March 23, 2008

Elliot's had his hands jammed in his mouth for weeks now. I keep checking for bumps or swellings or any other sign that the 2 year molars are on their way, but nothing. I imagine there's a lot of stirring happening beneath the surface, but still...

I started thinking today that maybe he is having problems with his teeth. Cavities, maybe? It would explain the odd grumpiness over the last 2 weeks. Medicine does make him feel better, which is good. And which makes me believe it's molars, not decay... but other than taking him to the dentist or waiting to see if bumps appear in his gums, how would I know??

It's always been a struggle to brush his teeth. When we took him to the dentist back in January, he commented on how deep the grooves in Elliot's molars were and said we'd have to take extra care when brushing them.

He doesn't eat sugar or very much juice (none lately, in fact) and rarely has bottles - but he does eat lots of yogurt with sugar in it. And he likes raisins, which I know suck for teeth. We do brush his teeth once (sometimes twice) per day and wipe out his mouth after most meals.

I remember my brother had his first dentist appointment around 2-2.5 years old and had an insane amount of caviites, and several cousins have all had to have their teeth capped at very young ages due to enamel problems. Does this stuff run in the family?