Parenting & Family

Removed my 3 yrs old son's front tooth

  • Last Updated:
  • Nov 17th, 2013 8:53 pm
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Sr. Member
Nov 25, 2008
829 posts
66 upvotes
YORK

Removed my 3 yrs old son's front tooth

Hi
I have 3 years old son. I had habit of giving a bottle of milk to Hayden on the bed before he slept each night, and I didn't brush his teeth much.

I took him to dentist last month and was told there was cavity on one of his front center tooth. Ok then I thought well then just had to fix it . Two weeks later we revisited and do the fix but the dentist found out as she cleaned the hole , she reached the root part. So she concerned
That the root was infected. She recommended me to see children specialist dentistry which happened to be upstairs.
So I took my son there and they actually had time do X-ray right away. So result is that the nerves were infected. Specialist dentist said there is no fix to it just need to remove it. Dr in fact had time to do right away

My reaction is, well seems like no other choice. I called my wife but she was busy away from her office desk.

The strange thing that all along , my son never had complaints (pain or uncomfortable)

My wife called back 15 min late , by that time injection was just done , I told my wife exactly what dr said, my wife said or son is too young to lose the teeth. , New tooth wont come out till 6-8 yrs old. ...seemed yes reluctantly

Now that it was removed. I felt you know. ... I should have waited or take him to 2nd dentist for more opinion.

I just felt very bad now ...and of course my wife and mom in law were very sad and critical of me
7 replies
Deal Guru
User avatar
May 25, 2011
10105 posts
14411 upvotes
...but you did take him to a second dentist and did get a second opinion.
Sr. Member
Nov 25, 2008
829 posts
66 upvotes
YORK
the first dentist i saw was not specialized for children and she did not come to final conclusion ( should remove , no other fix )
Deal Guru
Dec 31, 2005
13306 posts
750 upvotes
Not a big deal.

Our neighbour's daughter had to have her two front teeth removed when she was about 4.

What is the concern?
Moderator
May 28, 2012
12485 posts
5278 upvotes
Saskatoon
Most children lose their front baby teeth when they are 5 or 6. If the specialist thinks it best to remove the tooth, it's probably a good idea. You might want to be more proactive about your child's dental health from now on. There are baby toothbrushes and toothpastes - even wiping his gums with a washcloth with a dab of infant toothpaste is better than nothing. It's never too early to teach your children about dental health as far as I'm concerned.
Banned
User avatar
Nov 2, 2012
2778 posts
473 upvotes
Hamilton
The main concern at this point is how difficult it may be for your son to talk properly. Losing a front tooth at such an early
age may hinder his ability to pronounce certain words well (he may talk with a kind of lisp). The new tooth will come in later
than normal. Whenever a tooth comes out prematurely, the adult tooth will be delayed.

I am not questioning what you or the dentist did. If there was nerve damage, then pulling the tooth was likely the right call.

But I don't agree with some of the posters that it is no big deal. Kids who talk with a lisp are often made fun of at school (not
saying that that is okay...just that it is the reality of the situation). Even if they are lucky enough not to be heckled or ridiculed,
they may feel awkward or ill at ease when speaking and may become shy or withdrawn as a result.
Sr. Member
Nov 25, 2008
829 posts
66 upvotes
YORK
My son had speech problem...he's been taken to speech therapist 3 times so far not much improvment.
However for this tooth removal that happened yesterday, we dont notice him any bad sign ...he talks almost 100% the same as before the tooth removal.
Sr. Member
Jan 24, 2007
508 posts
148 upvotes
Toronto
My niece had to have both front teeth removed at 1.5 years for the same reason. At just over 2 years she can pronounce words quite well Considering, no indication of a lisp is present.

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