My sister in laws 4 year old just had all of his baby teeth removed. His mother is beside herself but apparently she let him drink too much apple juice and his teeth were "weak" to begin with. She is a very responsible person but just didnt realize the damage she was doing by not cutting the juice with water or making him drink just water at times. Its awful to talk to her right now she is so banged up about it.
-
Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!
You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!
Bodies Revealed
- Thread starter 2knees
- Start date
My sister in laws 4 year old just had all of his baby teeth removed. His mother is beside herself but apparently she let him drink too much apple juice and his teeth were "weak" to begin with. She is a very responsible person but just didnt realize the damage she was doing by not cutting the juice with water or making him drink just water at times. Its awful to talk to her right now she is so banged up about it.
drjeff
Well-known member
From a dietary standpoint, most for most folks (both adults and kids) the main cavity causing problem isn't solid food, but liquids. Basically for a cavity to occur, what happens is there is a specific type of bacteria presnt in everyone's mouth that is the causitive agent. This bacteria's food source is carbohydrate(sugar). When you eat/drink a calorie containing item the bacteria get a meal too. The bacteria quickly ferment that carbohydrate and their waste product they release is acid. That acid then bathes your teeth for about 30 minutes as long as you don't have any more calorie containing items in that time frame. After about 30 minutes, your saliva has diluted away that acid, and the calcium content of your saliva will start to repair the damage to your teeth that the acid did.
The problem arises when you have an extended high frequency exposure to carbohydrate containing items throughout the day. Basically then the window that the acid is doing damage becomes large and if you keep this up day in and day out for months at a time, a cavity will form. Limit the carbohydrate exposures to 5 to 6 distinct expisodes throughout the day and your body can reapir the acid damage and you won't get a cavity. Problem with many folks (adults and kids) is that they'll sip calorie containing beverage throughout the day, thus "feeding" thos bacteria all day long. I can't tell you how many times I've seen kids with many cavitues where when I tell the parents how a cavity forms the reply is "I was just giving them juice or I was just giving them milk" Just because it has nutritional value doesn't mean its good for you at high frequencies.
FYI, if you want to have an eye opening event with respect to sugar quantity, next time your at a convienance store, pick up one of the 20oz bottles of Coke or Pepsi and take a look at the sugar content (just remember to multiple the number of grams of sugar by 2.5 and that will tell you how much is in 1 bottle - then for real eye opening sake with that sugar amount- there's 5 grams of sugar in a little packet of sugar for reference sake
From a business standpoint, my profession LOVES the soda industry
drjeff
Well-known member
Tell her to start saving now for a likely major orthodontic treatment need in the future. One of the most important function of baby teeth is to maintain space in a childs developing jaw for the permanent teeth. Considering that the back baby teeth on average don't fall out until a child is between 10 and 12, that's alot of years of growth where problems leading to crowding can occur.
drjeff
Well-known member
I can't...remember, they're the ones digging around at the gumline during your cleanings.
Yup, they stick those dual ended sharp pointy instruments under your very often un-numbed gums to dig out those chunks of tartar that you may have accumulated due to brushing and flossing negligence
From what I understand (maybe Dr Jeff can chime in), don't they need the baby teeth to be guides for the adult teeth to come in? I think they have to replace them with something.
Our kids only get juice as a treat once in awhile. One of the biggest mistakes people do too is putting the kid to bed with a bottle. I only know this because my wife tells me these things. :lol:
Tell her to start saving now for a likely major orthodontic treatment need in the future. One of the most important function of baby teeth is to maintain space in a childs developing jaw for the permanent teeth. Considering that the back baby teeth on average don't fall out until a child is between 10 and 12, that's alot of years of growth where problems leading to crowding can occur.
From what i understand, and i know you are the dentist so correct me if i'm wrong, but to leave them in was going to cause problems for the adult teeth due to the incredible amount of cavaties the kid had. what was worse was that over the age of 4, insurance only covers a local so for her to have them covered, the kid would've had to have had ony 2 or 3 teeth pulled at a time. So that wouldve meant so many trips to get teeth pulled the kid would've been in a mental hospital. She had to shell out of her own pocket to get him knocked out and all the teeth pulled at once.
the whole thing is horrible as he is a really good kid.
Marc
New member
Yup, they stick those dual ended sharp pointy instruments under your very often un-numbed gums to dig out those chunks of tartar that you may have accumulated due to brushing and flossing negligence
To further the hijack... I actually do brush twice a day and floss once a day, most days... and yet I've never, not once in a 6 mo. period between cleanings been able to keep the back side of my bottom front teeth tartar free. My DDS told me flat out that, unless I'm brushing literally before and after every time I eat, there ain't much I can do to prevent it. Something about the saliva ducts being so close and active, and ionizing something right away... I don't know, he started to lose me at that point of the convo...
drjeff
Well-known member
Yup, they'll often make a device that looks like a glorified orthodontic retainer that will help to maintain space in cases like that
It's truely a gut wrenching event when I see kids that have been effected by what we call "baby bottle syndrome". And the parenst who more often than not are ignorant of the cause just feel awful when they find out that they were the cause of it. If a kid needs a bottle to goto bed, ONLY WATER should be in it!
drjeff
Well-known member
Sometimes, taking them out is the only option. A bay tooth with an infected nerve has to be treated alot differently than an adult tooth where we could just do a root canal on it an alieveate the problem and save the tooth. Because of the fact that directly below the baby tooth is that developing permanent tooth, it often limits our options because that permanent tooth needs to last alot longer than the baby and the permanent tooth can be grossly affected by infection from a baby tooth during its development phase. If we can get to a baby tooth BEFORE wide scale infect occurs, we can do things to remove the infection AND save the baby tooth. Once the widescale infection is present, the baby tooth goes for sake of that developing permanent tooth.
As for the insurance company factor, well they do ALOT of things that go against common logic all for the sake of their profits
Marc
New member
Does the complexity of the carbohydrate matter to the bacteria? I would imagine they operate better on simple sugars than like, starch or dietary fiber... but even in the simple sugars there are differences in complexity.
I'm just speculating here, but isn't lactose, the form of the vast majority of sugar milk, more complex than like, sucrose or glucose?
I'm just speculating here, but isn't lactose, the form of the vast majority of sugar milk, more complex than like, sucrose or glucose?
hammer
Active member
Don't get me started on dental insurance...I have practically indestructible teeth (no cavities after 43+ years) but the one thing that I need and use the most (nightguard) isn't covered under most plans...:angry:As for the insurance company factor, well they do ALOT of things that go against common logic all for the sake of their profits
Marc
New member
Did you try a piece of cardboard?
hammer
Active member
Any real responses would be TMI...
Actually, my previous post was most likely TMI but after going through braces on one kid and the associated insurance hassles I couldn't resist venting a bit.
drjeff
Well-known member
Bingo, the tongue side of lower front teeth are the most tartar prone of any of your choppers! Basically for tartar to form you need plaque to be present (plaque is just the easy way to sum up all 300 odd kinds of bacteria that normally inhabit your mouth), and as soon as you have a meal, you get a small spike in the number of bacteria present. That soft plaque if allowed to be bathed in your calcium rich saliva can eventually "calcify" into tartar - for most folks this takes about a 5 day saliva bath to start the process.
Lower front teeth are the most tartar prone for 3 reasons: #1 under the front of your tongue on the floor of your mouth, you have 2 of the largest salivary ducts in your entire mouth, so you have a rich pool of calcium in the area #2 As you eat food, especially coarser types of food, the coarseness of the food rubbing against your teeth will "knock off" alot of that soft plaque, BUT when eating, a good percentage of the time your tongue is against the back surface of your lower front teeth, thus preventing the food from knocking off the soft plaque #3 Let's be honest, the back of those lower front teeth for most folks is by far and away the most difficult area of the mouth to access with a toothbrush - combine those 3 and that's why those teeth are the "tartar winners" for moost folks
drjeff
Well-known member
Yup, generally speaking the simpler the sugar the higher conversion and quicker conversion to acid. More complex carbs with a greater number of intermediate products in the sugar break down sequence will yield both a lower acid amount, and also less of an effect since the longer it takes to break down, the more of the initial simple sugar based acid that formed has been dliuted by the saliva.
The high fructose corn syrup that's used as a staple sweetener for the soft drink industry amongst others is rapidly and efficiently broken down to acid and tends to be the biggest offender.
MRGisevil
New member
I take good care of my teeth because I'm scared of dentists. Doc, if we ever ski together, plz don't be offended if I bring a shield...
drjeff
Well-known member
Generally speaking, insurance companies are mch happier if your have your teeth break down to the point of needing extraction. Then statistically speaking the amoutn that they'll have to pay for claims for you goes down while the profit they make off you goes up.
FYI, about 2 years ago when he retired, the CEO of United Healthcare received a 2 BILLION DOLLAR retirement package
Insurance comppanies are FOR PROFIT companies whose main role isn't necessarily your health and well being as much as it's theie corporate performance on Wall Street
drjeff
Well-known member
Believe me, the numbers of times I've heard "nothing personal, but I hate you and what you do", it has absolutely no effect on me. Kind of goes wth the job description, the ability to let comments roll off you
hammer
Active member
I wonder how many of the people who donated their bodies to the exhibit needed dental work...
Warp Daddy
Active member
FYI, about 2 years ago when he retired, the CEO of United Healthcare received a 2 BILLION DOLLAR retirement package Insurance comppanies are FOR PROFIT companies whose main role isn't necessarily your health and well being as much as it's theie corporate performance on Wall Street[/QUOTE]
This is a major example of what is wrong with the healthcare industry today. As a Hospital board member i have seen hospitals STRUGGLE to break even and in fact MOST end up in RED while most HMO's make OBSCENE profits . Their execs are modern day pirates robbing the middle class by delaying , deniing or otherwise obfuscating in order to stuff their booty chests while squeezing down both teh rate and timeliness of payout for services .
Most Docs in any specialty will VENT for hrs about this situation .This situ. coupled with a high ratio of medicaid .medicare patients means that many rural , semi urban hospitals on receive about a 60 cents on a dollar billed
Meanwhile while Rome burns the damn pols are fiddling in DC -- OOPs almost went over the line here -- WTF!!!!!!!!!!!
Insurance comppanies are FOR PROFIT companies whose main role isn't necessarily your health and well being as much as it's theie corporate performance on Wall Street[/QUOTE]This is a major example of what is wrong with the healthcare industry today. As a Hospital board member i have seen hospitals STRUGGLE to break even and in fact MOST end up in RED while most HMO's make OBSCENE profits . Their execs are modern day pirates robbing the middle class by delaying , deniing or otherwise obfuscating in order to stuff their booty chests while squeezing down both teh rate and timeliness of payout for services .
Most Docs in any specialty will VENT for hrs about this situation .This situ. coupled with a high ratio of medicaid .medicare patients means that many rural , semi urban hospitals on receive about a 60 cents on a dollar billed
Meanwhile while Rome burns the damn pols are fiddling in DC -- OOPs almost went over the line here -- WTF!!!!!!!!!!!
