Pediatric Dentist Archives - West Seneca Dentist

My Daughter Broke Her Front Tooth

Posted on October 11, 2024 by writeradmin.

My daughter had a bicycle accident and ended up chipping off a large part of her front tooth. I went to see her pediatric dentist. He did an emergency appointment. He did say that the tooth and root is fine, but that if we didn’t want the chip there, he could place a dental crown on it. Though, he doesn’t have an available appointment for six weeks. When I expressed concern about the wait time, he said that the nerves needed to calm down before he did the treatment anyway. Is this true? I’d hate for her to go with a chipped tooth for so long if it is not necessary.

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

There is no reason to wait. My guess is that your daughter’s dentist is saying that because his schedule is full and he doesn’t want you going somewhere else for treatment. I would go ahead and get this taken care of now.

I also do not agree with his treatment recommendation. If there is nothing wrong with the root or the tooth itself other than the chip, than a dental crown is an overtreatment. Plus, you will find that dental insurance only covers stainless steel crowns on children, which would be unattractive. You can get a porcelain crown, but will have to pay an additional cost.

The better treatment for a chipped tooth would be to repair the chip with dental bonding. I’ve posted an example image of this above. It may be that he doesn’t know how to do that, and that is why he is recommending the more familiar procedure of a dental crown. Not many pediatric dentists invest in studying cosmetic dentistry.

My suggestion is that you find a cosmetic dentist who also treats children to do the bonding. This is an advanced cosmetic procedure that has to be done freehand. You want someone with the training and skills so that the bonding will blend in naturally with the natural portion of the tooth.

This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.

What Is a Pulpotomy?

Posted on May 20, 2024 by writeradmin.

Can you tell me what a pulpotomy is? My son’s pediatric dentist said that he needs one but he took off before I could ask any questions about the procedure. It sounds kind of scary and I want to know if it is really necessary.

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

I am sorry your son’s dentist did not take the time to explain to you what the procedure was and why it was necessary. Honestly, I think it is important for pediatric dentists to be available to parents. They need to explain procedures, explain why they think it is necessary, as well as explain any alternatives available. Maybe this experience was a fluke and your dentist will be available in the future. If you find it is not, then it is time to get a different dentist for your son.

Essentially, a pulpotomy is like a child’s version of a root canal treatment. I would only say it is necessary if you are dealing with an infected back tooth. This is because your child’s back teeth need to stay in place until they are about twelve years old. If they come out prematurely, then the adjacent teeth will shift or tip into the empty space. This will lead to your son needing expensive orthodontics in his teen years. That is an expense you want to avoid if at all possible.

The main benefit to a pulpotomy is that it can save an infected back tooth. If the tooth cannot be saved, then you will want to make certain that your dentist places what is known as a space maintainer in the empty spot. This will prevent the other teeth from shifting.

If you are talking about a tooth that is not a molar, then I would say that a pulpotomy is not a necessary treatment. These teeth do not have to remain in place for the same length of time so there is no problem with it being extracted if the tooth is infected.

What you do NOT want to do is leave an infected tooth. That can cause serious problems for your son. Tooth infections spread outside of the tooth and can become life threatening. I would consider an advanced tooth infection a dental emergency.

This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.

Can Teething Cause a Fever?

Posted on February 26, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have a baby that is just under one year of age. They are crying a lot and have a low grade fever that comes and goes. Is it possible this is from teething or is something more serious going on? There is some swelling of their lower gums. A friend of mine says when that happens they slit their baby’s gums, but that idea terrifies me. Is there a simpler option?

Adriana

Dear Adriana,

An image of a baby crying and pulling at their ears.

(Photo courtesy of St. John’s Pediatric Dentistry, St. John’s, FL)

Yes, it is possible for teething to cause a fever. However, it will be a mild fever. Very mild. It will generally be accompanied by other symptoms as well, such as:

Fussiness
Tender or swollen gums
Drooling
Difficulty sleeping
A drop in appetite

That being said, do NOT slit your child’s gums. This is a really bad idea. The pressure on your baby’s gums that make them look swollen is because the teeth roots are growing. If you shortchange that process by slitting the gums, the roots may not develop correctly, which can cause serious dental problems later on.

The best things you can do is a combination of tylenol and something safe for them to chew on. There are over the counter numbing medications that you can put on their gums, but in my own experience it doesn’t work long and they mostly just enjoy the taste and odd sensation.

Once this tooth pops through, be sure to get them seen by a pediatric dentist. The earlier they are exposed to dental care the better. It’s important that they have positive experiences at the dentist before there is time for any actual dental problems to pop up. You don’t want their first dental appointment to be a traumatic one from a dental emergency.

This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.

Adult Teeth Behind Baby Teeth

Posted on November 8, 2021 by writeradmin.

I’m 16 years old and have three baby teeth still. The adult teeth are there, but grew in sort of behind the baby teeth. Is there any way for me to fix this?

Cassie

Dear Cassie,

I am sorry you are even having to deal with this. I don’t understand why your pediatric dentist didn’t deal with this years ago. Here is what should have been done for the benefit of any parents out there reading. If your child has baby teeth that are not coming loose with adult teeth ready to erupt, the thing to do is have the baby teeth removed. This opens up the space so your child’s teeth can properly come in at their correct positions.

For you, Cassie, you’ll have to take a two-step process. First, the baby teeth will need to be extracted. That won’t be difficult because they should hardly have any roots left. However, if you’re worried, I would see a family dentist who offers dental sedation. This can give you an anxiety-free appointment.

After the teeth are erupted, I would first see an Invisalign Dentist to see if your case will qualify for that treatment. Invisalign allows patients to straighten their teeth without anyone even knowing because they use clear aligners.

If Invisalign is not an option for you, then you will have to go the traditional braces route. Either way, you will have a nice, straight smile in the end.

What if there are not adult teeth?

There are cases where a patient has congenitally missing adult teeth. That means while most of his or her adult teeth come in, there are some that just aren’t there. In that case, you would still do something like Invisalign or braces to open up the spot for a full-sized tooth. Then, when you are older and your jaw is fully developed you can replace the missing teeth with dental implants. In the meantime, after the orthodontics, you can use a dental flipper to keep the space open.

I hope this helps and, again, I’m sorry your childhood dentist did not help you prevent the situation to begin with.
This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.

Dental Flipper for Toddler

Posted on July 31, 2021 by writeradmin.

I need some advice. We have always gone to the same pediatric dentist for all of our children. After our fifth child was born, he retired and sold his practice. I’m having a bit of trouble liking this new guy, but in the meantime, my youngest boy is in need of care. He had a playground accident and lost a front tooth. Our old dentist always told us the importance of keeping their teeth and when it is impossible to do so before their adult teeth are ready to come in to use some type of space maintainer so their other teeth do not shift into the open space and mess up their bite. In reality, we’ve only had to do this once when one of our children kept sneaking in sweets to bed at night. He ended up having a back tooth that couldn’t be saved. Our dentist put a space maintainer there. Because it is a front tooth, I wanted to place something there that would look like a tooth and suggested a dental flipper to our new dentist. He scoffed at me. I mean literally scoffed at me and said that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. I didn’t know how to respond, so we just left. Now my son has a missing front tooth several years before his adult tooth is likely to come in. I looked online to try to order one online, but it appears all of those are designed for adults. What do I do? I do not want his teeth to shift.

Melody

Dear Melody,

I am very glad you wrote. I can tell right away that you are a caring mother who is diligent about her children’s oral health. That is wonderful! Right off the bat I can tell this new dentist is not a good fit for you. Because of that, I am going to suggest you get a new pediatric dentist. Look for one who is willing to answer all your questions and take them seriously. Your children are ultimately your responsibility and it is important you understand all the recommendations for their care.

I understand your concern about your son’s teeth shifting. The good news is that this is really only an issue when it comes to back teeth, which is likely why your previous dentist brought it up with your child stealing sweeties. Those back molars have to stay in place until your children are around twelves years of age, which is why the space has to be protected. Front teeth are different, so your son’s bite is not at risk. I would just have the tooth fairly give him something to remember and let him be the envy of all the neighborhood toddlers for being the first one in their group to lose a tooth. It’s elementary school street cred.

Even if you wanted to replace the tooth for aesthetic reasons, a dental flipper will not be the right option. These are removable devices, which makes them
a choking hazard for children your child’s age. In all honestly, you a fine just letting the tooth be for now.

Thks blog is brought to you West Seneca Dentist Dr. Emburly.
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