My two year old lost a front tooth due to a fall. I know teeth shift if you don’t replace them. Logically then, I need to replace that tooth. But, when I asked my dentist about a flipper for him, my dentist acted like I was an idiot and told me that I should leave the dental care to him because I don’t know what I’m talking about. I tried looking online for the DIY ones, but they’re only for adults. I’m worried about his teeth.
Dina
Dear Dina,
I can tell that you are a caring and conscientious parent and that you are fighting to do what you think is best for your child. I have some great news for you that we will go over in a moment. Before that, I want to explain why a dental flipper is not a good idea for him. First, it is removable, which makes it a choking hazard.
Second, your child’s mouth and jaw are continuously growing. Because of that, he will outgrow the flipper every few months. Not only is that expensive, but the teeth they would anchor to would have unnecessary stress put on them.
Finally, on a more keep from driving yourself bonkers note, there is little chance that at toddler will keep a dental flipper in his mouth. As it is designed to be removable, you’ll be fighting a losing battle multiple times a day.
The good news is that, while you are correct that teeth can shift when we don’t replace other nearby teeth that have been lost, for children that really only matters with their back molars. Those need to stay in place until they are around twelve years old, when their permanent molars will come in. For other baby teeth it doesn’t matter because the adult teeth come in soon enough to prevent that problem.
I am going to suggest that you get a new dentist. Yours was rude and dismissive. Plus, it’s YOUR child. You have a responsibility to make sure he gets the right care. Even if you had suggested something absolutely ridiculous, which you didn’t, in fact you had a logical reason for being concerned, his job would have been to explain to you what the issue was. Instead, he berated you. Get a better pediatric dentist.
This blog is brought to you by a kind Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James Williams.
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