brown spots on teeth in 23 month old

[greenishmama]

My almost 2 yr old has a brown spot on each lower molar. Took him to hygenist and she only got a good look at one and did not get to poke around at all but thought we should not be overly concerned at this point. No need to see the pediatric dentist (1.5 hrs away). That we should brush extra, no sweets and just keep watching it. oh- and a prescritpion multi-vitamin with flouride in it... if we are not opposed to fluoride.

thoughts?
I know fluoride can be bad- why?

anyone have any other advice?

[sweetpeasmommy]

There are a lot of reasons fluoride is bad. We don't use it because DS has high levels of heavy metals and fluoride can make it worse.

DS has had spots which developed into cavities. We had them fixed when he was 3. He is 5.5 and his front teeth have spots and chips and are getting pretty worn out. The dentisit said it;s common i kids this age. We are using a xylitol toothpaste and sprinking a little xylitol on top and I think it's done a great job of preventing them from getting worse.

[StumblinMama]

You can google "Dr. Ellie" and check into her protocol. Be forewarned, though, that it does involve fluoride. She uses a combination of xylitol and fluoride and all of the items in her protocol can be purchased at your local drugstore. Perhaps you could start with that in order to heal the soft spots, then drop the fluoride

[greenishmama]

I had actually been giving him chewable xylitol tablets that are supposed to help with ear infections ("supports healthy bacteria in the ears" or something like that). So I thought "this is great since he won't let us brush his teeth very well- the xylitol should preven cavities" well.... that was NOT the case!
anyone have thoughts on that? do you think the chewables didn't really have xylitol in them?

[tigerlily]

Fluoride is poisonous when swallowed, but does strengthen teeth when applied topically.

My dd had similar spots on her front 2 teeth. The dentist will watch them closely to make sure no cavities developed there. Ironically, my dd developed cavities on the back of those teeth so the dentist quickly polished off the spots while filling the teeth. So it can be taken care of pretty easily from a cosmetic point of view.

[greenishmama]

Originally Posted by tigerlily

Fluoride is poisonous when swallowed, but does strengthen teeth when applied topically.

but that is only a certain amount right? what about municipal water that has flouride in it?

[cindergretta]

For our family, we have no issues with topical flouride. I believe it can be a healthy part of dental hygiene. I am vehemently opposed to ingested flouride and don't personally feel like it is beneficial at all while certainly being poisonous.

We have flouride in our water and therefore, we don't use it. We buy bottled water (spring) and are saving for an under-the-sink filtration system. (We are looking at one that filters everything, *including flouride* out of the water.)

Three of my dc have had horrid issues with toddler cavities. Three of my dc have had no issues with toddler cavities. Weird, huh???

[StumblinMama]

the xylitol should preven cavities" well.... that was NOT the case!
anyone have thoughts on that? do you think the chewables didn't really have xylitol in them?

With Dr. Ellie's protocol, the fluoride works with the xylitol. She has seen cases of healed cavities. IIRC the xylitol kills the bacteria and the fluoride strengthens the tooth. The interesting thing I learned from her, though, is that the bacteria which causes cavities is passed back and forth between family members. So it is important to disinfect toothbrushes often and for each member of the family to use the xylitol and fluoride. Otherwise, you'll keep passing that bacteria around.

[luvinmama]

I always learn something new when I'm on GCM! So glad I read this post today....we live in Portland, Oregon and don't have fluoridated water, and our Pediatrician is the only doc in our area who doesn't give a RX for fluoride in babies/toddlers. I'm going to look into xylitol...

[StumblinMama]

Here's a link to Dr. Ellie's blog about remineralizing decayed teeth. Basically, she recommends ACT mouth rinse, Crest toothpaste and Xylitol (I can't remember how many grams a day).

[Rabbit]

Dr. Ellie's protocol is controversial in the natural living community.

Personally, I don't like and will not touch her protocol. Using anything similar to it damaged my teeth.

Fluoride needs removing from the water supply, but politically, it's a difficult situation.

[StumblinMama]

Dr. Ellie's protocol is controversial in the natural living community.

I understand that. Hence the warning in my first post that it does utilize fluoride. I suppose there are two sides to every controversy and plenty of room for disagreement

[cbmk4]

Fluoride is a natural occurring element which can be found in well water to varying amounts. When combined with other elements or when given in very large amounts it can be toxic, but so can calcium, potassium and sodium and many other things. More of a good thing is not always better.

So I'm wondering where the information comes from which says that fluoride, in the amounts put in muncipal water or in toothepaste, is a bad thing. Does anybody have a reference for that?

[Rabbit]

Here is a mainstream article about it: http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...eds_doubt.html

[teamommy]

I'm not opposed to topical fluoride, either ACT (teensy drop on the toothbrush) or a tiny scrape of a children's fluoride tp like Tom's. The children's will have less fluoride than the adult.

But whatever you use, xylitol or not, fluoride or no, you have to get in there and really brush the teeth, preferable twice per day but at least before bed. It is really important to make sure there is no food, milk, juice, anything on the teeth before they go to sleep (except breastmilk via nursing is okay).

I have had to hold my kids still while I brush their teeth. Two of them dislike it, the other one has never minded, but they all get it done from the time they get the first tooth.