Should I Remove Her Tooth??

My son fell and had to have his two front teeth when he was 2 1/2. He went to a wonderful pediatric dentist and he did not have to be sedated. He got a pedi partial- a month later. The only trouble we have is if he smeaks something sticky (candy or gum) it pulls his partial loose. Other than that it went really well. We see Dr. Paul Rubin in Frisco.

I would get a second opinion- any dentist who wants to replace a tooth of a 4 year old is only looking for $$$$. She's going to loose it soon enough. Unless there is nerve damage I would and pain why do anything.

I would get a second opinion. When my son went for his 2nd visit a certain dentist said he would need crowns, how crazy is that? I took him for a second opinion to Dr Patrick Ryan in Plano....loved him. He ended up filling 2 cavities and sealing his molars.

WOW! that seems like a lot! did she go to a pediatric dentist... if not go get a second opinion...

J.,
I am a dental hygienist and have read all the interesting responses. I definitely would suggest seeing another dentist, possibly it being a pedodontist (kid dentist). I have worked for several offices and have never had one of the dentists wanting to extract a front tooth and replace it on a child. The other hygienist is correct on the fact that she will be losing the front teeth in the next year or two. If the front tooth isn't abcessed (has an infection) and it isn't hurting her, then you could probably wait it out and the tooth will eventually fall out. I see many children that get several cavities on the back teeth and I believe it is due to too many juices (especially not being diluted when young) and COKES! Cokes are acidic plus the fact that it is full of sugar. I would suggest you brush and floss her teeth until you feel she is competent enough to do it by herself. I have a couple of pedodontist in the area that are wonderful: Dr Jeffrey Holt of Kid Dental--he is located in Carrollton and Coppell and Dr Jason Clapp in Highland Village. Many kid dentists prefer you not to come back in hopes that the child will not act up since mom or dad isn't there to possibly "baby" the child. I do think it should be up to the parent...you know your child and if they will act up if you are present in the room. I do not like strapping a child down. There is no need for it. The "kiddie cocktail" works just fine to relax the child or even nitrous works well too. This allows the dentist to work without freaking the child out. I have many adults that have been scarred from a bad childhood dental experience. Good luck and if you have any questions I will be happy to help!

Hi Jeanette,

I'm a dental hygienist in Richardson. I think if I were you I'd get a second opinion. There is a great pediatric dentist we refer to, Dr. Bob Morgan, here in Richardson. Generally, at our office, we watch cracked teeth. Usually, if the crack opens up and becomes an issue, the tooth will cause some pain to chewing, and/or break. Because it's a baby tooth, she's going to get the permanent one in about 1 1/2 -2 years (around age 6). It's worth a second look from someone else to see if they recommend the same treatment. Even if extraction is needed, you may opt to let her be a little snaggle toothed for a year until her permanent tooth arrives.

Hope this helps!!

Definitely go get a 2nd opinion!! After my son fell and hit his 2 front teeth, I took him to a pediatric dentist that came highly recommended. The dentist recommended pulling the 2 teeth IMMEDIATELY and also said he had 5 cavities! We were shocked, and needless to say did NOT want him to have to go through the trauma of having teeth pulled and replaced, etc. (He's 3 1/2!). So, we went and got a 2nd opinion, well, he does NOT need to have the teeth pulled, nor did he have 5 cavities-- only 1!!! Sooo, the moral to this story is: always go with your gut feeling, and go get that 2nd opinion!! Good luck. I'm not sure where you're located but we got our 2nd opinion from a wonderful pediatric dentist named Sandy McDougal, who is located just off Bush & Coit (behind Central Market). She is wonderful, my kids love her! Her phone # is: ###-###-####, Plano Pediatric Dentistry, 400 Maplelawn Dr., Ste. 103, Plano, 75075.

First, you have my sympathy. This is very stressful. There is nothing like a whole bunch of cavities to make you feel rotten. When my daughter was four, the dentist found four cavities that needed attention. If it makes you feel any better, we brushed every night and even flossed three times a week at least, and she still got them. Apparently, a kid is either prone to it or not.

I was petrified at the thought of the whole process...nitris and demerol...on such a small child. I definitely checked it out with my pediatrician and had an extra sit down meeting with the dentist before proceeding. But I have never been so impressed in my life. They were so gentle and so attentive to potential fears and problems. The drugs were just enough to calm her and eliminate pain, and no more than was absolutely necessary. My daughter had no idea that she had gotten any shots or fillings. She never saw a tool, they were so careful about passing the tools between the dentist and assistant. It was really quite amazing. And, we did it in two visits. My daughter went back to the second with no problem.

We go to Dr. Villasenor in Dallas. She is so soft spoken and sweet with the kids that I think they really trust her. If you need a second opinion, you might try her practice. Good Luck!

Get another opinion. Try Grace E. Smart (Pediatric Dentist) ###-###-#### She's in Garland at Belt Line and Shiloh. I"ve visited with her about some concerns with our first child, however, we've not been in to use her yet. I'm sure we will with our second child -- his teeth are close together. But she comes recommended from our pediatrician, and our neighbors used her for their son and can't say enough wonderful things about her.

Please get a second look.

Why does he want to replace it? If she's only 4 then it would be a baby tooth, right? Wouldn't it replace itself when it was ready to? Sorry for all the questions, but the dentist has me confused. Have you gone to this dentist before? Do you trust him/her? I understand your concern. I would be concerned as well!

hello J.,
My daughter had the exacted same thing happen to her. She is 4 and a half and she fell when she was two years slightly chipping her front tooth. She has never complained that it hurts. When I took her for her last dental visit they did some x-rays and the dentist said it is just a little bit loose but not too worry she might just loose that tooth a little sooner.I would not have the tooth removed unless it's causing problems. You might want to go to a new dentist and get a second opinion.Good Luck.
M. V.

You got lots of good advice. Just a note, do not let the dentist put mercury amalgams into your childs mouth. You can use composites.

Hi Jeanette,

My daughter had to get her front teeth pulled around your daughters age. We had 2 opinions from 2 different dentist's and both said the same thing.
It was because of a recurring infection she was having with the teeth since she was very young.
When they were pulled we had them replaced with pediatric dentures that cost $500 and they were a molding of exactly what her teeth looked like so no one could tell the difference.
They looked really cute but she hated them and they never felt nautral to her so we took them out and she adjusted better to no front teeth than to fake front teeth.

Anyhow, she had no problem getting them pulled. She was in some pain the first day but was back at school the following day and her front teeth even grew back sooner than we expected so everything worked out great.
Let me know if you have any questions I can help you with.

Good luck with your decision!

My dentist recommends that parents do not let their children brush their own teeth until they are atleast 9 years of age. My kids do not like it but everyday, my husband and I do their brushings. That way we know that their teeth are clean before bed. I suggest you do the same. that is too many cavities for a little girl of 4.

I would advise against removing a tooth that is not abcessed or bothering your child. Both of my sons had trauma to front teeth as toddlers. We did not remove those teeth. Our dentist left it up to us. We did not think the cosmetic advantages (dead tooth tends to turn gray eventually) outweighed the stress of a negative dental experience. Both lost their "broken" teeth a little earlier than average kid, but not a big deal.

I'd get a second opinion on all of it. Who is this dentist?

I had my 4-year-old's molars sealed. I think it was a great decision. I know a college girl whose parents did the same. She has never had a cavity in her life. You can seal those baby molars and then seal the adult ones when they come in. I go to Dr Tipton Asher in Plano.

Always get a second opinion from another pediatric dentist and then talk to your pediatrician. I don't understand why they would want to remove (and replace?)a baby tooth that is only going to be lost within the next 2-3 years anyway? I can't help but to wonder how many unnecessary procedures are done to our children because it's covered by insurance.

I have recently been going through a similar thing with my almost 6 year old daughter. I got a second opinion from a pediatric dentist. (ANIL K REDDY - 370 S ST HWY 121 N STE 102 - COPPELL TX 75019 phone ###-###-####) He was wonderful. My daughter does not respond well to men the first time she meets them and he was no exception. However, within an hour he was able to put her at ease, evaluate her teeth and fill 2 cavities. She was giving him a hug by the time we left and her twin brother and older sister were wanting him to clean their teeth right then.
We were told that she had 2 cavities between her back molors and that they needed to be filled and capped. They said that it would not be good to extract and not replace because the teeth would move and the permanent teeth would not have room to move in. We were also told that if we did nothing, that the cavitity would go deeper and could effect her permanent teeth below. The first pedi dentist we went to wanted to sedate her, put her in a papus (straight jacket) not allow me to be with her, and put 4 crowns on because of the location of the cavitity. I said NO WAY!!!! Then Dr. Reddy said that she did not need crowns and was able to fill the cavities on our first visit because I brought the xrays from the first dentist. I recieved 4 opinions. First dentist said 2 crowns, but would not do it because she was not a pedi dentist. Second dentist was not sure and referred to a pedi dentist (this was a family friend). Third was the pedi quack that did not even know she had 2 previous fillings and wanted to put crowns on 4 teeth. The last was Dr Reddy. He did it all with a nitris gas. He was calm and reasuring that she only needed fillings on 2 teeth and NO CROWNS.

Always get a second opinion when you are not feeling good about the first opinion.

Get a second opinion. That's quite a few cavities for her age. Plus, if you didn't know she even fell and she is not complaining about the tooth I would definitely want to know that it needed to come out. It's expensive and there is sedation involved...I wouldn't rush into anything.

Personally, I've had terrible luck with adult dentists...they told me I needed procedures I didn't need and cracked 2 teeth removing fillings that were not leaking. It took 2 years at my current dentist to get my teeth back to the way they alway were...which was good. Suddenly, I don't have cavities at every visit...hmmm...

You can't be too careful...

Get another opinion and find someone you are really comfortable with. If you need referrals let me know. I know of at least 2 that are honest, kid friendly, and on the ball.

Good luck!

My son bit into something really hard when he was 2 years old and broke one of his top front teeth. We did not do anything about it until it he quit eating. Turned out the pulp was exposed creating pain 6 months later. So we had it extracted. Never replaced the tooth. He developed an abcess in his gums with the other top front tooth 2 years after the incident! His face swelled up really big and his eye was almost swollen shut. So, we ended up having to extract the other front tooth. He was put on a antibiotics. Thank goodness, we extracted it when we did because it could have caused a severe systemic infection. He has had a toothless grin since. He is almost 7 years old and his adult teeth are about to come in. He did fine without them. I have gotten so used to seeing the front two teeth missing that I am going to miss that smile when they are replaced with his permanent teeth. I think the dentist is concerned about damage to the root or with a crack in the tooth, food or bacteria can enter it. You need to find out exactly why. Also my son had crowns put on all of his molars due to severe grinding of his teeth, which created cavities in them. Good luck!

why do you need to replace her front tooth? If it is not a permanent one there is no reason to replace it and spend the extra money. My youngest had a tooth fall out at 3 and there is still a hole (he's 5) it will grow in when its ready.

I have a cracked tooth (my top front tooth) and because it doesn't hurt my dentist says to leave it alone.

We go to Dr. Morgan in Richardson, who the dental hygienist previously mentioned, and went through something like this with him. At 3 years olf my son had his first x-rays and Dr. Morgan asked when he had fallen on his face because the roots were broken off of both front teeth! They did not bother my son, no idea when it happened, so Dr. Morgan said just watch them. He thought they would probably fall out early because they had no roots, and because the teeth in my son's mouth are fairly tightly packed (braces, here we come!) he would probably need false teeth to keep proper spacing for adult teeth. Well, somehow those teeth hung in there until age 6 to 6 1/2 with no probelms! I appreciated that Dr. Morgan seems to aim for the least trauma possible as long as the child is safe. We another close call with my second son, three at the time, who fell on his face pretty bad. Dr. Morgan x-rayed it, saw no obvious crack, and just had us come back one more time to make sure a few weeks later, and then told me what to watch for to make sure it stayed healthy. Again, another positive, non-invasive experience.

Please DO NOT have her tooth removed! My daughter did the same thing when she was 4 yrs old, and our dentist said if he pulls the tooth it will make it harder for her adult tooth to come down and break through when it's time. He said it's not hurting anything, it's not bothering her, it will fall out on its own when it's time, so leave it alone. My daughter was on a trampoline and fell wrong, hit her mouth on the springs, and split her tooth, and her tooth even actually turned dark, as though it died. He did not want to remove it though. She is 7 yrs old now, and it just fell out and her adult tooth is coming in just like it's supposed to, and her tooth never bothered her, so we left it alone.

I would get a second opinion at another dentist. Hope this helps!

A.

Hi Jeanette,
We have gone through this also. One of my daughters had hit her tooth on a chair while learning to walk. The tooth ended up turning a grayish color but after x-rays showed that the permanent tooth was not injured, we opted to leave the tooth in place. I would ask your dentist the pros and cons of doing both; leaving the tooth and removing it. I do agree to get a second opinion.
As far as some of the responses about her having "too many cavities". My youngest has the softest teeth I have ever heard of. For those who do not have a child with soft teeth it is hard to comprehend. Ask about getting her teeth sealed.

Hi J.,
I can speak to you from personal experience. Not advise on what you should do...just what I would do.
I would not replace the tooth. If it looks ok now, and it is not bothering her, I would just leave it alone and watch it. If it is getting infected I would just have it removed and leave the space alone. She is almost ready to lose it anyway. Replacing it would be such a large expense and so unnecessary.
My son had his front four capped because they were weak and chipping away. He ended up breaking off two of those caps. We just pulled what was left of those broken teeth and left the space. He was cute as a button.
Actually I am surprised that your dentist would recommend replacing at this point. I would seek a second opinion!!

You need to take her to Dr.Patrick Ryan in Plano, he is awesome!!!! It doesn't seem like the dentist you went to before is in the best interest of your child. Good Luck!

I would get a second a opinion if you aren't comfortable with the treatment he wants to do. There are great periodontist out there. I used to work in the dental office before I had my daughter. I used to refer my little ones to Grace Smart in Garland and there is a Dr. Allan Pearson in Wylie. Not sure where you live. But they are really good. Hopefully there is an alternative treatment they can do besides pull her tooth. I would hate for her to have a bad experience in the dental office at such a young age. I hope it all works out!

We took my daughter to a HIGHLY recommended pedi dentist who said she had 2 cavities and they needed filling as well as we MUST seal her baby molars. When I found out they wouldn't allow us to be in the room with her and were going to strap her down, we went to another dentist...our family dentist and she couldn't find any cavaties nor did she recommend sealing baby teeth that were not cavity prone. I strongly recommend a second opinion!

Don't let them pull the tooth unless it has gone dark or is infected. This is a baby tooth and will eventually fall out anyway. I have 4 children ages 18-6 and have had two of them damage baby teeth from either a fall or sports and all the dentist we have ever used have said the best course is to do nothing to the tooth unless it presents further problem. You can even leave it if it goes dark as long as there is no decay because it is not going to hurt the child, it's just a cosmetic preference for some people. I would get another dental opinion before pulling and replacing a baby tooth.