Posted by writeradmin
Can you help me? I am not sure what to do for my son. He is 3 years old and have to have his two front teeth removed because of an accident. I was, and still am, very worried about his teeth shifting. He’s already been without them for a few months. I mentioned getting a dental flipper to his pediatric dentist but he scoffed at me and said it was a ridiculous idea. I looked online and they only make them for adults. What do you recommend I do?
Beverly
Dear Beverly,
I am disappointed your pediatric dentist reacted this way to you. Clearly, his chairside manner needs some improvement. A good pediatric dentist will be attentive to parent’s concerns and questions. You are responsible for their health, well being, and development. Because of that, he should address your questions with adequate information to make you comfortable with the decision.
Will a dental flipper work for your toddler? Unfortunately, no. One of the biggest issues with this is that it is removable. At his age, this not only makes it a choking hazard, but it is very unlikely he will cooperate and keep it in. It is much more likely that he will remove it once your back is turned and lose it.
However, even if he were the most responsibile and cooperative toddler every known to exist in all the universe, I would not recommend it to you. You son’s jaw is growing and developing at a remarkable rate. You would need to replace it very often, which is a completely unnecessary expense.
I am glad you are aware of the problem with shifting teeth. The good news is that it will not be an issue with your son’s front teeth. This is only an issue if you were dealing with his back molars. Those have to stay in place until he is around twelve years old. If he were to lose a molar, then you would need a space maintainer. This will keep that space open so the other teeth do not shift or tip into it.
I hope this puts your mind at ease.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.