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Original poster

Help, 4yr DS has 2 holes one with absess being recomended extraction by NHS

39 replies

daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 17:25

DS1 is 4.
Took DS1 to dentist (NHS) just b4 christmas and his teeth were fine. Took him back in June and they have found 2 teeth with holes in and they told me that they would need filling. Last week he was complaining about toothache, got him into the same NHS dentist today, dentist said that he has an absess and it will need removing. She has asked me to come back in 2 weeks and she will try to clean hole in the other tooth and poss fill it but will make a decision on whether to remove that too.
Feel very worried about general anethetic and why he cant just have fillings.
Am trying to get a second opnion..

OP posts:
Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 17:27

Oh and by the way, I have always been quite strict with sweets and crisps and biscuits. Never buy them, he only gets them from grandads etc as occasional treats so I am vert shocked that he has got such bad teeth. The only thing bad that he has had is low sugar squash,...which is now banned in our house.

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 25/07/2007 17:28

If he has an abcessit means the daecay has gone down into the tooth where the nerve is and the nerve has dies. A simple filling wll not resolve the problem, the dead nerve has tobe removed (rather like root canal treament in an adult).. Most dentists prefer not to do that extensive treament to a 4 year old (it isn't always sucessul and quite an ordeal for the child, plus the tooth may be so decayed it isn't restorable anyway).

Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 17:33

She explained that and I understood, but just spoke to a friend and she said that she had bad absesses as a child and that her dentist just put fillings in???
Am concerned that the holes took 6 months to develop.
Also is it safe for a 4yr old to go under general??

OP posts:
Twiglett · 25/07/2007 17:36

DS is 6

he had 2 molars that didn't develop enamel properly and has had fillings in both every 6 months or so for the last 3 years

he has an abcess under one now (developed in March) .. it will most probably have to come out .. its an infection that gets in to the gum and can become very painful

the only issue with it coming out is that it makes it more likely he will need a brace when his adult teeth come through

his adult teeth won't come through until 8 or 9 in that area

I want him to have a GA although he might have sleeping sedation

you can't put a filling in over an abcess it just locks in the infection

ComeOVeneer · 25/07/2007 17:37

An abcess can't be treated with just a filling. A general does carry an element of risk, but it is very low (as long as the person is in good health).. Having the tooth removed under general is better than a traumatic experience in the chair that may put ds off dentists for life.

Twiglett · 25/07/2007 17:37

oh didn't see CoV here .. she's a dentist

Ladymuck · 25/07/2007 17:38

I was referred to my community health dentist and was told that ds1 would have to have all 4 molars removed. I went to a neighbouring borough for a second opinion and ended up with 3 filled and one removed. So it is definitely worth that second opinion.

In terms of things that are bad, it is any sugar at all that can lead to decay, including fruit, milk etc. Really all snacks should be eliminated and only water givien between meals, which is tough when they are little - mine seem to want to eat something every 2 hours.

Twiglett · 25/07/2007 17:38

baby teeth are very soft and decay easily, particularly if enamel not formed properly

baby fillings don't last IME .. you'll be trucking him to dentist every 3 - 6 months

Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 17:43

Oh right, my friend got me wondering if the NHS were trying to save money by removing the tooth instead of paying to fill them.

Twiglet, molar is the back teeth right???!!!
DS has holes in both teeth, why would he need a brace?? Dentist didnt mention this? If he has both teeth on both sides out what will that mean?
Dentist said that he wouldnt have back teeth till he was 14ish when adults ones would grow
WHat problems could that cause???

OP posts:
Twiglett · 25/07/2007 17:45

yes molars are back teeth .. I might have got when they grown in wrong

the point of baby teeth is also to hold the position for when adult teeth grow in, as I understand it

its not a big deal it just increases the risk of them needing a brace to sort out teeth .. but as there's a fairly large chance they'll need a brace anyway its no biggie

Blandmum · 25/07/2007 17:48

daisy, has you son has a lot of lactulose for constipation? This happened to a mates ds. He needed fillings and the dentist said that lactulose can help to cause problems with babt teeth if the child needs it for a long time.

Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 17:49

sorry didnt mean that last post to sound funny, just feel quite worried about his teeth and that he is so young.

Feel bad that I did something wrong, but at the same time kinda know that I didnt....

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 25/07/2007 17:49

A GA will cost the nhs a lot more than a filling so def not trying to save money. Baby teeth keep the space for adult teeth, so premature loss can cause adjacent teeth to drift into the gap causing over crowding as the adult teeth erupt. Thus requiring a brace to correct it. The dentist should monitor this though and if it is happening can put in "space savers" to maintain the gaps.

Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 17:51

He went into hospital when he was 3 months old with constipation and we had to give him lactose then... but nothing since.
He has always been a thirsty boy, he drinks alot, and up until june he would have squash...I just cant believe that drinking squash has caused so much damage..I always gave him sugar free and everyone else seemed to give their kids squash....
I know its suggary but thought sweets and choclate etc were worse.

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 25/07/2007 17:51

If you are talking about baby molars, these are replaced by adult premolars in the early teens, however the first adult molrs come in behind the baby molars at about 7ish and it is these teeth that can drift forward or become submerged.

Twiglett · 25/07/2007 17:52

ooo COV what's a space saver? is it permanently fixed?

we have initial appointment at hospital on 7th .. I was going to talk to them about capping it instead of removing it .. dentist said that might be possible

Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 17:55

Do you think its worth registering them to go private for future work (he is obviously gonna need further treatment). Or should we just stick with NHS???

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 25/07/2007 17:57

A space saver is a fixed (but temporary) splint fixed to the teeh either side of the gap to prevent them driftingintothe gap.

southeastastra · 25/07/2007 18:00

my son had two out under sedation it was fine, in and out but he has two gaps there now and today lost his first tooth naturally.

teeth are a pain aren't they?!

Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 18:01

Twigglet....is capping different from fillings??

Sorry to sound clueless but I only have had 1 filling and this is my 1st intro to dentistry!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 18:02

Southeast...how old was your son??? Did the denist say anything about drifting teeth and a possible need for braces later one???

OP posts:
CarGirl · 25/07/2007 18:03

capping is a crown, they take out the nerve, file down the original tooth and stick on a false top bit that looks like the original tooth - expensive and unpleasant tbh!

Original poster
daisycat01 · 25/07/2007 18:04

I suppose that is an option if you have adult teeth and dont want to have a gap in your teeth.
Not suitable for kids then???

OP posts:
ComeOVeneer · 25/07/2007 18:04

A cap/crown (two words for the same thing) doesn't need to have the nerve taken out in order to be done.

southeastastra · 25/07/2007 18:05

he had it about a year ago so was just 5. my other son has braces and so did i, so i'm expecting he'll need them anyway (starting to save up now for them!)

at the sedation clinic that we were referred to, the dentist took another xray, it was all double and triple checked that he needed it.