H&T had their six-month check up at the dentist this week. First the good news: Hallie got a perfect check-up. The hygienist was literally raving about her teeth, declaring in several different ways that she’s never, ever seen a child do such a good job of brushing as Hallie. I’m very proud of my girl!
Now, the bad news: Travis. A year ago I was blind sided when his x-rays showed 5 cavities between his teeth–cavities that surprised even the dentist, who thought until he saw the x-rays taht his oral hygiene looked great. We got those all filled and have been good about brushing, flossing, and fluoride rinse ever since. So I was dismayed to find that he’s now got a cavity developing in the side of each of his newly emerging six-year molars. The teeth aren’t even in far enough for the dentist to do anything about them, so we just have to wait for them to finish coming in.
Dr. Rich said it was clear we were doing a good job with brushing, etc. He asked if T was on antibiotics early or often as a baby (he wasn’t.) He said it may just be that Travis has a high bacteria count and thin enamel. Whatever the cause, we’re now on a serious mission. He’s brushing after every meal, with parental follow-up. And he’s chewing gum and/or rinsing his mouth with water any time he eats when he’s away from home. When he starts school, he’ll have a no-sweets policy explained to his teachers, and he’ll have permission to chew gum after lunch.
Hopefully all of this will prevent further problems and give his new teeth a chance to harden up. There are certainly worse health concerns to have but I hope we can conquer this one. Fortunately, Travis is on board with all of this. I hope his enthusiasm keeps up–those teeth have to serve him for a long, long time!
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