<p>D1 went to the dentist this morning (her first time ever going alone…), and the dentist said she has four (!) cavities. This is a kid who has had one cavity ever before. She is leaving to study abroad in a few days, so they gave her some special flouride toothpaste to use and said they will fill them when she gets home.</p>
<p>The dentist told her this often happens once kids get a couple of years beyond regular fluoride and sealant treatments, around the age of 20. Anyone else have this experience with their kids?</p>
<p>Guess she got her dad’s tooth enamel after all… I thought we had dodged that bullet.</p>
<p>I think she is finding it pretty frustrating, as she has become a diligent flosser in the past couple of years. And then somehow in the last six months, boom!</p>
<p>Our DD is very not diligent with tooth care and at 21 is too old for us to monitor/nag.</p>
<p>We decided to have dentist continue to apply sealants to molars as needed.
NOT covered by our dental insurance but very inexpensive.
For us, it’s worth it to prevent cavities in her case.</p>
<p>MM, that seems like a good idea in retrospect. D1 was “kicked out” by her pediatric dentist this last year, and I guess we didn’t think to ask the new dentist about sealants for her as an adult. I will bring it up when we go back for the cavity work, and consider it for D2 when she gets to that age for sure!</p>
<p>I have never had a cavity and I was warned last time I was at the dentist that I may get some now, my dentist says the same thing yours does about the 20’s. I am 21 and still all clear so far.</p>
<p>I never had a cavity until right after I gave birth to my oldest (I was 24). I always blame her for sucking all of the calcium out of my diet and teeth.</p>
<p>None of mine have had a cavity yet. All way over 21. I think heredity plays a large part. Mine only had sealants once when their permanent teeth came in and haven’t had them redone ever. I never knew you were supposed to redo sealants. </p>
<p>Have the ones with cavities over 21 stopped drinking tap water? I think that’s a large cause.</p>
<p>My daughter’s pediatric dentist advised us to continue with the sealant and flouride treatments through college - said to bite the bullet because our insurance wouldn’t cover it past age 18 (she is now 19). We went ahead and did it.</p>
<p>I will ask her about the tap water. However, she is about to leave for a semester in a country that does not have fluoride in the tap water (I just checked). Some countries have it put in their salt instead, but this country does not do that, either. I think this toothpaste the dentist gave her has extra fluoride.</p>
<p>I will say that I grew up without fluoridated water, fluoride treatments, or sealants, and have had 2 cavities ever (one when I was pregnant with D1). D1’s dad has many, many cavities. So I think some of it is probably genetic.</p>
<p>Too bad they didn’t get my tooth enamel and his eyesight… I think it went the other way.</p>
<p>Forgot to say that dd’s pediatric dentist said she doesn’t advise college kids to switch to an “adult” dentist till they’re finished with college. Her advice was that after college, kids are moving on and probably looking for a new dentist so why do that twice. We’re glad to have her still.</p>
<p>We tried a pediatric dentist once and really disliked her so went back to the dental practice I used growing up and are still there. Worth the drive.</p>
<p>one of my daughters has great teeth, the other not so much. it is a bacteria that people carry in their mouths. D1 flosses, cuts out sugar, brushes, and also uses miouthwash like ACt with fluoride, this has kept her stable but its a huge effort on her part.</p>
<p>My almost 20-year-old had some dental work done last week. If I understand correctly, she didn’t exactly have cavities - yet - but she had some areas of “concavity” from wearing braces in her early teens. The areas needed to be smoothed or cavities would soon develop. Anyway, whatever the problem actually was, supposedly it could be traced to a couple of years in braces earlier.</p>
<p>i’ve only had 4 and that was when i was 17, due to braces. I 'may" have one now, the dentist is keeping an eye on it. I brush regularly and avoid sugar. So i will know tommorow if it has turned into one or not. I hope not, because i have no idea when i’ll be back here <em>leaves on friday</em>.</p>
<p>This happened to me too – no cavities until I was around that age. I’d started going out drinking and going to bed without brushing my teeth. It was a phase.</p>
<p>I never had cavities until I was 23. And then didn’t have another one until my 40’s. I floss diligently, but still get them, while H gets none even with his bad oral hygiene habits. He had lots as a kid. </p>
<p>It all seems illogical doesn’t it? I wonder if now, I’m losing calcium and therefore my teeth are weakening. Who knows?</p>
<p>I have recently started using a Water Pic and I can’t imagine not using it every night now. Switching to an electric toothbrush was huge too. What a difference.</p>
<p>I got the dentist on the phone and quizzed her about all this. She said that continuing to use sealants would probably not have done any good, as these are cavities between the teeth. She did say that a regular flouride “varnish” once they have filled the cavities would potentially be useful. Not covered by insurance, but cost is under $50. So we will definitely be doing that.</p>
<p>She said that fluoride in the drinking water is useless once the teeth have finished growing, which they have by age 20, so I shouldn’t worry about that.</p>
<p>D says she will NEVER skip flossing again. And that she is done with pop, juice, and any gummy candy.</p>
<p>Wish we had a choice about the pediatric dentist. She gives them the boot as soon as they graduate from high school (they can’t even come the next summer!). So I just switched her to my regular dentist.</p>