Pulling a baby tooth

[butterflylover]

My dc had a stainless cap fall off recently and her dentist said the tooth infected and needs to be pulled and a stainless spacer put in. My dc is almost 7. I have no idea if having the baby tooth pulled is warranted. She was also put on medicine for the infection. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I'd ideally like to avoid pulling the tooth. Also applying a sealant was recommended to her 6 year molars to prevent cavities but I'm not sure about having this done either. Any advice?  Thanks. :)

[prescottchels]

If it's a baby tooth that the dds wants to pull and your child is 7, that seems kind of silly if the tooth isn't painful. It's likely to fall out soon on it's own in the natural course of things, ya know...?

As for sealants...I personally think they're ridiculous if your child is able to brush well. If the child has some physical or mental limitations then it would be a different story. We just need to teach our kiddos proper oral hygiene habits. Set a timer for brushing if you need to. I think the recommended time is 2 min twice a day.

[midnightwriter]

I think it depends on the tooth and the infection.  6 months ago DD, 9, had an abscess on her baby tooth, and we spoke to several dentists, and they were all telling us to pull the tooth out immediately! The tone was implying that we were negligent parents for allowing an infection near the brain and what not. It was one of the back molars, and the new tooth is supposed to come between the ages of 9 and 12, so they were also recommending a spacer. We panicked and pulled it out. It was awful for DD, because she is very sensitive...

Then DD had another abcsess. Another back tooth, on the other side. One dentist recommended an immediate extraction again...Then we saw an older dentist, and he said he'd rather monitor the abcsess, and as long as it drained into her mouth and wasn't painful, then it is better to keep it than to have a spacer.

Yesterday we saw yet another dentist, with who we will probably stick. She's had this abscess (no pain) on and off for several months now. Considering that DD will not tolerate a spacer, and the new tooth is not due until 1-3 years, he somewhat reluctantly agreed to keep the tooth and monitor closely. When we questioned him about negative consequences, he admitted that there weren't as many. Yes, a systemic infection was possible, but a very remote possibility, and not his worry. We've heard before that the bone density could be affected, thus making the new tooth weaker, but he wasn't concern at this point.

Now, if DD was a child like her friend, who had no issues with his tooth being pulled, and thought it was pretty cool, I would lean towards pulling out an infected tooth. But because she is so sensitive and anxious about it, I'm trying to find a good balance for us.

If there's less than a year befor the new tooth is expected, a spacer is unlikely to be needed.

Good luck...

[butterflylover]

Thanks for your thoughts. My dd has sensory issues so I worry she will be traumatized by pulling the tooth. If the infection does away and she has no pain I'd feel better keeping the tooth in. The thought of that spacer in seems barbaric though I realize it keeps the teeth aligned. I have set up a second opinion so I will wait and see what the new dentist says.

[midnightwriter]

Originally Posted by butterflylover 

Thanks for your thoughts. My dd has sensory issues so I worry she will be traumatized by pulling the tooth. If the infection does away and she has no pain I'd feel better keeping the tooth in. The thought of that spacer in seems barbaric though I realize it keeps the teeth aligned. I have set up a second opinion so I will wait and see what the new dentist says.

Hugs. I hope you can find a dentist that is willing to work with you and your DD. Are there any holistic dentists in your area? It seems that they are more willing to work with the family and are respectful to sensory issues. I know for a fact that a spacer would be incredibly traumatic for my DD so we are trying to avoid it as well.
 

[butterflylover]

Well, I just wanted to update. DD saw the dentist in December and the dentist said there was an abscess but DD still has no pain and the dentist did not recommend antibiotics since there was no pain. She did recommend extraction and a spacer of course which we have declined again right now. They want to put DD under IV sedation for 2 visits to do all the work but I just cannot afford it and she will not allow a tooth to be messed with while awake. So we will continue to wait. I'm praying the tooth just falls out soon. :)

[Simonemccluskie]

My daughter has already had baby teeth removed and has a space retainer brace in.

She is 10 and has now been told that she needs 8 teeth out. 4 baby teeth and 4 adult teeth in the gums.

This will need to be done under a GA and I am concerned that it is really nneded and the pain she will have.

2 of the baby teeth are already wobbly but she does have issues in pulling teeth out and the older she gets the worse she is.

What would happen if we let things happen naturally? Yes she will probably still need the 4 adult teeth out but hopefully by 12 or 13 she will be able to have this done in a chair rather than a full GA.

Please advise of other dental experiences.