three teeth and counting...

It has been a week since my nine month son slept through the night and he hasn't done it since. Part of the problem is he has only three teeth. Teeth erupt in pairs and so far his teeth have followed a normal pattern of tooth eruption (ie. lower centrals first, upper centrals second). However, only one of his upper centrals has erupted so far and it was visible about two weeks ago. The other central is taking its time and is pushing on his gums. My son's teething issues became painfully apparent last night when he had a crying fit at one o'clock in the morning and he refused to breastfeed. Unfortunately, I can't surgically move the gum out of they way so I must wait until it happens on its own.

Baby or primary teeth are always left to erupt on their own time table. Permanent teeth are a slightly different story. For instance, the permanent first molars are supposed to erupt between 5 and 6 years of age. Most parents don't even realize that these teeth have erupted because no baby teeth are lost before these teeth arrive. First molars come in behind all of the baby teeth. If a child is 8 or 9 years old and these teeth haven't erupted, then they might need surgical or orthodontic intervention.

My father works with me (he is a general dentist too) and he frequently helps people in need through our local Lutheran Social Services. He recently saw an eighteen year old girl in the office that was having persistent pain on the upper right and left sides of her mouth. The girl and her mom both thought that the teeth giving her trouble were her baby teeth. She hadn't seen a dentist in eight years due to a lack of money and no insurance. In fact the actual teeth that were causing so much pain were her permanent first molars. On a side note, all baby teeth are usually lost by about twelve years of age. The teeth were so badly broken down and decayed that they were unrestorable and had to be extracted.

The moral to this sad story is that it is important to know when teeth are supposed to erupt and to seek professional dental guidance when they don't appear on schedule or when pain is present. Also, we should demand better access to care for dental problems in children. Last year an uninsured 12 year old in Maryland, Deamonte Driver, died from complications that arose after an untreated tooth infection spread to his brain. A bill named the Deamonte Driver Dental Care Access Improvement Act of 2008 has been introduced by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD). Let's hope that this bill will become law and that it will make a difference. In the meantime, my father and I are committed to helping get children out of pain, even when funds are limited. No child should have to die in this country due to a tooth infection.

Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.dentist4smiles.com