Guilty Mom

I had a daughter who had to have a tooth pulled because of an abcess. It was really infected and I felt awful. She was 9 and it was a baby tooth. Things happen. Dont stress so much. They were baby teeth and big teeth will come in, in a few years.

My nephew lost his two front teeth when he was about 2. He is 8 years old now, and his teeth have grown in normally. We were worried about his speech for awhile, but when his teeth grew in it was just fine :)

Untreated abcesses (giant pockets of pus and infection), not only hurt as they start wiping out nerves... and can not only cause permanent malformations in the surrounding tissues (in this case, damaged facial bones, damaged teeth, and damaged gums)....

BUT they can also be deadly (and deadly quite quickly) if the infection gets into the bloodstream.

You did the right thing.

You did the right thing. Absesses HURT when they get bad! He might look a little funny until his perm. teeth come in in a couple of years, but it's ok. If you didn't do anything to cause the problem, then you shouldn't feel guilty at all! Just keep brushing his good ones really well. :)

Did the dentist put spacers in that place to make room for his permanent teeth? If not check into that-it is one of the latest efforts for kids to have good permanent teeth.

I have a friend who has three boys. All 3 of them by the time they were four had one of his front teeth pulled. She felt awful too. Especially when #3 fell and hit his face and his tooth and the area around it turned blue grey.
What I am saying is you are not alone. Those boys are almost all through high school and all on the hockey team and soccer and baseball. THey dont' remmeber anything about tooth pulling, but she has been to the ER more times than she can count with broken this and thats. Fortunately the boys still have their teeth.

you did the right thing, it will help him have stronger adult teeth because the area around there will be very healthy

You are a great mom I am sure. It is natural to feel bad. You have to stick with what you thought was best, getting them pulled. He is going to be fine and his adult teeth will come in soon. My brother's daughter 4.5 just got her front teeth knocked out. It was about an hour and a half after the accident that they realized the teeth were gone, they felt so bad. But in the end, She is toothless for a while, but fine. He is much better off without the absessed teeth. Just remind him how handsome and unique he is! :)

The best part about kids is their lack of apprehension with the dentist and their general behavior of accepting other kids. You did great!! You made the decision that is best for your son and his adult teeth. An absessed tooth hurts so bad (I had a molar pulled at 12 - it was still the baby tooth). Every kid is different. My son is in 2nd grade and still hasn't lost a single tooth. The dentist assures me that this is ok. Meanwhile, my 4th grader had 6 teeth pulled (3 on each side) to make room for her adult teeth. She said she didn't even notice they pulled them. She played with the spaces for a day or two and now she doesn't even notice.

We Moms are so hard on ourselves. Smile and capture a few of those adorable photos of your kid.

Oh, dear Andrea! I understand your feeling bad... Your poor heart. But your son will be OK faster than you think! Accidents happen... boys... he got hit... and OBVIOUSELY pulling his teeth out was the BEST option, as his dentist decided. Especially, if they already had some cavities going on. It is much better than having bacteria developing in your mouth! You always can explain your son nice way why the dentist had to pull his teeth. I know for sure, majority of children are concerned much less than adults about their looks. So if this is a case, don't worry! Yes, they say, baby teeth play an important role in forming room for adult teeth. But he is already almost 4. So, preety soon all his teeth will start changing. And he will get his gorgeous front teeth back, and will be proud of them! Something to remember later and tell his children about... :) Don't worry! Hug your little boy and you both will be fine! :) You did what was best for him...

What other choice did you have? Part of being a mom is making the tough decisions and seeing them through. Later on, this will seem like nothing compared to other things. You just do the best you can, and he will know that you've always took the best care of him possible.

I've known people who had that same thing happen. Don't feel bad, that's what happens. It can't be helped. Having an absess is dangerous... better to have them removed...

Oh, Andrea, how hard this must be. Thank goodness, though, that he wasn't four--and will get new teeth!

Consider treating it like a naturally falling out--since most kids are five or six when their teeth start falling out to be replaced by adult teeth, he's just "ahead" of them... My son's in the opposite group, for he's one of only three in his kindergarten class who has not lost a tooth.

If you are cheery about it, and make up fun stuff to say about it, that will make it easier for your child. He may be less self-conscious than you think, and asking him questions about it and treating it like it's cool (rather than scary) can help him look forward to getting his big teeth some day.

Good luck!

my son had one of his front teeth pulled because he fell and broke it when he was two. (bad experience for both of us) when I changed dentists he immediately put in a false tooth place holder so that the other teeth would not fill that space. does make sense? I don't know if your son is old enough that his permanent teeth will grow in soon or not, but you might bring in up with him.

otherwise your son will probably be just fine. he's a kid. you will remember it far longer than he will.

don't feel bad you would be a worse mom if you did nothing. My oldest daughter ( she is 5 almost 6 now) have to have all four top front teeth pulled at the age of 2. she fell on concrete and had a crack that ran through all four teeth and that combide witha bottle for far too long led to bad teeth. I was very worried that when she started kindergarten she would be teased but so far no problems. she knows her teeth were sick and had to come out and we have talked about when the new ones come in how different it will feel. and she is just fine about being a little different. you did the right thing and your son will be just fine.

You should not feel guilty ~ unless you were the one that hit him in mouth and made his teeth crack! (Not accusing at all) when the the teeth abscess it could cause problems in his permanent teeth. The dentist would not suggest to pull them if it wasn't necessary.
It can be really hard to be a mom when you kids get hurt, but we cannot protect them from everything or they'd live in bubble wrap!

Things happen to our children. We cannot prevent everything though good mothers try. What is important is to feed him well, give him lots of hugs and show him what life is really all about. Camp out and sleep on the ground under the summer stars. Take him to all kinds of events and read to him often.
Teach him how to sing. When you drive in the car have family sing alongs.

When my grandson was five the hospital put him under and a production line dentist gave him a few silver teeth instead of his normal ones. A couple were pulled. It's just the way things are done today. Dentistry has advanced but not for children.
It's like those ear drains they give children instead of waiting until the ear canal becomes straight again when the child is six years old.

Go online and research every procedure doctors and dentists insist your child needs. There are alternatives. The trick is to find them.

Andrea,
I know exactly what you mean. Last week my 2 (almost 3) year old daughter put a rock in a swing and pushed and it came back and hit her in the mouth and broke one of her front teeth. She had to have it pulled also and I feel awful. I keep reminding myself that this is temporary - it's a baby tooth and ThANK GOODNESS it wasn't her eye or something permanent. I am so grateful that we have options like a pedi-bridge if we decide to go that route. Also, feel better knowing that his mouth isn't hurting anymore. It's about what is best for them!! You did the right thing...