9 year old with a denture

[CountryMile]

Can anyone help and reassure me please?

My DS had an accident when a toddler and knocked one of his top front teeth right out and had to have the other one removed. Fast forward to last year when eventually his big teeth came through. One is fine but the other is not formed properly and it is very likely that he will have to have it removed.

We have been told he can have a denture until he is a teenager then he can have a bridge and ultimately, when he is an adult, an implant.

Will he cope with a denture? Will it be uncomfortable for him? I really don't want him to go through the trauma of having the tooth removed but it is hurting him and I know it is for the best.

I am really upset about it at the moment and have to keep telling myself it is only a tooth and can be fixed.

Any experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I can't comment on the denture but DD (also 9) has just had an upper adult front tooth taken out after breaking it and may lose the (central) one next to it in time as also was broken though not as badly. From the procedure point of view it was fine, she went to Guys and had it done under a brief GA there and she was up and about, happy again in no time. In her case they took out an adult lateral incisor (next to the canine tooth) and also her baby canine tooth - the theory being her adult canine tooth will move down across in the place of the missing front tooth. When she is older they will either reshape it to look like a front tooth or they will use braces to push it back and then use a bridge/implant longer term.

Have you been to see an orthodontist for an opinion? I don't know where you are but the paediatric dental dept at Guys were amazing. Well worth an ask to see them if you can get there reasonably.

Thank you for that. We went to the paediatric dental dept in Sheffield, we are a long way from London.

I am just trying to get some information really so we can ask questions and make a decision. I will look into an orthodontist.

I hope it goes well for your DD. I pinned so much hope on his big teeth coming through as he hasn't had any for 6 years and am so disappointed that one of them was damaged in the accident.

Children do really well with dentures. DS, then 8, had a removable brace fitted earlier this year and adapted to it very quickly. It was far bulkier than a denture carrying a single tooth. It was quite common to see children with dentures when I first qualified since H & S in schools and contact sports was very lax. As they grow the denture can be replaced and eventually a simple bridge can be used. You DS may be quite happy to stick with this.
I have one patient who had a denture from the same age as your DS she is now in her mid 30s and still has the bridge (Maryland) we placed when she was 16. It still looks great despite being 20 years old.