Guest guest Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 My 5 y.o. son said his tooth hurt. So I checked it out & was shocked to see his top front baby teeth look like they've been ground down & you can see pulp (don't know the right term) or something. I had to have him tilt his head way back to see it. His teeth were small to begin with. As far as I know, he does not grind his teeth, & only those 2 seem to be affected. Any thoughts on what to do, how to prevent, etc? We have a dentist appt on Friday, & I wanted to get some input before I let them do anything. TIA, in AR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 --- In , " Booher, " <booher@a...> wrote: > My 5 y.o. son said his tooth hurt. So I checked it out & was shocked to > see his top front baby teeth look like they've been ground down & you > can see pulp (don't know the right term) or something. I had to have > him tilt his head way back to see it. His teeth were small to begin > with. As far as I know, he does not grind his teeth, & only those 2 > seem to be affected. > It sounds like " attrition " . The enamel gets worn down from clenching or grinding. And then the dentin (the yellow colored tissue) is exposed. When it becomes exposed, you can have sensitivity. Especially in kids because their pulp (nerve) chambers are so large. It's usually most sensitive when it first happens and then decreases when the dentinal tubules occlude with time. If you can, have your son bite down on his back teeth and you pull his cheeks out. Look at where his top front teeth contact his lower front teeth. Are they contacting where you see the wear? It could be due to his bite. The good thing is that these are his baby teeth. If he is 5, he won't have them much longer (usually age six). Good luck, Any thoughts on what to do, how to prevent, etc? We have a dentist appt > on Friday, & I wanted to get some input before I let them do anything. > > TIA, > in AR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 You need to rule out decay caused by either overuse of the bottle containing milk or any other liquid that can support tooth decay at night or during naptimes. What can occur during this kind of a situation is that the teeth decay from the tongue side (or " lingual " side), thereby weakening the teeth so that they gradually chip away. Eventually this chipping is noticeable and the teeth appear " shortened. " If this is not the case, attrition due to grinding of the teeth is a likely explanatioon. What does youyr pediatric dentist say? S. Cantor, DDS michellepanek2003 <justice9999@...> wrote: --- In , " Booher, " <booher@a...> wrote: > My 5 y.o. son said his tooth hurt. So I checked it out & was shocked to > see his top front baby teeth look like they've been ground down & you > can see pulp (don't know the right term) or something. I had to have > him tilt his head way back to see it. His teeth were small to begin > with. As far as I know, he does not grind his teeth, & only those 2 > seem to be affected. > It sounds like " attrition " . The enamel gets worn down from clenching or grinding. And then the dentin (the yellow colored tissue) is exposed. When it becomes exposed, you can have sensitivity. Especially in kids because their pulp (nerve) chambers are so large. It's usually most sensitive when it first happens and then decreases when the dentinal tubules occlude with time. If you can, have your son bite down on his back teeth and you pull his cheeks out. Look at where his top front teeth contact his lower front teeth. Are they contacting where you see the wear? It could be due to his bite. The good thing is that these are his baby teeth. If he is 5, he won't have them much longer (usually age six). Good luck, Any thoughts on what to do, how to prevent, etc? We have a dentist appt > on Friday, & I wanted to get some input before I let them do anything. > > TIA, > in AR ======================================================= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 I may be reading you wrong here, but he's 5. He hasn't drank from a bottle or nursed for about 4 years, and hasn't napped since then. So I'm guessing it's something more recent. Dentist appt is Friday. -----Original Message----- From: Cantor [mailto:jeffreyscantor@...] You need to rule out decay caused by either overuse of the bottle containing milk or any other liquid that can support tooth decay at night or during naptimes. What can occur during this kind of a situation is that the teeth decay from the tongue side (or " lingual " side), thereby weakening the teeth so that they gradually chip away. Eventually this chipping is noticeable and the teeth appear " shortened. " If this is not the case, attrition due to grinding of the teeth is a likely explanatioon. What does youyr pediatric dentist say? S. Cantor, DDS > My 5 y.o. son said his tooth hurt. So I checked it out & was shocked to > see his top front baby teeth look like they've been ground down & you > can see pulp (don't know the right term) or something. I had to have > him tilt his head way back to see it. His teeth were small to begin > with. As far as I know, he does not grind his teeth, & only those 2 > seem to be affected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2004 Report Share Posted January 13, 2004 > My 5 y.o. son said his tooth hurt. So I checked it out & was shocked to > see his top front baby teeth look like they've been ground down & you > can see pulp (don't know the right term) or something. I did this to my permanent teeth a while back. It was overzealous brushing with a baking soda toothpaste. The dentist had to fill them for me. Dana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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