Posted by writeradmin
I just got back from my daughter’s pediatric dental appointment and I’m a bit frustrated. Yes, she likes sweets. So do I. He wants me to put a filling in her teeth with cavities. She is seven and these are baby teeth and are going to fall out anyway. When I pointed that out he said that they are molars and acted annoyed. That doesn’t change the fact that they are baby teeth. This feels like a money grab to me and I don’t appreciate his condescending attitude either.
Lorraine
Dear Lorraine,
I can tell you are frustrated. I will say that this particular dentist may not be the best fit for you and your daughter. You need a pediatric dentist that is willing to answer your questions without making you feel judged. It’s your daughter and you want to make informed decisions.
While I know that this is a baby tooth, and it will fall out, there are a couple of reasons to do this filling. Molars need to stay in place until your daughter is around twelve years old, so they are not likely to fall out any time soon. You don’t want the decay to progress. This leads me to the second reason. Decay has a ways of turning into a tooth infection.
These are painful and have to be treated. At your daughter’s age, that would mean an extraction if it is not a. molar. For molars, you’d want to save them if at all possible. This would mean a pulpotomy, which is a child’s version of a root canal treatment. If the tooth is too far gone for that, it would have to be extracted.
If that happens, make sure the dentist places a space maintainer there. Otherwise the other teeth will shift into the open area. that will lead to crowding of her teeth and mean braces as she gets older.
Bottom line, this would need to be treated. If you don’t trust this dentist I recommend you get a second opinion. The last thing you want is for your daughter to end up with a dental emergency.
This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Baton Rouge, Dr. John Theriot.