My daughter is 7 years old. Her 1 back permanent molar started pushing through her gum back in December 2011. I brought her to the dentist in February and the dentist said the popcorn seed colored molar is normal and nothing to worry about. Then when I brought her in for her cleaning in April, I told her normal dentist that she is now experiencing extreme sensitivity to cold drinks. He looked at it (different dentist from Feb) and he said the tooth was flaking apart and will need work on it. But he was not familiar with this disorder and referred me to a good Pediatric Dentist. So we saw the Pediatric Dentist in July. She knew all about it and said they will need to keep puting fillings on it every couple of years until she is old enough for a cap. So the reason for my post is that my daughter still has not had any work done on her tooth because the pediatric dentist hurt her shoulder. She can't work on it until October 15th (I just found out the date today). My daughter is in pain when eating sweet and hard foods and drinking cold beverates. She cries. Should I wait one more month? Or see a different Pediatric Dentist. I have had such bad luck with all of this!!!
Thank you for all of the helpful responses! I called the pediatric dentist and they were able to refer me to another pediatric dentist. I called them and they can see her on September 25th for an evaluation. Their office is closed next week due to renovations (just my luck). I should have asked for another referral sooner! I feel guilty. We'll see what this dentist says. Thank you!
My son has enamel hypoplasia. If you are dealing with this do not wait. It can develop decay into the pulp of the tooth which means a baby root canal ( pulpotomy). You should ask the dentist about MI Paste. It is a topical which goes on teeth to increase strength on enamel weak teeth. Good luck.
Both my sons had this but thankfully only the baby teeth. My younger son had it worse and had to have all eight molars capped. That is what I don't understand, if they can cap baby teeth I see no reason why they can't cap her adult teeth.
Based on just that I would find a second opinion. This tends to be an invasive procedure requiring general anesthesia, not something I would want my kids doing every couple of years when it can be done once.
I have never heard of this, but if your daughter is in pain, I would go ahead and see a different pediatric dentist. It must be so awful to want to eat but when you do, your in pain. I hope this gets taken care of quickly so she can feel better soon!
I would try to find another pedi dentist, but in the meantime, have her try using Sensodyne toothpaste to help with the sensitivity. Also, if she can use a straw to drink that will help get the liquid straight down her throat and hopefully bypass her teeth. She can also help herself by not chewing on that particular side of her mouth and limiting or curtailing her intake of sweets. I had some work done one time that caused my teeth to be EXTREMELY sensitive. I could not eat sweets for about 3 months and I was using Sensodyne toothpaste plus some heavy duty sensitivity medicine prescribed by the dentist. It was miserable!
Go somewhere else. I'm sure you like your current dentist, but your daughter needs to get the tooth fixed before it becomes an even bigger problem. I wouldn't be able to handle my kids in pain or discomfort for that long.
I don't understand why she can't have a cap yet. They even do caps for baby teeth with this condition.
Please seek out a second opinion. Do you have a Children's Hospital anywhere within driving distance? Call and get an appointment with one of their dentists. It's very well worth it, I promise.
It seems to me that this is just an extra expense, getting fillings after fillings after fillings. I hope she doesn't have to go through this.
Dawn
Synsodyne toothpaste will help. Also there is an ACT mouthwash that will help - I think it is the restore. I use both. I would try and find another pediatric dentist if it is that bad. Tooth pain sucks. I would refer you to mine but we are in SW Ohio. Good luck.
I would not wait another month, and I don't understand the dentist expecting you to wait. Our pediatric dentist injured her shoulder, and immediately arranged to have another dentist in the area (Indy) cover her patients that needed to be seen before she fully recovered. You should have gotten a referral from your pediatric dentist to another, to do the work for your daughter.
I guess I'm a little confused by all of the answers that seem to be saying such extreme procedures! (from dentists and responses here)
I have no enamel on a few of my teeth and very low enamel on others. Yes it does mean that it's hot & cold sensitive (solved with special toothpaste) and yes it does mean that I probably have more fillings than most people even though I brush regularly. However, I've never had regular fillings "just because", I still have all of my teeth, and at 27 years old I just had my first root canal but that was probably my fault for waiting so long to get it taken care of (a filling fell out quite a few months ago).
I will add that obviously I'm not a dentist and I don't know her exact case but hope that this is helpful info for you.
