I have a three year old whose two front teeth have to be removed due to tooth trauma. I hate of the idea of him not having any front teeth. I read that children need to keep their teeth until the adult teeth are coming in or they’ll end up needing braces. I talked to my son’s dentist about getting him a dental flipper, and he acted like I was insane. In fact, he actually laughed at me and said, “Yeah, that won’t work.” I was so embarrassed by his response, that I didn’t ask him what would work. So, I’m asking you. If my son can’t have a dental flipper, what is the best option for him.
Malorie
Dear Malorie,
I’m glad you wrote. I’m going to say right off the bat that I can tell you are a caring mother who wants to do the best for her son. Some of the information you had about baby and adult teeth is correct. When you are talking about their back teeth, those need to stay in place until your son is around twelve years old. That’s when his adult molars will start coming in. Other teeth, like his front teeth, come in much sooner and you won’t have the same issue with the adjacent teeth shifting or tipping into the empty space.
If there was an issue with needing to keep the space open and available for the incoming teeth, you would use a space maintainer.
Why a Toddler Can’t Wear a Dental Flipper
While your son’s dentist could have handled this much better, he was correct about a dental flipper being a good option. First, they are removable. Which means that you are dependent on a three year old to keep it in place and not lose it. Plus, because it is removable it is also a choking hazard.
On top of all that, lets say that your son was miraculously the most responsible toddler on the face of the earth, his jaw is still growing. That means you will need to replace it quite a bit.
I hope this helps. You might want to look for a new pediatric dentist, preferably one who explains things to you instead of acts in a condescending manner.
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