Getting Teeth Pulled and Others Repaired...

I would definitely call the dentist and ask them to explain things to you again. It could be that the adult teeth are growing in and are impacted. If that is the case, they would be very painful and need to be removed. Once you have a better explanation, then you will know how to proceed. Also, the front chipped tooth could cause him to be self conscious, so I would repair that if I could.

Best of luck.

K., you may not like what I say here...

Are you a dentist? Are you a professional with years of training and education? Do you know how to read x-rays? Have you studied teeth growth and how to keep them their healthiest?

If your doctor said: Hey K., you need your appendix removed...would you ask other moms what they thought?

How about your eyes? What if your eye doctor said: Hey K., your daughter needs glasses...would you ask us what we thought?

And on the “fixing the cosmetic thing”…why is that okay but the stuff you “can’t see” and know nothing about is questioned????

K., I am not trying to be facetious, I am just being honest.

Having said that, my daughter is now 14 and she has had all her baby teeth pulled at different times on the recommendation of her dentist. She is now growing into her teeth and it looks like she will not need braces.

You are the mom, you can decide, but at least make sure you have all the info…

B.
Family Success Coach

remember dentist get paid for every little thing thats done to our teeth. my baby teeth took forever to come out, even to the point where you coud see the actual perm teeth coming out. i think dentist office staff are sooo dramatic.

i would wait.

If it's not causing your child pain or discomfort... or it will not cause horribly crroked permanent teeth in the future, i don't see the need for teeth pulling.

Although, keep in mind that your dentist does get paid for eah type of work done... hmmmm...

Pulling teeth...I am mixed with this one. It depends if the adult ones are coming out at an angle dued to the perssure of the babies not falling. I would ask more questions on that before action taken.
Fixing chipped tooth... Yes, get that done. My son, six years old chipped two years ago and just got it fixed. He looks wonderful. It looks natural!

I think I would wait too. Maybe ask why she is in a hurry to pull those two teeth out though. There might be a good reason. And if the chipped tooth in question is a permanent, then I think it makes sense to have it fixed. Your kids are fortunate to have parents who will do that for them. Good luck!

Hi K., I understand your concern. You may want to get a sencond opinion just so you know you are doing whats right. The dentist may want to pull them because of space issues. But if you don't feel confortable with it have another dentist take a look. Good luck!
Dana
www.scentsy.com/danacarey

Ultimately, this is your decision and not the dentists. But, you know that. :)
My son's front teeth started moving apart about a year ago. He's only 6, so we figured he was just getting ready to lose a tooth. Instead, he grew an extra tooth that looked just like a fang in between his front teeth. X-rays were taken and they decided that the fang was impeding the progress of his permanent teeth. So, all three teeth were pulled (the fang and the two baby teeth beside it).
The procedure was quick and relatively painless for him. He had an empty spot at the front of his mouth for a while, but the teeth are coming in now. There was very little trauma to him.
But, you need to talk about this with your child and see how your child feels about this. He's old enough to have an opinion about his chipped tooth and potential surgery. Take the time to make the decision between you and your son, and don't let the dentist pressure you into something that is uncomfortable for both of you if it's not medically necessary.

While most dentists do get paid for their services, I've encountered zero who recommend removing teeth for monetary gain. What planet do some of you people live on? That being said, I faced a similar situation as a child. My baby eye teeth were still in place and my adult eye teeth were coming in above them. My dentist did not pull them and as a result when the adult teeth came in they were out of place. This was cosmetically corrected with orthodontia but as a result there was a great deal of gum recession which had to be corrected by gum grafts to cover the root. While this may not happen to your son, do you really want to roll the dice on doing a minimal procedure now or wait and possibly do a larger, more expensive one later.

Wow - six kids! You must be very busy and, hopefully, very happy. :D

As for the teeth, I was very late in losing my teeth. I don't think I lost my last baby tooth until I was about 14 years old. If your son isn't even quite 11 yet, I really think it is early to be pulling baby teeth out, especially if he naturally lost another tooth only two weeks ago. Please keep in mind that this is strictly my opinion and I have no dental training at all.

I would say to fix the chipped tooth, since he might become self conscious about later. You might as well fix it if you have the opportunity.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com - the best community and resource for OC moms

The chipped tooth --- get it fixed cosmetically for now. Be advised that that solution may not be permanent. I had a chipped tooth repaired at age 18, but had to get it capped about 20 years later.

Pulling the baby teeth: get a second opinion. As a side note; my daughter's baby eye teeth came out naturally, but the left permanent tooth never came in on it's own; it was starting to calcify to the bone and had to be "pulled" down. Not fun, but we got through it.

I'm confused. His baby eye teeth aren't in yet? Or they haven't fallen out yet?

I had to have a bunch of procedures done on my teeth when I was younger and it was no big deal. I have beautiful, straight teeth now. My understanding is that if the permanent teeth stay in too long they can become damaged. Something with the calcium... Just call and have him explain why.

Pulling the teeth is a good idea if it will lessen the need for braces in the future or if there is concern the permanent teeth will be damaged. The cosmetic fix is good for permanent teeth if you can afford it. It will become more important to him in high school when girls notice those things.

Hello!
the less intervention the better!
If you are worried that the lingering baby teeth are hurting the adult ones - by all means, do something! it it is just a cosmetic/peer pressure thing. -no way.
Fact is that the later they come in the less exposure they have to the elements the longer they will be good later on!
:)
-C.

Hi K.. Don't panic. I had a similar experience with an orthodontist. I was referred to one that "everyone" loved when my daughter was 9. She told me my daughter had so many things wrong and needed to get started right away. She really made me feel like a heathen for not starting sooner! I went back to my dentist and he said - "You know - it's not life or death. Some people never get their teeth fixed and some do it when they are adults. Find someone you can connect with." Great advice - I found someone with a more "wait and see" approach. My daughter just turned 15, got her braces off and her smile is gorgeous!

K.,

I know you already came to a conclusion on the teeth but I'd like to give you my input.....from personal experience.

I am 35 and had the same problem at exactly your sons age....adult teeth were present and baby's weren't out. The dentist suggested to my mom that we pull them in order to help the adult teeth come in straight and not require braces. Thank goodness my mom went with pulling them. They are still a little crooked but no where near as bad as they would have been. As a matter of fact my mom was looking at my side profile the other day and said "I am so glad I listened to that dentist or your teeth would have been really bad." To me, going through a small amount of pain with having them pulled was far better than wearing braces for years.....and much less expensive :)

Also, I had to have 4 other side teeth pulled because I started getting infections in my gums from the baby and adult teeth "fighting" one another. I have some small scars on my gums because the infections were so bad....My fault because I didn't want more teeth pulled and didn't tell my mom.

I will say I didn't have front teeth for about 8 months. If you have the money you can always see if you can get some kind of "false" ones for the front during that period.

Just thought you'd like the input from someone who personally went through the ordeal.

Hi K.,

My eleven year old son had a tooth that was coming in on top of the one that was not yet loose. I had had the same thing at his age. The dentist pulled mine. I waited for his and it worked out fine. The baby tooth eventually loosened and fell out. The new tooth is perfectly placed where it is supposed to be.

I would give it some time. Dentists are in business to make money. I am sure there are those out there who are not looking to make extra cash by unnecessary procedures, but in my search to find one of those "honest" dentists who take my insurance so far I have found several who want to do uncovered unnecessary stuff.

Good luck.

C.