouth), his teeth are super imnportant for the other ones he is going to get when he is old enough, so you need t care for the ones he has now. dentists use some drugs to keep the babies quiet during the procedure since the would be naturally afraid, will cry , move and feel pain. don't be afraid of that, it's for his own good
Reply:Well his baby teeth have yet to fall out, but the danger is if his cavities are not taken care of then the cavities could transfer into the adult teeth.





Dentists have safe ways to put them under if need be, but be sure to have a living will and sign a special document at the dentists office in case of coma. Bring a gift for the dentists' secretary, she should be able to calm your fears.
Reply:Well if you do take him they probably won't do anything until all of his teeth come in but if they do all they will do is clean the teeth drill a tiny bit (you can't feel it they numb you mouth) and just put fillings over the cavity's. Then they will shine a purple light over where they put the fillings in for a few minutes to help them fry and get hard and your finished! No cavities and more than likely the cavities will never come out! I have had cavities in all my my back four teeth also and I had to get fillings put in when I was 8 and it didn't hurt at all. I went right in and right out. Didn't cry a bit!
Reply:It used to be called baby bottle mouth but now is called early childhood caries (ecc) because you're right, not all people with bottle mouth were on the bottle.





In general with ECC kids would sleep with milk in their mouths constantly, usually from having a bottle in the crib all night. The key was the kids had sugar (found in breastmilk, formula, juice, etc) in contact with their teeth for long periods of time. The lower teeth are usually fine since the tongue is in constant contact cleaning them while the upper teeth decay. Are you feeding your child lots of juice from a sippy cup? Sippy cups have become a notorious source for ECC as well.





So first is to make dietary modifications (limit juice to meals and only water in the bottle/sippy if he/she sleeps with a bottle, no chocolate or strawberry or any flavor milk (LOTS of sugar) - just plain milk) Second is to treat the disease he.she currently has.





Nothing in medicine is completely safe, but you have to weigh the risks of the procedure against the condition being treated. Remember a cavity is an infection. There are bacteria that are causing the tooth to decay. Right now the infection is in a small area (teeth) but it can spread and teeth are close to other very important structures (brain and there is a pathway to the heart).





You're also correct that to treat a 14 month old will usually require anesthesia. Talk with the pediatric dentist and they will discuss the risks with you. Your child won't be the first to go "under" for dental treatment but hopefully the number of children with ECC will decrease as more parents learn about it.





P.S. There are also some rare genetic things that could cause him to have all abnormal teeth, but from what I gathered your child has cavities on only the upper teeth and normal bottom teeth.
Reply:Think of it this way... when you have a cavity or any toothache, it hurts like crazy, right? So wouldn't you think that a child has the same sort of pain or discomfort as well? Not only that but leaving it untreated can only lead to more problems. Take for example that child that died from an infection that had traveled up to his brain all because he needed dental work and didn't receive it. I don't mean to scare you, but it is a definite reality.





I personally have 3 kids. They are 9, 7 and 2. Both of my oldest 2 had to have caps put on their teeth when they were little, like with what you are talking about here. We scheduled "surgery" at the hospital, because of the fact that they had to be put under it needed to be done in the hospital not the dental office, which was definitely a bit more reassuring. It wasn't fun for me as a mom and the things that run through your mind and knowing the risks that are involved, but there are always risks no matter which side it is on. You risk not fixing it, and there are the risks to fix it.





Either way, both of them came through just fine and we were on our way home within a few hours after checking in. With children this young, there is no way a dentist could get them to sit back and hold their mouth open or allow any work to be done, that's why they need to be put down to do so. They get in do the work they need to and then you are back with your baby.





As for why this happens to some children's teeth and others not? Is a mystery for me as well. The oldest 2 were off the bottle before they were a year old and yet they both had problems. Where as my youngest who is 2, still has issues giving up the bottle and yet her teeth are perfect, no problems at all.





I suggest you at the very least get him into the dentist. They will be able to explain it to you in detail and step by step. And hopefully then you will feel a bit more confident in what to do. It's not going to be an easy "yes, do it" type of answer or choice, we as mothers always are worried about protecting our children and pray that we don't make the wrong choice, but all in all, that is what being a mom is about. We are made to worry.





Hopefully this helps you a bit! I wish you the best and feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions or want to just chat with someone who has been there.





All my best to you!
Reply:Make sure you take him to a pediatric dentist. They are great w/ children his age and specialize in this age. I just had my twins go through the same thing, it is best to get it done now instead of waiting.

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