Toddler teeth

liney

You may remember that my toddler had a coated tongue which after a few days of cutting back on yoghurts and milk has gone as the Dr said it probably would.

Now his front teeth have started to bleed when brushed and the gum looks abit swollen. I do brush them each morning and night, and they are not discoloured at all. He was treated for gingivitis last year (sp?) so i have since taken particular care.

Between him front teeth, if i look from behind he has a fleshy lump. My Dr said that the dentist would snip it off!! Could it be this that is bleeding? And would it be done at the dentist? I feel responsible for this, but i honestly brush his teeth as best i can and am careful with what he eats.

I will be calling for a dental appointment tommorrow as he isnt due to go back until the beginning of July. In the mean time is there any kind of mouth wash that is suitable for toddlers that may help with his dental hygeine?

KellsBells

Hi Liney,

The bleeding gums is possibly another bout of gingivitis - when I was younger I suffered an acute attack and it does occasionally flare up. I don't think there is a mouthwask for children of a toddler age as they are most likely to swallow it, and that won't do him any good.;)

Could cutting down on the dairy intake contributed to the bleeding do you think? If so I would start giving hiom calcium vitamins and speak to your dentist to see if flouride tablets would help.

I can't even get my 3 yr old and 5yr old registered with a dentist - we've been on a waiting list for two years and there are hardly any dentists taking on NHS patients in this area. :mad:

Toothsmith

The fleshy lump is more than likely a structure called the incisal papilla. This is a natural structure although if a bit of plaque builds up around the backs of the teeth, it can get a bit inflamed, and bleed easily.

Toddlers can be a bit tricky when it comes to brushing their teeth. I often recommend that parents sit down on the edge of the bath, or on the loo, and have the toddler standing at their knees, facing AWAY from the adult. Then, get the toddler to lean their head back onto the adults knee. Putting the head back opens the mouth wider, and the head can be supported with one hand, whilst the other is free to brush around the teeth.

This is certainly much easier than having an adult on their knees facing the toodler and trying to 'fence' with a toothbrush!

If you notice any bleeding areas, try to concentrate on them a bit more over the next few sessions. All gingivitis is is inflamed gum, and in a kid so young (unless there is something REALLY wierd & whacky going on with the diet - and it doesn't sound like there is) it's not going to be due to any deficiencies. It will be due to a bit of plaque building up.

The plaque build up may now improve after the coating issue has been sorted.

Mouthwashes will not work in a toddler - they're not much good for adults either apart from a few specific times!

Just try to get the brushing as good as you can, using that leaning backwards technique, and I'm sure everything will improve.

Toothsmith

KellsBells wrote: »

I can't even get my 3 yr old and 5yr old registered with a dentist - we've been on a waiting list for two years and there are hardly any dentists taking on NHS patients in this area. :mad:

Have you investigated how much it would cost to get them seen privately? It's often not as much as you might think.

AnnieH

Thanks for that advice on how to brush a toddler's teeth toothsmith. I have a battle every time with my 2 yo as he HATES having his teeth brushed, and it usually ends up in a wrestling match. I will definitely try your way tomight:)

Toothsmith

AnnieH wrote: »

Thanks for that advice on how to brush a toddler's teeth toothsmith. I have a battle every time with my 2 yo as he HATES having his teeth brushed, and it usually ends up in a wrestling match. I will definitely try your way tomight:)

Another thing to say is that it's important that you always 'win'!

His teeth won't really suffer for a few nights of not having a good clean, so if he's in a really awkward mood, then as soon as you've touched his teeth with the brush, make a big play that that's all you wanted to do anyway, and well done for being so helpful.

He'll feel that all that fuss was a complete waste of effort as you still did what you wanted to do anyway, and so he will gradually become more cooperative. Never let him feel that by acting up, he has stopped you from doing what you needed to.

Do you use toothpaste with him? Sometimes it can be the foaming of the paste that they are objecting to and occasionally the taste. (More often the foaming).

It's not essential to use toothpaste at all - especially whilst the child is getting used to the actions. just using the very smallest smear on the brush is a good way to gently introduce it. I wouldn't go down the road of Strawberry & bubblegum flavoured pastes - it just gets the child used to sweetness, which is never a good thing long term.

AnnieH

Yes I use a tiny spot of McCleans Milk Teeth toothpaste on his brush. I don't use the sweetie flavour ones - he actually likes the taste of it because when I let him do his teeth himself (which I do in the morning then I have a proper go at night) he jsut sucks the toothpaste off the brush then chucks the toothbrush back in the sink LOL.

I've tried all sorts of brushes, thinking I had ones that were too hard, tried different character ones but he just fights and screams the whole time - every time

liney

Well the dentist says it isnt gingivitis and he has no visable signs of plaque, and he has 'cleaner teeth than most' so i can stop feeling guilty.

She thinks that is is possibly some sort of food allergy, and has given me a prescription for anti biotics in case it gets worse during the weekend when they aren't there.

The dentist suggested it could be something acidic, so i am thinking maybe oranges.

AnnieH

Hope it gets better soon Liney.

Toothsmith. Thanks again. tried your method tonight - making a big show of brushing his teeth like a "big boy". He let me do it. :j:j
I stopped before he got distressed and made a big fuss of him for being so good. Hopefully now we have broken the cycle of it being a traumatic experience.

Liney - sorry to hijack your thread

Toothsmith

liney wrote: »

She thinks that is is possibly some sort of food allergy, and has given me a prescription for anti biotics in case it gets worse during the weekend when they aren't there.

The dentist suggested it could be something acidic, so i am thinking maybe oranges.

I can't really imagine what's going on here. I'm sure it's one of those things you have to see to understand!!

He's not by any chance been in close contact with someone with a coldsore recently has he?

liney

Nope. No coldsores that i know of.

After having a look myself with her magic mirrior, I suggested maybe he had bitten something abit too hot and it had burnt him, but Dentist says it isn't a burn.

Thankyou for all your suggestions.