Problems with Toddlers Teeth

It's easy to think that toddlers don't get cavities or that cavities are unimportant but that's just not true. That is why dentists recommend taking a baby to see the dentist soon after their first birthday or when they have many of their teeth in place. An abscess is usually caused by a cavity.

A toddler is often not able to adequately brush their teeth or floss correctly. That means an adult needs to follow up the toddler's efforts every day. Combined with this is the fact that some baby teeth have weak enamel which makes it even more important for an adult to also brush and floss the teeth.

It's important to brush at least twice a day and floss at least once, to avoid soda and other sugary drinks, and to have a nutritious diet high in calcium, vit D and magnesium. If he's unable to have dairy products then he needs to have supplements.

My grandson saw the dentist, his mother brushed and flossed his teeth 2-3 times/week. He drank milk, ate lots of cheese and took a multi-vit with minerals but yet he had several cavities, which in 2 teeth necessitated crowns at the age of 5. This happened in a 2-3 year period during which he didn't go to the dentist. He is a grazer when it comes to food and so usually had some food in his mouth. He didn't get candy at his mothers.

He spends 2 days/week with his father who gave him candy and soft drinks and didn't brush his teeth, thinking it wasn't necessary. This is a common misperception.

Do take him to a pediatric dentist and follow up as suggested even if you don't have dental insurance. Cavities in baby teeth can result in misshapen and out of place adult teeth. An abscess, if left untreated can not only destroy the permanent tooth but also continue to cause a serious and life threatening illness. It's good you saw the abscess.

It could have been caused by a TON of things (trauma, popcorn kernel, localized infection that spread... aka cut on the gum that got infected and spread to the root, weakening in the enamel due to fever/diet/or genetics , genetic predisposition in general, the list goes on). My dh's family all has TERRIBLE teeth as children. Nothing to be done about it, no matter how vigilant the parents are, and they go to the dentist 4 times a year instead of 2 times a year. Nearly no enamel at all, and most of their teeth have to be pulled as toddlers. (grown up teeth come in fine, but the decidous teeth are a mess). Oy. I can't even count how much we were praying our kiddo got my teeth in the genetic exchange. Whew!

Your dentist should be able to give you a good idea of the cause once he's actually in your son's mouth.

It is an infection at the root of the tooth. Or it is caused by gum decease.(sp)
how many times a day do you brush? If only once a day it should take place at night. It's also good to make them rise with water after eating candy. Once they brush at night nothing but water should be put in the mouth.
Just to warn you he will prob. have to have that tooth removed.
I hope all goes well. the doc. should of told you to use an anti-inflamitory for the swelling. Childrens Motrin. I believe. Good luck. :)

the abcess could of come from any type of trauma to the tooth at anytime or could be a cavity that was there and it abcessed. Abcesses are usually purple or red, it may be something else. Don't panic and call a dentist first thing in the morning. Hope this helps. L.:)

I would not mess around playing "kitchen chemist" with magnesium or any other single nutrient. It usually doesn't work, and you can cause more harm than good. It's true that most of us don't get the nutrients we need any more, even if we eat organic and "healthy" foods. Multivitamins in pill form are only absorbed about 25% at best and most pediatricians (if they have had any nutritional training at all) will tell you that you are just buying "expensive urine" since most of it is eliminated, not absorbed. You should go to a full spectrum, highly absorbable, BALANCED nutritional supplement. I know a lot of people who have had great results with cavities and gum issues. My friend's daughter no longer gets cavities, many of us have had much better dental check-ups, and we don't even get colds any more. I would try what we use rather than going to the dentist 4 times a year like someone said her family did. That's just addressing a problem that has already occurred, rather than preventing it by strengthening the immune system. Not to mention the expense.

1. Select a Pediatric Dentist, they are specialist is baby teeth.

2. If the dentist needs to do drilling on the teeth they should put your child under general anesthesia. It is normal and works out well, they can do all the work and the child is asleep. That is what we do when the kids need dental work of any kind except for xrays and cleaning.

Hope your little guy gets everything he needs and his teeth get well.

It is very diffucult to handle this situation i'am in it my son is now 6 he has bad cavaties not from using bottles juice or soda not even poor hygiene.He had to have a molar removed 6 months ago from an abcess prior to that he has 6 crowns all on his molars he has been treated on & off for abcesses one is the same location which they removed the tooth because it was the tooths fault it was overgrown causing the nerves to become inflamed anyhow the abcesses from my understanding are the nerves being infected from the bad cavaties so it will need to be x-rayed numbed up & lanced then put on antibiotic for a week.We will be going again back to the dentist to see how his abcesses are & if anymore molars need to be pulled.I'm @ my wits end with this.He isn't in pain till the procedure & after