I was just by the dentist today with my five year old daughter. One of her 6-year molars just came in and it was hurting her. The dentist said that this tooth has MIH – and that basically this tooth is doomed. She recommended using a fluoride gel and MI paste to help protect the tooth as much as possible, but that I should expect that it will cause her lots of trouble in the future.
What do you recommend?
-Y
Hi Y,
Many adult molars come into young mouths and are poorly formed or with poorly developed enamel.
The problem seems to be getting worse these days. Adult molars develop in the baby jaws around the time of birth – so any birth trauma, premature birth or Caesarian birth can be the possible cause of these defects.
I would need to know how your daughter’s other teeth are – do you have a picture? My general recommendation would be to start using xylitol regularly and ASAP!!
How co-operative is your daughter? – and do you have time to “count” grams of xylitol each day?
If you do not, then I suggest thinking about ZellieBears – a quick dissolving candy that would help these teeth a lot.
Twice a day you should put a drop of ACT bubblegum mouth rinse on a toothbrush and brush this gently over this tooth and her other teeth ( using the ACT in place of toothpaste).
( I just remembered that your dentist recommended MI paste and fluoride gel. Most kids don’t like the gel, and although it may be stronger fluoride than ACT – it will not be any more effective – some studies even show that stronger fluoride is LESS effective). MI paste is quite expensive – and you need to know that it is basically a milk paste. If your daughter likes cheese and whole milk ( organic is best) then I suggest using real milk products. Always be aware that juice drinks and sodas are horrible for teeth. If she likes to drink a juice – have it during a meal and eat a ZellieBear afterwards!
http://zellies.gostorego.com/children-s-products.html
Please let me know if you need more information,
Ellie
Dr.Ellie Phillips DDS
Solutions for Oral Health
www.DrEllie.com
More information can be found on this topic and more at: www.drellie.com
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