Dental caries: little girl could no longer open her eyes due to swelling caused by an abscess

Diabetes, tooth decay, fatty liver disease, problems with concentration or memory: excessive sugar consumption ruins the health of thousands of Quebec children every year. Ubiquitous in foods, sugar in all its forms is too often downplayed, lament experts, who are calling for better education and better controls to limit the harmful effects.

A six-year-old girl had to be hospitalized and quickly operated on in January last year due to caries, which had become so degraded that her face was swollen and she could no longer open her eyes.

“It was like a bee sting that develops into an allergic reaction when the eye tries to open,” compares Paul Blondet, Leah’s father. The situation really escalated very quickly!”

Earlier this year, her six-year-old daughter had an accident where she had to be admitted to the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MUHC) and missed a week of school.

Abscess that hurts

Despite diligently brushing her teeth and visiting the dentist every six months, the child developed caries on her upper left molar. On January 8, a little patient from Laval had her infected tooth treated at a dental clinic.

However, the pain returned the next day as deep decay caused an abscess.

“His gums started to swell and it distorted his face. It was very impressive and painful for her,” her father emphasizes.

In fact, caries in early childhood can spread very quickly, and the enamel of baby teeth becomes less stable.

“When tooth decay goes away, it goes away very quickly. There are small children whose teeth are completely destroyed, shaved down to the gums,” explains Etienne Caron, president of the Association of Pediatric Dentists of Quebec.

The latter adds that some children have more risk factors than others.

Faced with an emergency, Leah’s parents took her to MUHC. She had to be hospitalized for two nights, from January 10 to 12, while she was given a powerful antibiotic intravenously to kill bacteria.

“Things got better very quickly,” recalls Mr. Blondet, who was grateful for the good care his daughter received.

“It took two days for the problem to be completely resolved.”

Then, on January 15, the girl was operated on under general anesthesia. The dental surgeon removed a tooth affected by deep caries, which is a common procedure in such cases. The x-ray also revealed other small cavities between the molars. They were repaired and stainless steel crowns were installed to protect the teeth, explains dentist D.^D Annie Marlowe, MUHC Chief of Pediatric Dentistry.

The two-hour procedure was successful, and the child was able to go home. For the father of two, the incident reinforced the importance of brushing and flossing morning and night. However, the man swears that his children do not overindulge in sugar on a daily basis, except on special days.

“We’re not necessarily proud of getting there. I wonder what we did wrong?” he admits.

Floss every day

“Are we unlucky? One thing we have learned is that people floss their teeth in the morning and in the evening, and we monitor whether they do it well,” assures Mr. Blondet.

He hopes his testimony will help parents understand the importance of brushing their teeth.

“It’s clear that this is an adventure I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” he concludes.