What can be done about decaying baby teeth?

I have a four year old son who has some fairly significant dental problems. Before I take the next step, I am trying to research as much as I can. At least four of his upper molars have cavities. The ones in the first molars are small, but quite deep, and the second molars on both sides have started to chip away because of the decay.

What I want to know is do I have to have those second molars pulled, or can we put some kind of a crown on them until his permanent teeth are ready to come in? I’ve also seen where other dental websites talk about white fillings, porcelain onlays or dental bonding to fix teeth that have been chipped or damaged. Which would you suggest for a child his age?

I’m also wondering if I have to send him to a pediatric dentist. We’ve had two different dentists, and my son refuses to open his mouth for them. Do you think I will have to have him sedated for treatment? That seems so extreme, but my son now says that one of his molars hurts when he chews, so I think I have to take action.

I appreciate any insight you can give me.

Thanks,

Ellen

Dear Ellen,

Yes, I do believe that you need to visit a pediatric dentist, and yes, it is likely that they will need to sedate your son to get this dental work done. So you’ll need to locate a good pediatric dentist that practices sedation dentistry. Even though he only has baby teeth right now, those teeth are still important. He needs them, not only to eat, but to maintain the proper spacing for his adult teeth. If he does have to have those molars pulled, your pediatric dentist should suggest the use of space maintainers. Without them, his permanent molars will drift forward, and you’ll almost certainly be looking at fairly pricey orthodontic work when his permanent teeth are in.

In young children, the goal of most dental work is usually short-term maintenance, so the pediatric dentist may place a stainless steel crown. This will cost considerably less than a porcelain crown.

Of concern here is also the behaviors that led to this problem in the first place. Decay to the degree you describe has to have been fed all day, every day. I would lay good odds that your son is a “grazer,” in other words, that he eats pretty much continuously all day. If this is the case, you’ll need to find a way to change that eating pattern, or your son will continue to have serious dental decay problems all his life. At this point, he really needs to be eating only every three or four hours, and because of his problems, you should have him brush his teeth every single time he eats. If he cannot brush, have him rinse his mouth out with water.

Posted in Sedation Dentistry, Tooth Decay, Uncategorized, White Fillings | Comments Off

Can my infected teeth be saved?

Hi I went to the dentist today as my gum was red and litlle bit swollen, dentist took an x-ray and told me that i have infection and they cannot treat it anymore as it is too late to do anything about it. She told me that we have to take two teeth out. Do you think there are any other ways to avoid tooth extraction? should I go to another dentist?
- Ella from the UK

Ella-
I don’t know if these two teeth are hopeless or not, but I can maybe be helpful.

Just because a tooth is infected and the gum is red doesn’t mean that it can’t be saved. Most cases of tooth infection can be treated - with root canal treatment, or gum disease treatment.

I am suspicious. If you have serious gum disease, I believe I would be hearing different things from you. Now I wasn’t there to hear what they told you, so I don’t know this. I’m just trying to plant questions to help you get more complete answers.In the case of serious gum disease, this should have been stated clearly, and there should have been a very direct discussion about what to do about ALL your teeth, not just two. If this isn’t what happened, then it means that either 1) you don’t have serious gum disease, and therefore these teeth don’t necessarily need to be extracted, or 2) they were negligent in dealing with your gum disease. So I would seek a second opinion.

Another link:
Naperville emergency dentist - Dr. Newkirk

Posted in Gum Disease, Root Canal Treatment, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Can I bleach my teeth after getting Lumineers?

Two years ago, I got Lumineers on my top teeth. At the time, I did not have the money to fix the bottom ones, so I just left them alone. Now I want to bleach my teeth, but am not sure what that will do to my Lumineers. Thanks for your help.

Taryn in South Fork

Dear Taryn,

Are you looking to bleach just your bottom teeth, or both the bottom and the top? If you are hoping to make both your natural bottom teeth and your Lumineers whiter, I am afraid you are in for a disappointment.

Your bottom teeth will certainly respond to the bleaching process. Check out our page on Zoom Whiteningto read more about what is involved with that procedure. That being said, teeth whitening procedures will do nothing to change the color of your Lumineers. They are as white now as they are ever going to get, so I hope they are a color you like. This is true not just of Lumineers, but of all brands of porcelain veneers. Bleaching will not harm them, but it also will not whiten them.

If you were coming into our office to get Lumineers or some other brand of porcelain veneers, we would advise you to chose the shade you want to wind up with, rather than trying to match the shade of your lower teeth. Hopefully your dentist has done the same, and now the bleaching process on your lower teeth will make them closer to the color of your Lumineers.

I hope you wind up with the result you want!

Posted in Lumineers, Porcelain Veneers, Tooth Whitening, Uncategorized | No Comments »