Re: cavities/fillings/young children

March 27, 2001

My non PID child, 7 year old Sami, has very thin tooth enamel. Hereditary

thing, fortunately it doesn't follow in the adult teeth. Anyway, my point is,

that she has had 2 mini root canals, and numerous teeth filled already. It

depends on the dentist but I prefer to sedate her, it is less traumatic on

her. She has had it done both ways. To be sedated, you have to take her to a

pediadontist, not your regular dentist. BUT, in order to go to one, you need

a referral. Most regular dentists don't want to deal with it so they refer

you easily. Just my 2 cents!

Diane, Mom to Kody age 5, IgG sub. class def., epilepsy,asthma,GERD, sinus

disease and , age 15, age 14, Arika age 13, Kaila age 9, and

age 7...all healthy!

March 27, 2001

My non PID child, 7 year old Sami, has very thin tooth enamel. Hereditary

thing, fortunately it doesn't follow in the adult teeth. Anyway, my point is,

that she has had 2 mini root canals, and numerous teeth filled already. It

depends on the dentist but I prefer to sedate her, it is less traumatic on

her. She has had it done both ways. To be sedated, you have to take her to a

pediadontist, not your regular dentist. BUT, in order to go to one, you need

a referral. Most regular dentists don't want to deal with it so they refer

you easily. Just my 2 cents!

Diane, Mom to Kody age 5, IgG sub. class def., epilepsy,asthma,GERD, sinus

disease and , age 15, age 14, Arika age 13, Kaila age 9, and

age 7...all healthy!

March 27, 2001

My non PID child, 7 year old Sami, has very thin tooth enamel. Hereditary

thing, fortunately it doesn't follow in the adult teeth. Anyway, my point is,

that she has had 2 mini root canals, and numerous teeth filled already. It

depends on the dentist but I prefer to sedate her, it is less traumatic on

her. She has had it done both ways. To be sedated, you have to take her to a

pediadontist, not your regular dentist. BUT, in order to go to one, you need

a referral. Most regular dentists don't want to deal with it so they refer

you easily. Just my 2 cents!

Diane, Mom to Kody age 5, IgG sub. class def., epilepsy,asthma,GERD, sinus

disease and , age 15, age 14, Arika age 13, Kaila age 9, and

age 7...all healthy!

March 27, 2001

Ursula,

We asked our dentist about this very same thing and he said that he really

did not know the answer. Both of my kids have sealents on their teeth.

Teeth that have deep grooves sometimes are more susceptible to cavities as

bacteria can harbor in them. Will your dental insurance pay for sealents?

Both my husband and I had problems with cavities as children and we do not

have PIDS. I sometimes wonder if some of the medications affect teeth.

and Mark have never had a cavity but again, they both have sealents. I

highly recommend them. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

Autumn ( Mom to Mark Cd5-Cd19 PID and )

cavities/fillings/young children

> Is there anyone out there with experience with cavities and fillings and

all

> this happening to a small child (4-7 yr old range)? I'm curious what the

> criteria is for sedating a child for having a filling placed. or two

> filings placed. I am taking Macey to our family dentist this afternoon to

> confirm that she has a cavity in one of her bottom teeth (even though the

> Endo doc at Egleston pretty much said that last week) and I think she has

> another starting in a top tooth. These are jaw teeth if that makes any

> difference.

>

> Also I find it coincidental that this happened after IVIG was stopped and

> during IVIG she had no problems. Is a cavity a bacteria? See I know

> absolutely nothing about teeth. Would this be an IgA area like the rest

of

> the inside of the mouth? 's had nothing but glowing dental reports

> since she was 3 (she's 8 1/2 now) and I didn't have my first cavity until

> high school.

>

> any thoughts

>

> Ursula Holleman uahollem@...

> and Macey's mom (5 yr. old with CVID, asthma, sinus disease, GERD,

> kidney reflux, Sensory Integration Disorder, Diabetes Insipidus)

>

> http://www.pedpid.com

>

> /group/PedPID

>

March 27, 2001

On the subject of teeth:

I have very bad teeth -- my mom did/does, as well, so some of that is

genetic. But here's what I've been told... (I guess I should say that

I've had probably 15 sealants done - some have had to be repaired

through the years - because of deep grooves, as Autumn said, but I've

still had tons of cavities, in the teeth without sealants, or more

often, on the sides or bottom edges of teeth (where they meet the gums).

I would guess that I've had about 20 fillings, and as many as three in

one tooth alone. Yes, I have horrible teeth!).

I've been told that

1) there is IgA in the saliva, and the complete lack of it does leave me

without some protection against cavities. Ursula, cavities themselves

aren't bacteria, but they are caused by bacteria that build up and eat

into the tooth, basically. So people with PIDs are at higher risk.

There was something in the KIDS Foundation or PiA newsletter about this

a few years ago - I will see if I held on to the link.

2) anything that causes you to breathe through your mouth at night can

raise the chance of cavities, because saliva is the natural way your

body protects your teeth, so if you don't have a moist, saliva-filled

mouth, your cavity rates go up. So me being a complete mouth breather

doesn't help (even when my sinuses are as clear as they can be, and

after having my adenoids removed years ago, etc., I've just always been

a mouth breather)

3) any meds that decrease the amount of saliva -- phenergan, benadryl,

etc -- anything that dries you up increases the risk (see #2)

4) if you have frequent reflux into the mouth or vomiting (I have both

-- with Ampho, which I have taken anywhere from 3x a week to every

night, for the last 18 months, and at other times frequently for the

last 5 years, I throw up at minimum 3x per night. I also have really

nasty reflux, particularly when on the drugs for the ampho protocol,

because some of them loosen the lower esophageal sphincter. And,

finally, I just simply puke a lot -- we've taken that as a basic life

fact that little is going to change..... I just have gotten very quick

at drawing up IV Zofran and Phenergan (for the new people, I have a

portacath that's accessed all day, every day, because of the number of

IV meds I get), and very quick at reaching for the nearest hospital

basin or trash can..... and I'm careful with what I eat on the bad days,

'cause some things are easier to puke than others -- if anyone wants

that detailed, I'm happy to do it, but my guess is that it might be

overkill for this message -- I'm probably already grossing you out!

Especially poor pregnant Maurita! Anyway, throwing up is bad for the

teeth because it wears down the enamel with the hydrochloric acid from

the stomach. I have been told to rinse with baking soda water after I

throw up -- that's kind of like telling me to eat a steak dinner when

I'm already feeling pukey -- baking soda water really isn't what I'm

reaching for after I've just heaved dinner. But it might help. I'm

just resigned to very, very high dental bills!

Hope that helps...

March 27, 2001