- My family has had terrible teeth for generations.
- My daughter had three cavities in her front teeth when she was only 1.
- Her dentist suggested a treatment to prevent more cavities, but it left her with black teeth.
My family has horrible teeth. They have chompers lined with crowns and stuffing, and silver smiles when they open their mouths. I’m convinced that a small community of dentists have stayed in business because my family’s name keeps popping up in their diaries.
Don’t get me wrong: We brush and floss like the best of them, but our teeth are just soft and sensitive, with crevices that welcome clinging sugar granules and bites of meat. I’ve had the least of this “family curse”, with, so far, only a handful of fillings. But I’m afraid my little one, Elle, has the worst of it.
As a baby, she slept in my arms as I sat on the couch, once I often wiped food stains from her cheeks and lightly brushed her few teeth with a rubber baby toothbrush. When Elle was about 1, I started brushing what I thought was plaque on her front teeth, but it wouldn’t come out.
Oh no, I thought, cavities.
I took Elle for her first dental visit shortly after — and a tall, kind-eyed dentist confirmed that she had small cavities in three of her front teeth.
I felt like a failure for letting my 1 year old’s teeth get so bad. I was also nervous, wondering if this meant Elle would have more cavities. Our dentist offered to put silver fluoride diamine over my daughter’s front teeth to stop the cavity from growing until she is old enough to sit for fillings without general anesthesia or until her baby teeth fall out.
Silver diamine fluoride is safe and effective
My daughter’s dentist explained that SDF was safe and painless and was a fraction of the cost of fillings. However, with safety as my No. 1 priority, I wanted to do my own research. I had to make sure I wasn’t bypassing the risks of anesthesia in favor of a worse list of side effects.
Lynn Gargano, the clinical director of pediatric dentistry at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, confirmed that SDF was safe.
“Scientific reviews and clinical trials report no adverse effects or serious side effects in children or adults,” he said, adding that the only known side effects were minor annoyances, such as short-term gum irritation or a metallic taste.
“SDF has been shown to prevent wear up to 80% of the time,” Gargano said. “In my practice, SDF is a viable alternative in very young children and patients with special management considerations.”
After talking it over with my husband, we decided that SDF would be the best option, and the following week, Elle’s dentist brushed the tops of her teeth with what looked like a small plastic stick. We were in and out of the office in minutes.
Her teeth turned black with the treatment
Before applying the SDF, the dentist warned me – a couple of times – that the solution would permanently stain areas of decay, meaning that parts of Elle’s teeth would remain black unless we decided to do the fillings later. He mentioned that some parents weren’t thrilled about it, but I dismissed his warning.
Still, SDF as a cavity treatment is relatively new to the US. It has been used for oral care in Japan over 50 yearsbut the Food and Drug Administration didn’t approve it for dental use until 2014. So while Gargano said SDF had gained popularity in the states, I’ve found that most people don’t know what it is.
“Did he eat Oreos? other parents asked after seeing my daughter laughing on the playground.
Sometimes I just nod and smile, blaming the dark area on cream-filled cookies. Most of the time though, I am forced to explain that my daughter has cavities and this was the alternative to general anesthesia. I’ve raised a few eyebrows, but more often than not, other parents sympathize with a difficult decision. Plus, they’re often interested to hear that fillings aren’t the only option. Glad to be able to tell them about our experience.
When my pediatrician warned me about SDF stains, I knew she was worried I wouldn’t like the look of Elle’s teeth. But my daughter isn’t bothered by her stained teeth and I’m not bothered by the look at all. Actually, I kind of like it. It makes her look more like my side of the family.
