My daughter is 16 months old. When her top middle teeth came in, they were partially discolored and then the tips broke off. At about 11 months, I took her to a dentist who said i was probably sick when her teeth were being developed and so they didn't calcify the whole way. I brush her teeth every day, but all her four top and four bottom teeth are still looking really plaquey and/or a little brownish. What am I doing wrong? How can I fix it without another trip to the dentist? Has anybody else had this problem? I don't put her to bed with a bottle or anything.
We went to the dentist and he said it was just stain. They polished it right off.
B., I had a smiliar problem with my own teeth as a child. they(oral surgeon) ended up pulling all 6 of my front teeth when i was around 2 1/2-3. it naturally took a while for the big teeth to come in but they are fine now. this was also 35 yrs ago. things may have changed. good luck
At that age, you're doing the right thing by brushing her teeth twice per day! Do you have O. of those fingertip brushes? I always liked those when my son was younger.
If I were you, I would take her to a pediatric dentist who can answer ALL of your questions. Just so you have peace of mind. If the teeth are discolored (brownish/grayish) it could be from a trauma (smacking her teeth during a fall, etc.), resulting in a damaged nerve or root of the tooth. This happens to lots of kids. My son had O. front tooth that was slightly discolored from a trauma. No amount of brushing will "turn" that tooth back to white.
When my son developed a small abscess on the gum above his front tooth, our dentist told us it was an infection from the nerve being damaged by that previous falling episode (years earlier) and it needed to be extracted, otherwise, it could adversely affect the permanent tooth beneath it.
I would say you need to find a reputable dentist that caters to kids and have her examined. As long as there is no infection I wouldn't think her permanent teeth will be damaged. Good luck!
I found this article on the Baby Center website if you wanted to read it.
http://www.babycenter.com/404_why-do-my-childs-teeth-look...
If you need a pediatric dentist recommendation... I worked for an Orthodontist for years before having my daughter. We mostly saw kids 7 and older for braces and stuff like that, but I knew many of their Dentists, if you are in the York area I could recommend one. If not, you can google Pediatric Dentists followed by your city and state and some should come up.
Sometimes the adult teeth will be fine once they come in... depending on the source of the problem. I would see a Dentist to keep tabs on it though. Most of the time we didn't recommend treating a baby tooth and would just wait and see what the permanent tooth looked like.... BUT that being said, a lot of parents were concerned about their child's chipped tooth from a sports injury, fall, ect... and their Dentist could put a "cap" over the tooth, a veneer, a crown, and things like that. I have never treated a patient as young as your daughter though. If the crown were to come loose or break off accidentally she is so young that she might swallow it something something. Definitely seek professional opinion concerning this! Good luck to you and I hope it gets better!
B., I don't think you can fix it without a dentist. Find a CHILDREN's dentist and go. I have a few friends who delayed going to the dentist and wound up needing an oral SURGEON for their toddlers. Get on top of it before it get worse.
Hi B.,
I don't think you really can do anything and I don't think you did anything wrong. My sister's lil girl lost all 4 of her top front teeth a while back at the ripe old age of 22 months due to something similar. The pediatric dentist assured my sister that her permanent teeth should be just fine as long as she continues w/ a healthy diet, etc., etc. He also mentioned that the new ones will probably come in much faster since they don't have anything to force out now and that she could have them as young as 5 yrs. Best of luck to you!
Hi B.,
My 2 yr old son has something similar with his front two teeth - both top and bottom. I took him to a pediatric dentist and they said it probably happened during the development before he was born. They put a veneer-type coating on the top teeth to prevent further decay - the bottom teeth aren't really that bad. It was actually a pretty easy procedure for him - no numbing, shots, drilling, etc. I do have to really brush them well as plaque tends to gather at the top of the veneer and he even lets me floss between them. I would seek out a good pediatric dentist in your area. I'm not sure where you live, but I am in York, PA and I take my kids to see Dr. Angie Lutz at the Children's Dental Centre of York. She's wonderful.
