Anyone had a root canal on a milk tooth that is infected?

londonparent321 · 2022-05-09T11:56:36+00:00

Long story short: - 3 year 7 month year old has a pimple on his gum above his incisor, indicating an infection - the tooth has hit when he fell over a few months ago - the tooth is slightly grey Just wondering if anyone has heard of a root canal being attempted , rather than going for an extraction straight away (everywhere I've read says the tooth will be extracted). Trying to get a private dentist appt at the moment. Thanks

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

DuckQuacksFrogRibbits · 09/05/2022 12:59

I'm in a similar boat right now and have been given antibiotics and told they won't extract for as long as possible due to risks of GA on young children. Can't imagine my child sitting still with mouth open long enough for filling let alone root canal.

ForensicFlossy · 09/05/2022 13:00

Why would you put a child through a root canal?

Sniffypete · 09/05/2022 13:01

My dd cracked a milk tooth completely in half. The dentist said they would just leave it in until the adult tooth came through. In the end they had to pull it as the adult tooth pushed through and made the baby tooth stick at an odd angle.

nearlyspringyay · 09/05/2022 13:03

Why would you have a root canal on a milk tooth?!

StrawberryPot · 09/05/2022 13:05

Root canal on a milk tooth?! I've heard it all now.

FabulousKilljoys · 09/05/2022 13:08

As far as I'm aware although milk teeth have roots they're not like the ones on adult teeth and dissolve in the gum. Why would they do a root canal on a milk tooth??

Pixiedust1234 · 09/05/2022 13:09

Root canals are for saving permanent teeth so no point doing it on a tooth that will fall out naturally in 3 years imo.

You do realise root canals can be very very painful and can mean sitting still with mouth open for an hour or more? Why would you put a small child through that when some adults cant even do it? And GAs are fraught with their own horrible side effects too. I had gas at the dentist when I was seven and I still have nightmares about it. The smell, the taste, the claustrophobia of the mask, the being held down. I would highly recommend NOT doing gas on a young child if that was an option.

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 13:30

Pixiedust1234 · 09/05/2022 13:09

Root canals are for saving permanent teeth so no point doing it on a tooth that will fall out naturally in 3 years imo.

You do realise root canals can be very very painful and can mean sitting still with mouth open for an hour or more? Why would you put a small child through that when some adults cant even do it? And GAs are fraught with their own horrible side effects too. I had gas at the dentist when I was seven and I still have nightmares about it. The smell, the taste, the claustrophobia of the mask, the being held down. I would highly recommend NOT doing gas on a young child if that was an option.

Sure, so everyone has stated that a root canal is very difficult on the patient, but is an extraction much easier? The concern is that's equally traumatic and it will lead to the permanent tooth coming out incorrectly due to alignment issues with other teeth moving into the space left by the tooth

OP posts:

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 13:32

DuckQuacksFrogRibbits · 09/05/2022 12:59

I'm in a similar boat right now and have been given antibiotics and told they won't extract for as long as possible due to risks of GA on young children. Can't imagine my child sitting still with mouth open long enough for filling let alone root canal.

So your child has an active infection as well, and they're saying to have the antibiotics and see if the infection goes? Are the antibiotics working? Was worried the infection will affect the permanent teeth, but not sure if they are even forming yet as my child is 3 years old

OP posts:

ChiefPearlClutcher · 09/05/2022 13:39

My son’s front teeth were extracted at age 3 following a fall at 18 months which broke the teeth off just into the gumline, then an abscess formed . We only realised this more than a year later when I insisted on an xray. It affected his speech development, eating and chewing. The advice from the paediatric dentist was that the acidic environment around the infection can damage the permanent tooth behind, better to remove the tooth. A root canal is really not with the trauma. Now, at 10, with both teeth out we are starting with orthodontics. Do not be fobbed off by your dentist. Go to a paediatric dentist, insist on an x ray and see what the real state of play is. If you are anywhere near London, Weymouth Street Paediatric dentist is excellent and probably saved his permanent tooth.

SockQueen · 09/05/2022 13:39

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 13:30

Sure, so everyone has stated that a root canal is very difficult on the patient, but is an extraction much easier? The concern is that's equally traumatic and it will lead to the permanent tooth coming out incorrectly due to alignment issues with other teeth moving into the space left by the tooth

Show quote history

A straightforward extraction of a milk tooth takes seconds (though I don't know if a dentist would even attempt that on a 3 year old without GA). A root canal takes hours, often over more than one sitting. And I'm not even sure if they're technically possible on milk teeth. Not comparable.

You can't get GA done in dental surgeries any more, for very good reasons, so you'd probably need to be referred to a hospital for GA anyway, even if you did find a willing private provider. There may be places that would attempt sedation for an extraction. I don't think there are any easy answers here.

ChiefPearlClutcher · 09/05/2022 13:40

X posted
of course the permanent teeth are already there! Waiting, but there.
Get him to a proper paediatric dentist

Ambii · 09/05/2022 13:41

@londonparent321 a pulpotomy procedure is the child's equivalent of a rolt canal used in situations like yours where the child is young and has a long time to wait until permanent dentition comes through. When you call the dentist ask if its a service they provide. Still requires some child co operation of course and sometimes the sinus (pimple on the gum) comes back but worth a shot!

Ambii · 09/05/2022 13:42

*root canal

itsmeagainlol · 09/05/2022 13:43

Surely milk teeth don't have roots that you could drill into? DD had exactly the same issue and had an extraction.

ChiefPearlClutcher · 09/05/2022 13:45

My son’s front teeth were extracted in the chair with numbing gel on his gums and pain meds beforehand. It was over in minutes. He didn’t cry and they prepared him for it well.

itsmeagainlol · 09/05/2022 13:45

Extraction was very easy. She refused to have the gas thing, and actually had an injection to numb it like an adult has. She was a very determined 4 year old! Dentist had to reason/bargain with her 😂

MadameCholetsDirtySecret · 09/05/2022 13:48

No dentist would perform a root canal on a toddler. Milk teeth don’t have roots as such. It would be cruel and pointless.

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 14:20

MadameCholetsDirtySecret · 09/05/2022 13:48

No dentist would perform a root canal on a toddler. Milk teeth don’t have roots as such. It would be cruel and pointless.

I think I meant pulpectomy , but I guess it's the same thing

OP posts:

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 14:21

itsmeagainlol · 09/05/2022 13:45

Extraction was very easy. She refused to have the gas thing, and actually had an injection to numb it like an adult has. She was a very determined 4 year old! Dentist had to reason/bargain with her 😂

Did you need an extraction because of an infection? Did the permanent teeth come through ok?

OP posts:

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 14:23

ChiefPearlClutcher · 09/05/2022 13:40

X posted
of course the permanent teeth are already there! Waiting, but there.
Get him to a proper paediatric dentist

Is it a given for kids dentistry that you need to go private? The standard dentist didn't seem to know a lot about kids dentistry and the waitlist for a referral is weeks..

OP posts:

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 14:25

DuckQuacksFrogRibbits · 09/05/2022 12:59

I'm in a similar boat right now and have been given antibiotics and told they won't extract for as long as possible due to risks of GA on young children. Can't imagine my child sitting still with mouth open long enough for filling let alone root canal.

How old is your little one? Some people seem to be indicating it doesn't need general anaesthetic

OP posts:

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 14:26

Sniffypete · 09/05/2022 13:01

My dd cracked a milk tooth completely in half. The dentist said they would just leave it in until the adult tooth came through. In the end they had to pull it as the adult tooth pushed through and made the baby tooth stick at an odd angle.

Did the adult tooth come out ok in the end?

OP posts:

Original poster

londonparent321 · 09/05/2022 14:42

ChiefPearlClutcher · 09/05/2022 13:45

My son’s front teeth were extracted in the chair with numbing gel on his gums and pain meds beforehand. It was over in minutes. He didn’t cry and they prepared him for it well.

Did they need stitches after the extraction? Was yours due to infection too? Did the permanent teeth come through ok?

OP posts:

JomonotFomo · 09/05/2022 14:44

My daughter had one of her bottom front teeth come through with a large dip in it. The Dentist told me it was just a normal shape, but by 2 she was having an abscess on her gum regularly and was given antibiotics.

Initially the dentist tried filling it, DD was pretty young, certainly under 5 but a kid who just wasn't phased by stuff like that. The filling didn't work so they removed the tooth. I think she had numbing gel, because it was a front baby one it came out very quickly.

She had a gap for ages but her adult tooth came through fine.