Tre went to the doctor for his 15 month check up yesterday. Of course he is perfectly healthy. We weighs 25.5 pounds and is 32.5 inches long.
I had noticed the day before what looked like a thick line of plaque between his gums and teeth and started freaking out. I was so upset thinking I was a horrible mother for not brushing his teeth properly. All he does is suck the toothpaste off the brush then throw a fit when I try to brush them. Luckily the doctor said it was a normal abnormality - calcium deposits. When I asked for a pediatric dentist recommendation he asked why? and explained to me that it's unethical to torture babies by going to the dentist and if they have cavities it's even more unethical to fill them with toxic heavy metals. According to him, they're just baby teeth and kids don't need to go to the dentist until they start getting permanent teeth.
He is so incredibly crunchy, I love it!
When I expressed concern about the fact that Tre only says 1 word he said he's fine. The only word Tre says consistently and in context is agua. He said daddy correctly for a few months then stopped. He spoke monkey for a while saying "ooh ooh" and "ahh ahh" to everything but recently turned into a sheep saying "baa" for everything. Yesterday and the day before he said "buboo" for bubbles but then when I try to get him to say it again he doesn't. The doctor said he's got incredible balance and hand-eye coordination which are controlled in the same part of the brain as language. He said to just continue working with balls for the same reason. He did ask me what Tre's favorite toy was and I didn't have an answer. He just dropped it at that and didn't say anything but now I wonder is he supposed to have a favorite toy? And what are the favorites of other children his age?
He loves to be outside. He loves to play with water. And everything else like his ride on toy, his leggos, farm animals and balls he enjoys but doesn't go super crazy over.
I'm happy to hear the stuff on Tre's teeth is just calcium! However, your doctor's response about it being unethical to torture a child at the dentist is a bit extreme. Good dental health is crucial and should begin in early childhood. I wouldn't do any invasive procedures on Olivia and much less metal fillers of any sort at this tiny age, but I see no harm in a friendly check up and making sure she isn't scared of the dentist for the future.
ReplyDeleteOlivia doesn't have a favorite toy of her own, but my makeup bag and it's contents are probably her biggest desire. I think having one favorite toy might be that lovey type of thing that our babies don't seem to have grown attached to.
I agree with Val 100%. If you wait until your child actually needs work done to take them to the dentist then they will never see it as a good place to go. Did your dr. give you a list of foods that are good for Tre's teeth, and foods that are not? Our dentist did. Did he tell you that there is natural floride in green tea and broccoli that can help if you child is prone to cavities? Our dentist did. We found a wonderful dentist who is all set up for kids, with a beautiful fish tank and lots of toys. She got to ride up and down on the chair and really the dentist just counted her teeth AND looked to see if there was tartar build up right in front where the teeth meet the gums. She said that is the most common place for parents to miss when they are brushing. One of my friends children actually had 3 cavities on his 2 front teeth, so she painted some kind of extra protection in that spot to prevent the decay from spreading, and also showed her some techniques to really get that area clean. I have not heard of a dentist that puts fillings in baby teeth, and you always have the option of declining. If I were in your shoes I would try and find a good pediatric dentist and just try it out. It can not hurt, and you will come away with even more information from someone that is actually trained and skilled in that area!
ReplyDeleteOh - I forgot I wanted to say that I have heard that bilingual children begin to speak a bit later because they are learing two languages. What a great thing that he will know both English AND Spanish!
ReplyDeleteI have a huge fish tank and tons of toys at home; we don't need to go to the dentist for that. I didn't have my first cavity until I was 13 years old so I hope Tre has good teeth like me. My nephew is 3 years old and his entire front tooth is covered in toxic heavy metals. This procedure was just done in the past 3 months so yes, there are dentists doing it.
ReplyDeleteLiesl has 5 or 6 composite fillings in her mouth I can't remember, maybe more. She had visible decay that is why we took her in at around 3. We took both kids together for the first time so, Porter was around 5 at his first visit. I had 14 traditional fillings in my baby teeth. Some of us have bad teeth and some of us have good teeth.
ReplyDeleteNatalie - do you feel that any of those fillings could have been avoided if you had taken them to the dentist sooner? I know that some people have stronger teeth than others, but do you regret waiting so long? Did they show you any techniques or tell you anything you wish you knew earlier?
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