This is a vent....
As a school nurse I see lots of health issues with children - the worst is---

The lack of dental care!! Why don't these so called parents take their children to the dentist?? It gets under my skin to see these children with a mouth of rotting teeth. The can tell you about the latest video game their parents bought them - but can't remember if they have ever been to a dentist.

vent over

That's a very sad example of our times. Especially when there are so many ways children can get subsidised dental care.

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Mary

I just wanted to say that in certain circumstances it might not be what you think. I am a parent of a 7year old who has two cavities in his baby teeth- one of which just fell out. I wasn't about to spend a few hundred dollars to fill teeth that are going to be falling out anyway. Just don't judge the parents unless you know the whole story.

I babysit 2 sisters who have different dads. The older girl (age 7) has teeth that are perfect. The younger girl (age 4) unfortunately has had her 4 front top teeth replaced at the age of 18 months because of a fall and has to have surgery to remove 6 back teeth because of no calcification (her mother's words). They both have the same brushing routine and diet. In this case I believe it's bad genes that's led to the 4 year olds problems. So, it's not ALWAYS a dental hygiene problem.

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But cavaties hurt!

Both my kids have been to a dentist every 6 months since they were about 4 years old. Both have had a couple cavaties filled in baby teeth that fell out. Cavaties hurt when they're in your mouth and not filled!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

Working in the ER, I saw this alot. and most of the time it is a money issue. The dentist is by no means cheap.

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GO TONY!!!!!!!!!!! # 20!!!

My son had pretty bad dental problems as a toddler... we took him to a pediatric dentist at age 4 and it was a really bad experience. We didn't want to take him back after that and when we finally did at age 6, he ended up needing a 'baby root canal'. I felt so bad for him and really did feel like we were bad parents. I think that in our case, it was fear of the dentist -- us and him! Bad excuse.

I taught Kindergarten kids with rotted baby teeth -- bottle mouth (is that what they call it?)? I always felt so badly for them and often it was a case of financial problems. Many of them did get the dental care that dnj spoke of but not until they actually got to us in school because many parents would not pursue it until we had the letter sent home from the school nurse.

Very sad and painful...

Money has a lot to do with it. I'm sending two kids to the dentist next week and will be paying $300+ for two checkups because we don't have dental insurance. However, I do agree with the OP that many people would rather buy the fun stuff than pay for the dentist. DH and I don't go to the dentist because we just cannot afford to. However, we do find money for the kids to go and we are relentless about making them brush properly and limiting overall sugar intake.

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I want to keep ALL of my paycheck and eliminate the pyramid scheme known as Social Security (there is no lockbox ). Do you want the same thing? www.fairtax.org

In response to the person who said that cavities hurt, that is not necessarily true. Baby teeth actually have very few nerve endings- different from our adult teeth. If the cavities are really bad they may hurt but my sons have never bothered him. I think we all need to think about sometimes whether it is really necessary anyway or it is just a way for dentist to make money on teeth that wil fall out. Now, there are obviously circumstances when things are really bad and it may be necessary. I just know that when I was a kid dentists didn't do nearly as much of this "filling baby teeth" thing. Just something to think about.

I have one son, who has cavities in three of his teeth, he has had them for almost 2 years now, they cause him absolutely no pain, and the dentist looks at them every 6 months, but has left them alone because my son has extreme issues with the dentist. He had a tooth pulled, and was not given any pain meds prior due to a miscommunication, each of the nurses thought the other had given him the shots?!?! My son is autistic and explaining to him that that instance is not the norm just doesn't work.....so the dentist keeps an eye on them, and if they show signs of infection, or they bother him then we will take them out.....Sometimes there are reasons that we just don't know about!

I also have noticed around here, many adults do not go to the dentist, so some just don't factor that in, in their minds....KWIM?

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Nicole

It seems every time I take DD to the dentist, half the kids in there are coming out with cotton hanging out of their mouth (they had a tooth pulled). This is a pediatric dentist, so he sees lots of young kids. I always wonder why so many little ones are having teeth pulled.

Oral hygeine is a big issue with me. I agree, many people don't go to the dentist for monetary reasons, and also fear, both of the bill and the dentist.

I really hate when I see the little kids with all the metal teeth. YIKES

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

We started taking all three of our kids to the dentist around 4/5 years old. They are now 13, 10, & 4. None of them have ever had any cavities and always get raving reviews. We've always made sure they brush at least every morning & night. Sometimes they'll even brush after lunch if they're home. The two older ones are really good about flossing themselves, too. Both my husband and I had to have deep cleanings when we started going back to the dentist a couple of years ago and so I think it was a lesson that the two older ones learned from.

Our 10 year old had to have 3 teeth pulled about a year or so ago. She had three baby teeth that weren't coming out and the perm. teeth were growing in behind them.

That is just awful to hear about having a tooth extracted with no pain meds! I was fortunate that I was able to be in the room with my daughter when she had those 3 teeth pulled...so I saw everything. I can remember when I was kid having some teeth pulled out before getting braces and they had given me pain meds but they either didn't take well or it wasn't enough. I could still feel some of it and it was very scary. I was super shy as a kid so I didn't say anything but I was wiggling a little and gripping with my hands really tight.

ETA: As far as judging w/out knowing...I have a discolored front tooth that I hate. As soon as we can afford it I'm going to take care of it...but it isn't because of poor dental hygiene! Apparently I hit it when I was younger and it did it's own root canal and has yellowed over the years. That's what the dentists have told me.

Lori

I agree about needing to know the whole story. My 7 yr old is a grinder, so his front teeth are discolored and extremely small. He has been to the dentist many of times for cleaning and fluoride treatments, but with the discoloration it looks like he needs a good whitening. However, until he looses his front bottom 4 and front top 4 they are unable to fit him with a grinding plate and help with deterioration of the enamel from the other teeth. DH and myself think that veneers will have to come when he is a teenager.

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Shufflin' on down, doin' it for you.
We're so bad we know we're good.
Blowin' your mind like we knew we would.
You know we're just struttin' for fun
Struttin' our stuff for everyone.
We're not here to start no trouble.
We're just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.

"Can they call themselves parents???"

That's too bad that you feel that way. I think it is harsh. I mean, come on, they obviously love their children very much, I didn't even buy my kids the newest video games..geesh.

FYI, dentists are EXPENSIVE. Much more than a $40 game or two! We were lucky to have free dental care in El Paso, but now that we've moved, I worry about how much it will be to go and if we'll be able to afford it (and that's WITH the lousy dental insurance we get from dh being a gov't employee).

So unless you're gonna pay their way, I wouldn't criticize them for their parenting skills. Maybe they're doing the best they can with what they have. Millions are doing good just to have some kind of medical insurance, much less worrying about how to pay for dental.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

Ignorance! I can't believe how many times I have heard "I can't afford to take myself to the Doctor/Dentist, how am I going to take my child (or pet). " Well adults make the choice to be stupid and not get what they need. Children not only don't have the choice they should be taught the proper ways to care for themselves. Proper dental care prevents other health issues from developing.

I bet not only have they not gone to the Dentist but they most likely don't brush or floss and eat sugar and drink pop.

I feel sorry for these kids there are lots of sliding scale/low income/free services and usually more resources for children than for adults. We even have a dental school here where they do cleanings and scrapings for under $50.

If you can afford a video game you can afford a visit to the Dentist. If my son needed dental work I would not have new pair of shoes or anything. I would save change and dollar bills or pick up cans or save coupon money or something in a jar. I would go to the Dentist office and ask if I could clean.

There are many resources and ingenious legal moral ways of bartering and/or earning a few extra dollars. It's either ignorance. laziness, not caring or a combination.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Yes, my youngest had to have a filling and crown in a tooth that she will eventually lose. If you allow the tooth to continue decaying it can lead to problems with their permanent tooth....at least that's what the dentist told us. Maybe it was just to get us to spend the money but my dd was in pain from the cavity.

We've gone to the same dentist for about 16 years (with the exception of when we mistakenly sent our girls to a pediatric dentist - big mistake, but that's another story) and we trust him completely. He's told us the same thing - that it can damage the permanent teeth. Poor dental care can lead to so many other issues. I'm a big believer in teaching children proper dental hygiene and fixing any problems quickly. It sets a good example and leads to better health overall.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

Yep, I too have been told to take care of baby teeth...Thankfully, my three kids have had only a few cavities between them. One of my boys had one on a tooth he was "scheduled" accorinding too the age graphs to lose within a year, and we had it pulled instead (it was just as much to fill).
Now my teeth, I take care of them and do what I need, but they are only maybe half mine between crowns and root canals, which helps remind me how important getting proper care for my kids is

Dental care is very expensive, but it is so important. I think there are many parents who do indeed use the excuse of the expense as a reason for not taking their children to the dentist. There are low cost dental clinics, and worse case scenerio.....save up until you can afford it. Stay home a few Saturday nights, buy a few less toys, buy a few less beers. One of our local colleges has a dental school and they have clinics several times a year. My 22 year old daughter has never had a cavity and neither has my 12 year old. They have both gone to the dentist every six months since they were three.

My daughter had $3000 worth of dental procedures done to her baby teeth when she was 3. We were fortunate to have insurance that covered most of it... She had several root canals/caps done under general anesthesia at the hospital.

This was not a case of poor hygiene, but rather of poor enamel that we had no control over. And no...she had no pain.

I agree that some parents probably should prioritize a bit differently with costs, but as others have said there are lots of reasons for cavities and treatment is not cheap.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that children with regular dental visit, regular oral hygiene and today's preventative measures (fluoride treatments and sealants) should really not be getting cavities like might have once been the case - except in some unusual circumstances. My dentist always says that she's putting herslef out of business. Is that wrong ???

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

But do you realize that these kids that have rotten teeth and cavities are in tears and cry to us that their teeth hurt. All we can do is tell them to tell your parents to take you to the dentist. It does not help their pain.

By the way guys and gals please get dental sealants on your kids teeth. My kids are 15 and 13 and have never had a cavity. They are worth every penny paid for.

I have to agree with this. At my school most of the students are on free lunch yet the parents are driving Escalades, have the newest ipods & cell phones, and wear designer clothes & shoes. And yet the kids have blackened baby teeth. Oh, and you ought to see the mouths of silver! Several of our students have all their front teeth capped in silver. When they smile all I can think of is the character Jaws from the old James Bond movies!

Sad be SO true

While we have tons of improvements when it comes to oral hygiene some of it still comes down to genetics.....

I'm 33, have never had a cavity, DH on the other hand, has had many! His whole family has horrible teeth......half the kids have "his" teeth, and the other half mine. They all practice good oral hygiene,and see a dentist regulary.........but the boys all have had cavitities and the girls none......

I do also want to say, from things I have seen around here, that I have come to not judge people by the clothes they wear or the vehicles they drive, or the games that their kids have. I know of many around here that have other people buying these things for them, (parents, etc.) I'm not saying that there aren't those parents out there that put these things ahead of the dentist, just that there are a lot of different situations out there......you just never know.

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Nicole

Nicole - I think it's the sealants that are supposed to virtually eliminate cavities in children nowadays, not personal oral hygiene per se. I'm not sure that they've been routinely used long enough for you and your DH to have had them.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I think teeth bling is a fashion statment (for some people )

cj

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

My DH and I were raised in an area where ground water had a HIGH flouride content. Neither of us have any fillings in our adult teeth. I'll say that it's not because of good dental care as children (for me anyway!). I think that I went to the dentist a total of two times before I entered the work force at age 21. Since then I've gone every 6 months and have sealants which have prevented recent cavities... When I was pregnant, I think I didn't injest enough calcium because during both pregnancies, I had teeth problems and they eroded quickly during this time.

A lot of it is about diet, finances, fears (w/ regard to finances and dentists!), baby teeth being temporary, etc. etc..

I do not think that I'd apply the label of them being 'bad parents' but that's partly because I am very hesitant to label anyone with ANY label without knowing the whole story. I've just been around the block too many times (AND I am a softie) and I know that every story has a deeper layer.

I'm also sure a school nurse would feel differently...

Sealants only go on the tops of the back molars,
my ds promptly barfed when they tried to put them on. This one of my children has never had a cavity (he had one small area that was like a pre-cavity, that the dentist is watching).
Also, they dont get them until a certain age, so are the sealants on baby teeth or permanent teeth??

My kids had them on both sets. I had to pay for them. Sealants can also wear off after time, The dentist had to reapply on one tooth so far in 15 years

Yeah, I guess I'm wrong about the sealants (won't be the first time ). They are probably only covered by insurance on adult teeth and only some of the teeth...but then again, the molars are the ones that are typically cavity-prone....oh well, my dentist still said that she works hard every day to use such techiques to put herself out of business.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Why is it called a toothbrush..... when you brush your TEETH ?? not a tooth

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"Madison AnnMarie " 6/13/2008

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My girls both had sealants on the teeth recommended by the dentist. My oldest dd's sealant literally came off but I wouldn't have known it, nor my dd but the dentist knew it. Thank goodness they go for cleanings every 6 months. That makes me leary of the sealants because it can come off so what good is it doing? Or was my dd's case a big exception? Because honestly, we don't know when it came off. Thank goodness that tooth didn't get a cavity. I really am not for or against the sealant though both of my kids have had it put on.

Both of my kids had sealants and they both had them come off a couple times. Neither we nor my girls knew they came off, but like you, when we went in to the dentist the next time, they knew and reapplied them.

Now, my girls just had their 6 month cleaning last week and my oldest hasn't had x-rays for 2 years because she's had braces. She had a couple minor cavities when she was about 4 years old, but none since. She will be 14 in 2 weeks. She got her braces off in December, went in last week for her regular cleaning, they took xrays and found out that the sealants (put on by previously mentioned pediatric dentist that was the worst ever - my kids continue to have problems from him and we moved them about 3 1/2 years ago!) were not sealed properly and have been leaking. Now oldest dd has to get two cavaties filled and the sealants reapplied. This really makes me mad because she had no cavaties in her permanent teeth and now she does - I can't begin to tell you how furious I am at the prior dentist. We thought we were making the right choice taking them to a pediatric dentist. After I started having a bad feeling about him and we moved them, we've heard so many horror stories about him. Terrible, terrible dentist.

Lisa

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

My kids do go to a pediatric dentist but we love him. Sounds like your kids had the dentist from hell. So what is your opinion on the sealant? Since it does come off and there's no way to know except going to the dentist, which means it could have been off for many months? I think some would say those few months wouldn't hurt but I completely disagree because my youngest was cavity free, had x rays and all to show that there were no cavities and then at the next visit, 6 months later, had a cavity. Granted, it was small and just beginning but a few months can mean a cavity. We did go ahead and do the sealant anyway, it's not terribly expensive and we just hoped it would stop any future problems. Again, I'm rather neutral on the sealant. I don't think it's the best thing ever but I don't think it's the worst.
I think it cost around $140 for 4 teeth...I think.

When we lived in Dallas we had a pediatric dentist that we loved. She was the best and that's why when we came back home, we specifically took them to another one instead of ours. He just didn't come close to the 1st one!

But, I am still very much in favor of the sealants! I wish they had them when I was a kid (though I doubt my parents would have paid for them.) We keep having them reapplied and the girls brush, floss & rinse regularly. I think anything that can help is worth it. The fact that they were applied incorrectly is the dentists fault. But I am in favor of anything that can help save the teeth - baby & adult.

I have so many stories about this particular dentist. I dont' know what is wrong with him and how he gets away with practicing the way he does. He's awful.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

Unfortunately, however, they don't always work

We paid a lot to have my DD's teeth sealed because DH and I both have very "soft" teeth. DH has dentures. I really, really don't want dentures so I've spent a fortune "saving" my teeth: fillings, crowns, root canals.

Parents not taking care of their children's teeth is a real sore point with me because MOST of the parents who say they "can't afford" dental care for their kids "can afford" to buy cigarettes, alcohol, going out to dinner frequently, expensive cars/motorcyles, vacations, manicures/pedicures/ highlights, bowling, shopping, etc. etc.

We must teach at the same school. Our school will make a referral to a sliding fee scale dental clinic in the area. In severe cases, parents are required to bring the notice their child has seen the dentist before they can come back to school.

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All we are and all we see is but a dream in a dream, All that you see or seem, is but a dream within a dream--Edgar Allan Poe

As I stated in my earlier post not all cavites hurt and this was the case for my son. Had he been in a lot of pain, then we would have done something. I had sealents on my own teeth as a child and they would continually wear off and even with very rountine brushings and dental cleanings I still had cavaties. We lived in the country and had really bad water and that was most of my problem.

Also, people are making it sound like parents who are choosing to not spend money on filling teeth are blowing their money in other places. Well, once again don't judge based on one or two instances. We don't drink, rarely go out on the weekends, don't drive super fancy cars etc. We are choosing to not get his baby teeth filled because after a lot of research we have concluded that it in this instance is unecessary- I would have them pulled first. Just don't automatically think that because a dentist is an expert on teeth that he/she is not also in a business that needs to make money.

My ultimate point is to be very careful what you thinking about others when YOU DON'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY! No parents are perfect and I am sure if we were to examine the parenting skills of those of you "judging" they would have there own really bad faults in certain areas!

Sorry haven't followed up
These children I see are High school age - they are having problems with their "adult" teeth - very sad

Wow... that is sad.

Since they are adult teeth that is a different story. Thanks for the clarification!

Yes, that puts a whole different spin on it.

In Wisconsin very few dentist will take the state health insurance; badger care, and if they find out you have it even if you want to self pay they won't see you. On of my BF son had some problems with his teath and there was no dentist that would see them, because they were on the Badger Care for health insurance. The problem is in our start they pay so little to the provider that they won't accept it, and yet the law is that if they know that have it they have to take it. So we have lots of kids that aren't getting the dental care they need. Of course there are parents that are just bad too...