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That Hurts

April 1, 2008 by Janice

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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I was three months late for Jackson’s dental check up. Every time I brushed his teeth, the guilt grew.

Finally, I made an appointment. I decided to not bother going to the pediatric dentist who Jackson had been seeing since he almost knocked out his front tooth at three years old and just took him to the family dentist up the street.

I had been worried about one of his six year old molars that grew in last fall. It seemed to have brown spots and I have to brush it like crazy to get it clean. I was sure he had a cavity. So I went in expecting bad news.

But the news was far worse than just a cavity.

Jackson’s six year old molars are damaged and malformed. These new grown up teeth of his do not have sufficient enamel to protect them. Even though they are less than six months old, he already has four cavities! And more to come!!!

The dentist said that it will be a constant battle. All four will constantly have cavities and the fillings will have to be replaced regularly. It will be struggle to keep the teeth until he is old enough to have crowns.

Mother guilt time!

But guess what?!?

Apparently the poor state of his molars has nothing to do with us or how well we have or haven’t brushed and flossed. The dentist asked me if he Jackson had had any major fevers or illnesses when we was very young.

“Was he sick between six and nine months old?” he wondered.

And yes, Jackson was! At eight months old, Jackson had a high fever for about a week. We never found the cause of it – but I suspect he might have picked up something off the rock he was sucking on at the beach. (It was a cute photo, so I let him suck on it for only a minute!)

And now, that fever is coming back to haunt us!

Not only will Jackson have to have multiple fillings, we will have to wait until his front teeth come in to see how badly they have been affected since they formed at the same time as the six year old molars.

I was devastated to hear that his front two teeth might be mottled or discolored. (But then again – he will probably knock those two teeth out at some point anyway!)

Next week, we will be heading back to the pediatric dentist for a further assessment about how to proceed and what sort of procedure they will do to fill four cavities in a monkey like Jackson.

This is isn’t going to be easy. I feel so bad for the little guy (and for how much it is going to cost us!)

I was so lucky with my teeth. As a kid, I got to leave every dentist appointment beaming with my “no cavity” news, while Susan, whose enamel wasn’t as good as mine, always had cavities. No matter how well Susan looked after her teeth, she constantly had cavities. (I didn’t have my first cavity until I was an adult.)

I had hoped that Jackson would have strong healthy teeth and that as long as we took care of them, we could avoid cavities. I had no idea that early fevers could cause dental problems!

Have you ever heard of children’s teeth being damaged with childhood illnesses?

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About Janice

Janice is co-founder of 5 Minutes For Mom. She's been working online since 2003 and is thankful her days are full of social media, writing and photography.

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44 Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    December 7, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    My front teeth did not grow well too as a result of fever when I was much younger. It was like a crescent moon.

    Reply
  2. Nancy says

    May 27, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Hi, I came across this old post when searching for 6 year molar issues. I am wondering if Jackson’s front teeth came in discolored too. My daughter has discoloration on first 6 year molar and I am worried her front teeth will be too. I saw a pic of Jackson on your site and his teeth look great!

    Reply
  3. Beth Shelden says

    September 3, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    We shouldnt blame ourselves, but as moms…that is a difficult concept. lol…My daughters front teeth are good, thank goodness, but her molars are damaged….
    Did anyone find a name for this disorder?

    Reply
  4. Beth Shelden says

    September 3, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    I just got the same news, TODAY!!! I am so upset for my daughter. I was hoping for a beautiful mouth…and found out she has damaged teeth due to a fever from pneumonia at 6 months old. The dentist explained that it destroyed her tooth buds that early and it was nothing we did. Unfortunatly, I too am in distrss about the cost of the lifetime commitment this will be.

    Reply
  5. me too! says

    December 18, 2008 at 2:29 am

    I’m just finding this article tonight. I have this same problem. All 4 of my 6 year molars have malformed enamel and my front teeth have slight stains that aren’t really noticeable. My pediatric dentist sealed them often and filled any soft spots that developed. He kept a special eye on the fillings in those teeth, but told my parents he was doing the best he could to get me through w/o crowns until I was 18. Well, I just found out today that the time for crowns has finally come. I’m 22. 4 years past what was predicted. Just take care of them and educate your son as to why he has to be extra careful.

    Reply
  6. Nancy says

    May 16, 2008 at 7:38 pm

    My son is 7 and has the same problem with decayed and malformed 6 year molars. Also one of the top front teeth had to be “painted” He is slated to have a 5 surface filling, a 3 surface filling and two crowns on those 4 six year molars. The dentist told me it ws due to high fevers. He had RSV as an infant and was hospitalized for 11 days before the fever finally broke. Never thought that this could happen. Does anyone know the name of this condition????

    Reply
  7. Shelley says

    April 18, 2008 at 1:36 pm

    My daughter, Robyn had beautiful baby teeth. Her adult front teeth were late appearing but xrays revealled that they were properly formed and we were advised to be patient.

    We were horrified when at 7.5yrs the first front tooth started coming through and the enamel appeared to be extensively pitted. The second tooth is also damaged and has a yellow stripe down the left hand side. My dentist said it was probalby caused by a high temperature and this was confirmed by my doctor. The dentist covered the damaged areas with artificial enamel which will have to be touched up as the teeth emerge further. Her bottom teeth are perfect and we can only hope that all her other teeth will not have been affected. When she is much older she will be able to have veneers fitted. Fortunately she is a very confident child and is not concerned about the defect which with a little creative dentistry is hardly visible.

    I must say that when the dentist first mentioned that a fever could cause such problems, I was rather socked. Robyn had had scarlet fever a few months before the damaged teeth emerged and I thought that this may have been the cause. However, having since done some research, I realise that the damage was done when she was much younger – probably a fever associated with an ear infection or a severe case of chickenpox.

    Don’t blame yourself. As parents we do our very best for our children but cannot always protect them. If it makes you feel any better, my son who is now 11, chipped both his front teeth at a friend’s birthday party when he was 8yrs old. My dentist repaired the damage at 7pm on a Saturday evening! When he is 16, he will also need veneers.

    Reply
  8. tammy b says

    April 10, 2008 at 5:30 pm

    oops, sorry, i hit the wrong button & posted above….my bad.

    Reply
  9. tammy b says

    April 10, 2008 at 5:24 pm

    that looks amazing! i know that my 3 girls would love to play with that 🙂

    Reply
  10. Merry Mom says

    April 9, 2008 at 10:20 pm

    Great tips for mom’s to make some extra cash from home …

    http://freedollars.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  11. Alyson says

    April 5, 2008 at 1:32 am

    Oh you are right…that does totally suck! My teeth have always been discolored due to me being frequently sick as a baby but that was back when the dinosaurs roamed so I had hopes for better news by now! Good luck Mom and Jackson!

    Reply
  12. Tanyetta says

    April 4, 2008 at 2:51 am

    bless his heart. i’m so sorry to hear about this. i never knew about the connections to childhood illnesses.

    Reply
  13. Jennebug86 says

    April 4, 2008 at 12:39 am

    My girls are too young to tell yet at 2 and 9 months, but I have some damaged, malformed, cavity prone molars from taking tetracycline as a baby. Apparently it just damaged the one set that were forming when I took the medicine.

    I second asking about sealing the teeth. It might help prolong their “life”.

    Dental problems stink at any age…can’t imagine having so many so young. Poor little tyke!

    Reply
  14. Adrienne says

    April 3, 2008 at 11:48 pm

    What a bummer! I have heard of problems being caused from illness.

    I myself am like you with no cavities until I started BC and now with kids I just keep getting them…I guess I am makeing up for all my good years!

    Good luck on getting this taken care of.

    Reply
  15. Nicki says

    April 3, 2008 at 8:14 pm

    Actually, my goddaughter had the same problem… She had a high fever when she was a baby, and she basically has very little enamel on ANY of her teeth and has had all sorts of problems with her teeth since she was very small. (She’s 11 now.) But there is so much new technology in dentistry these days, there must be some way to restore enamel, or create fake enamel, once their permanent teeth come in!

    Reply
  16. Jane says

    April 3, 2008 at 8:02 pm

    Two of our children had damaged teeth and many have placed the blame on me and nursing. The dentist only recently told our 19 yr that he has excessive saliva and that it is a heriditary problem that can cause dental problems. Both of them had some fever during infancy. It is hard on the Moms! I know how you feel!

    Reply
  17. Carrie says

    April 3, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    My sister had a very bad bacterial infection as a toddler and needed to be hospitalized for quite a length of time. Her teeth were damaged from it. She has had a lot of cavaties, despite being a very good brusher/flosser.

    Reply
  18. melody is slurping life says

    April 3, 2008 at 1:56 am

    Yes, my husband’s teeth have always been horrid…much like you describe what is beginning with Jackson. Childhood illness, including meningitis, with high fevers along with prescribed medications affected his dental health.

    Hugs. But you guys will manage just fine.

    Reply
  19. Summer says

    April 2, 2008 at 10:01 pm

    No I’ve never heard anything like that. I always have cavities no matter how well I take care of my teeth too. I’m sorry you’ve gotten this bad news.

    Reply
  20. Beth K. Vogt says

    April 2, 2008 at 8:41 pm

    I’m so, so sorry your son (and you) have to go through this. I hope you have a good dentist. There is so much more available nowadays to ensure that your son is comfortable during a dental procedure. My 6 year old daughter watched a movie while she had a cavity filled. That helped a lot!

    Reply
  21. Allison says

    April 2, 2008 at 6:59 pm

    I just came across your blog and had to share how shocking that is to me! I have never heard that, but will definitely remember now!

    How terrible for poor Jackson (and you!)…

    Reply
  22. Andrea says

    April 2, 2008 at 3:18 pm

    My seven year old’s adult teeth are all coming in yellowed. Her baby teeth were pearly white, but the adult teeth are awful. My dentist said it was from the huge amounts of antibiotics she was on for ear infections when she was a baby (the same antibiotics my pediatrician swore would have not long term effects). We’re lucky, her enamel is fine and her teeth can be bleached when they have all grown in. Why oh why don’t kids come with a manual?

    Reply
  23. Amber (Bringing Good Home) says

    April 2, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    Oh My! I hadn’t heard of this but it DOES make me feel better. I’m going to ask the dentist when I take my children.

    My oldest had five cavities on her molars at her first visit. I don’t think she had any serious illneses as a toddler, except for an ear infection at nine months. I figured she just inherited my bad teeth.

    But my second daughter has brown spots on her molars and one front tooth with no visible ailments that she SWEARS is cold sensitive. She had pneumonia when she was nine months old. And several follow-up bronchial infections right after that.
    And my son’s front two teeth came in with large brown spots (that now look like cavities). They CAME IN that way. Looking at them makes me feel awful, like I’ve done or allowed something to cause it. He was taken to the children’s hospital when he was a few months old with a 102 fever. They were worried about RSV, but ruled that out in favor of a non-specific virus. Both of them seriously need a trip to the dentist!!

    Reply
  24. Mitzi says

    April 2, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    My son is 3 and has had 5 root canals and 7 caps because of this problem. I had excellent health during my pregnancy and he did not have any high fevers as an infant. The “enamel hypoplasia” can also be hereditary but no one in our family has that problem. We have been reassured that his adult teeth will be normal. The molar caps are silver and the caps on the fron four teeth are silver but covered with a tooth covered overlay. He had is first procedure at 2 and his second one at 3. He recovered more quickly at 3 for obvious reasons. We have a follow up this month so we will see what happens. We are using toothpaste and mouthwash with
    Xylitol which is a natural product to protect teeth. Your dentist will probably not recommend it. Hope this helps! You are not alone

    Reply
  25. lisa says

    April 2, 2008 at 2:11 pm

    Wow, My son now 16…has grown up at the dentist office…whenever he was sick he would always have a fever of 105. His sister has great teeth and no big fevers till she was older…

    This is interesting and the first time I have heard of this before. The good news is, his grown up teeth look great! Hope the same comes true for your little guy!

    Reply
  26. Cherie says

    April 2, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    I hear you on the guilt! My 6-year old just had to have 2 baby root canals, 8 caps, and 2 of his front teeth pulled. I cried for days because I felt so dang guilty, although I don’t know what we could of done better… yeah, we could probably brush and floss a little more, but he really just has bad teeth. UGH! It’s hard being a mom sometimes!

    Oh, and my son got through all that just fine… it didn’t phase him at all and because we just had him put out at the hospital to do all the dental work, he doesn’t remember it and still loves going to the dentist!

    Reply
  27. JessicaB says

    April 2, 2008 at 11:46 am

    Poor guy!

    My teeth are slightly discolored. The dentist told my mother it was likely from some form of medication I took as a young child.

    My Lil’ Bum has 4 teeth similar to Jackson’s. They have brown spots and one has started being sensitive. The dentist never really said what caused it but she did tell me that we would have to watch them because they will likely chip and/or have cavities. So far no cavities but we may have to crown the sensitive one if it acts up too bad.

    She did get really sick before a year old and ran a high fever. Her brother is 9 months now and all 8 of his teeth look great so far. Thankfully he has never had a super high fever.

    Reply
  28. Veggiemomof2 says

    April 2, 2008 at 9:39 am

    My ds’s front teeth were brown because he was so sick for so much of his first 2-4 years of his life.

    You might want to contact your medical insurance & explain the problems to them so they can note his file. It could make a difference in how they pay the claims.

    Also, ask the dentist about putting sealants on his molars. Our insurance paid for most of it for our kids & your probably will too cuz it’s considered preventative treatments.

    Reply
  29. Brenda Prentice (Time and Season) says

    April 2, 2008 at 8:49 am

    Don’t blame yourslef about the rock. He was exposed to the germies as soon as he touched the rock. He probably would have gotten sick, even if you had taken it out of his mouth right away.

    Sorry to hear about his teeth. I used to think cavities and teeth problems were always a result of bad hygiene. But now I realize there is so much more to it. There are people who hardly ever brush and go without cavities. And there are those who brush after every meal and still end up with problems.

    Reply
  30. Janne says

    April 2, 2008 at 6:41 am

    Poor Jackson. Poor Mama! I have never heard of childhood illnesses causing tooth problems like this, but we had a terrible dental injury here with my 6th child when she was just a toddler, and at age 7 we are still dealing with the effects.

    With my older children, whenever there was an injury, I immediately checked their little noggins to make sure they were okay. After the incident with Gabrielle, however, my priorities changed. Now the first thing I check is always the teeth.

    As Sarah W said, hang in there. Thanks to dental advancements, when he is older there will be more cosmetic options available.

    Reply
  31. Sarah W says

    April 2, 2008 at 3:35 am

    I was a dental assistant before I became a missionary. I worked in a pedo office for a bit and we saw a lot of this. It is a pretty common thing. Not so much anymore, but even certain meds that mothers took while the baby was in the womb and teeth were forming have caused problems. My sister has some enamel issues on her front teeth due to this. The great news is with dental advancements these days a lot of things can be done to help “cover” the problem when he gets a bit older. Hang in there!

    Reply
  32. carrie-the gremlin wrangler says

    April 1, 2008 at 11:56 pm

    well, my brother’s an adult now and he has virtually no enamel left, making his teeth dark. My mom says he had several bouts of high fever. It’s hard for him because he can’t get it fixed right now and he’s self conscious.

    Reply
  33. Cole's Mama says

    April 1, 2008 at 11:31 pm

    Oh my goodness! I had no idea. Poor Jackson! Poor Mommy! Thank you for sharing this with everyone though. I had no idea this was possible.

    Reply
  34. Leslie- LaMamaNaturale' says

    April 1, 2008 at 11:21 pm

    Wow! That’s interesting…good to know…poor Jackson though. Wish you guys the best.

    Reply
  35. Jen says

    April 1, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    The same thing happened to me as a baby. I ran a really high fever and it effected both of my two front teeth. I hated it growing up because no one would believe me when I told them the reason the dentist said.

    ((((HUGS))) to you and Jackson!

    Reply
  36. Missy says

    April 1, 2008 at 11:10 pm

    One of my dear friend’s son’s who is 3 has this problem, she never knew why. She thought it was from an antibiotic she took when pregnant. I am going to send her this link.

    Reply
  37. Kristen M. says

    April 1, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    My friend’s son (6 years old) had a root canal done last month and he was totally un-phased. He was up and about running around that very night.

    Reply
  38. TheAngelForever says

    April 1, 2008 at 10:48 pm

    Yes I have heard of this. I had 105+ fevers several times when I was a baby (two resulted in febrile seizures). My two front teeth have what they refer to as scars on them. When my dentist saw them when I was in elementary school he told my mother that is what they were. They are hard to see, but there none the less. I wonder if the pitted nature of my molars is also from that. I wish I had asked the dentist when I went for my cleaning today.

    I also worry about my boys teeth. My 4 year old has had many high fevers and my 10 month old has been hospitalized from them as well. My little guy has an appointment with the pediatric dentist next week, I will have to talk with her about it at that time.

    Hugs to you and Jackson.

    Reply
  39. Quirky is a Compliment says

    April 1, 2008 at 10:32 pm

    I have a yellow spot on one of my bottom front teeth from a fever that I had as a baby. My bottom lip covers my teeth most of the time, so no one ever notices that it’s there. A few dentists have asked me if I want it covered with some kind of tooth paint, but honestly, it’s been with me for as long as I can remember, so I never really think about it anymore. Here’s hoping that your little guy can avoid any further cavities and discoloration!

    Reply
  40. Melanie says

    April 1, 2008 at 10:32 pm

    I knew that poor nutrition in the mother during pregnancy could harm the tooth buds and lead to problems down the road – I’d never heard that about childhood illnesses!

    Reply
  41. The Pitter Patter Boutique says

    April 1, 2008 at 10:19 pm

    I had no idea that childhood illnesses could have long term affects on our little one’s teeth. When did they discover that?

    My son is 6 and about 7 months ago he went to the dentist and his teeth were fine. When we went back about a month ago for his 6 month check up, 4 cavaties! The only positive thing is that they are on baby teeth and will be gone soon.

    Lucky for me I have an awesome son who took the advice from the dentist seriously. He said, “take it easy on the juice boxes and if you have anything with sugar in it, brush after you’re done.” He had 3 fillings on Thursday of last week and his 4th and final one today.

    We have cut out juice boxes except for one a day and it has to be at home and he must brush when he’s done. He always wants water now.

    Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel for you guys. Either way, I wish you the best of luck and I know how you feel about dental bills. Thank God for insurance.

    Reply
  42. dawn says

    April 1, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    Poor little guy and poor you! I know you can’t help but feel a tad guilty. Poor little Feisty has several cavities already – don’t know why!

    Reply
  43. Tara says

    April 1, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    I had NO idea that was even possible! That sucks!

    Reply

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