Know about Enamel Hypoplasia? Defective Tooth Enamel?

bobbydsgirl

Hello -

Looking for people who have experience with hypoplasia in kids' teeth to learn more about it...

We just had DS's (3.5) first check up at the dentist today and they said he has enamel hypoplasia. Apparently this is from his teeth not forming enamel correctly while he was in utero. His case isn't really bad - it's mostly the top molars that are discolored (I hadn't even noticed) but he does have 3 cavities (in bottom molars) and the dentist seemed to attribute it to the same condition of weak tooth enamel.

I read that it occurs in babies of women who are malnourished or that had a high fever during pregnancy - I don't think either applies to me. I am pregnant again now, so eager to learn about what may have caused this so I can try to stop it from happening again.

 Also, the dentist wants to seal his affected teeth to protect them, which will cost more than $600 and an extra sedation session (on top of the cavity filling one). But I read online that hypoplasia might not need to be treated.

Any input on this based on your experience or professional dental knowledge would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

bobbydsgirl

-auntie-:

DS had hypoplasia in his baby teeth. Like you, I had no risk factors, it just happened. 

DS had a tooth fracture at about 18 months and it needed filling. His other areas of hypoplasia were more along the line of discoloration- it looked like the biting surface of a couple of his molars has coral in them. We didn't do sealants until he got permanent teeth which don't seem to have issues. 

Thanks for the reply. I am glad your son didn't have problems with his permanent teeth. I am worrying about that right now so it helps me feel better.

Littlejen22

I am not dealing with this but my dentist does not recommend sealants in baby teeth because kids have so much saliva they often do not stay on. Why would you sedate for sealants? I would want to know why this is recommended because that sounds like a money hungry dentist. I would strongly recommend a second opinion without them knowing you already saw someone.

rsd12

My son does not have this issue but has had three teeth sealed. He is prone to cavities for other reasons. He had it done for the first time in January but he is 7 years old. It was a fairly quick procedure and nothing additional needed to be done, like numbing of knock out.

We are hoping to keep these teeth protected until they fall out or can be filled when he is put under for another surgery. Our dentist is only charging us for the first seal, if it comes off he will reseal with no cost. After 4 months they are holding strong as well as we use a topical fluoride treatment on his teeth to help slow down.

ppants

My twins were born at 32w3d. DD had two teeth affected by hypoplasia. She had them sanded and sealed at approx 4 yrs old without sedation. She's 7 now and not had a cavity yet and those two teeth are hanging in there still.

bobbydsgirl

wife07mom09:

I just had DD (3.5) baby teeth with sealants because she had to get 2 cavities filled and we have excellent dental hygiene. It was preventative and more my idea but the dentist said it was fine. we already had her sedated for the cavities so we did that when finished.  she did really well

We are still wavering on the sealants (insurance doesn't cover them either), but we are likely going to get his cavities filled (the reason for the sedation). Can you tell me what your dentist used for sedation? Ours recommended Versed but there are scary things about that drug online and I was wondering about other options. Thanks.