My son had to have his top four teeh pulled out when he was four. The dentist told me his adult teeth may not grow in until he is 6 or 7. She wouldnt put in a partial. I really want him to have one, so he doesnt have to go toothless for that long. Does anyone know why you wouldnt want a partial? I feel like he feels uncomfortable cause he is the only one with "missing" teeth.
The two very front ones got chipped from a fall, the other two had decay on them
My niece had to have her 4 front teeth pulled due to decay. It has been a year or so and her teeth have not moved over in the way of the new ones to grow in. A partial is not always necessary and is more for cosmetic or preventive. I would just keep an eye on his teeth.
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I would not see an insurance company cover a partial for a 4yr old's baby teeth. I am sorry but I think that is more cosmetic per dentistry and insurance coverage's perspective. He can deal with out the teeth for a while and if he expresses pain in anyway then persue it further.
My daughter lost her 8 front teeth by the time she was 4 1/2 years old. She got her 1st tooth at 3 months. A lot of kids have no teeth due to their natural growing up and baby teeth coming out. Sometimes they don't have teeth for a long time. Hers come in early and the dentist thought it was because the other teeth were already gone and they had nothing in their way to push out.
Having a partial is way too much for a child to manage. What is he going to do at school? Take them out to brush them after eating every day at school? They have to be kept clean underneath or they can irritate the gums.
All the kids in my child care center had baby teeth falling out the whole year they were 4 and 5 and during Kindergarten and most had their adult teeth coming in, all 8, by the time they got out. The other kids he will be around will also have their teeth gone.
My son fell and chipped his 2 top, front teeth shortly before he turned 2 years old. One of them was damaged and had to be pulled, the other was slightly chipped and they could fix it. I asked the dentist about putting in a fake tooth to replace the one they pulled and he said that kids his age don't do well with "fake teeth" because they are constantly damaging them (so we didn't bother).
Sure enough, a few months later, the chipped tooth that the dentist fixed got chipped again. We didn't bother fixing it this time around. The dentist said that as long as it doesn't hurt and he doesn't get a cavity in it, he should be fine until the tooth falls out on its own.
So I guess what I'm saying is that our pediatric dentist thinks that children at that age might be too young to be careful with "replacement teeth."
On a personal note - I was devastated that my baby no longer had his cute, perfect smile. But you know what, after a while you don't even notice it and they are still "perfect" in your eyes. It has now become part of his personality and he's not embarassed by it at all because we talk so freely about it. If anyone asks, we just say what happened. Now he even answers the question himself if anyone asks.
why was the 4 teeth extracted?
I think your son will be fine.
My son, on his very first practice at T-ball, took a line drive to the mouth and knocked out his 4 front teeth....2 on top and 2 on bottom.
He had a giant whole in his mouth for what seemed like forever...it was really just a bit longer than 2 years...now that he is 7 and they are finally all the way in, we have to start think about spacers and braces...ugh!
My daughter chipped her front 2 teeth when she was 18 months old. When she was 3 she was rough housing with her cousins and the one came completely lose. She lost that one and the other front tooth the doctor pulled because is was getting really loose too. The dentist put in a partial and it was worth every penny. Yes, it was just for cosmetic reasons he said but it was completely my choice. In my opinion it is an awfully long time for your kid to go without his 4 front teeth. I suggest finding another dentist if you really want your son to have a partial. I go to Dr.Welch in Gilbert and he is so wonderful.
I'm not a dentist, so of course I don't know why she wouldn't want him to have a partial bridge. Did she have an explanation for you that made sense? Is there not a way for you to go get a second opinion from another dentist? They're doctors, too, right, so if you don't like or are unsure of an answer given by one, I would ask another. I understand that your son would be uncomfortable without his top teeth for that long of a period of time instead of the usual few months.
