liquid iron & teeth

**mim1** · 05-03-2008 04:19

My ds (13 months) needs to take liquid iron because he is iron deficient. His paed didn't mention that it can cause teeth discolouration. On the bottle it says to prevent discolouration to use baking soda as a toothpaste. Any idea how to practically do this in a 13 month old? He has 12 teeth (yes, I know it's a lot) so it sounds important, but I read that he can't have real toothpaste til he is 18 months old ...

Any thoughts? Anyone used liquid iron?

**naiwen** · 06-03-2008 23:11

My DS is on Liquid Iron (ferrous sulphate) and he has just got a tooth so I will be watching this thread with interest!

**justmum** · 06-03-2008 23:30

When using the liquid iron, can you do it in a syringe and push it further back in his mouth so it misses his teeth?

**julietv8** · 07-03-2008 11:20

I would mix up a little bit of baking soda and water into a paste, then add a couple of drops of peppermint flavouring (baking soda tastes awful) then pop it on his toothbrush and brush away. also, getting him to take it with a syringe or a straw would probably help

**Agnes** · 25-03-2008 08:27

using a syringe or a straw are very good ideas to prevent the visible parts of the teeth from iron.
Metalic salts may cause severe tooth discoloration if they come in contact with teeth for a long period.

But I would not recommend baking soda. It is very abrasive for baby teeth and it could damage the tooth enamel.
You can find some tips on how to clean baby teeth here.

**veve** · 25-03-2008 08:31

can you also give him a drink IMMEDIATELY after the medication??? to rinse the rest out of his mouth ?? (unless its against the advice on the bottle???) just a thought

xx
JEn

**mim1** · 25-03-2008 20:20

I didn't end up doing anything other than using a syringe and no teeth discolouration. AND then tonight, I decided it was time to start brushing his teeth after meals, so I did and to my surprise he thought it was great and opened his mouth wide for me to brush! He normally bites everything that gets near his teeth! Thanks agnes for the website ... I wasn't sure when to start using toothpaste, I thought it was 18 months, but it seems 2 years is the go.