PLEASE HELP!! Need info/experiences of LOs having a multiple tooth extraction! Thanks

[islandcat]

I hope someone will be willing to share their experiences of their child having multiple molar teeth extracted please.

My son has just turned 6 and is booked to have all 8 baby molars extracted under general anesthetic next week.

My particular concern is the affect on speech that taking all 8 molars out will have - surely it will give him a significant lisp? Has anyone here had a similar extraction and how did it affect their LO's speech? I'm not entirely convinced that all 8 need to be removed and because the adult molars are nowhere near ready - LO will need to live with the consequences of this extraction on his speech for at least 3 years. I'm worried he'll be teased if he has a lisp.

Would anyone mind sharing their experiences please? Thank you in advance :)

The history of how we got here:

When he was 3, he had a nasty bike accident and his jaw took the brunt of the impact. That impact caused his to crash into each other and cracked the enamel. We didn't know this had happened until about a year later when his teeth started crumbling as the decay set in around the cracks.

We've maintained the teeth as well as we can and we luckily have really good local dentist who can patch up his fillings as they fall out every 6 months or so. He has 6 fillings, one in each of the 4 top molars and 2 bridge fillings on the 4 bottom molars. One tooth has died and is the most problematic and I believe needs to be removed.

He was referred to a dental consultant who has advised that all 8 damaged teeth need to be extracted. I personally think that this isn't needed - we can manage the majority of the fillings with meticulous cleaning and close observation. When we saw the consultant, we hadn't figured out that it was the bike accident that had caused the damage. I thought it was connected with the dairy free diet that LO has followed since he was 2 - I thought it was caused by drinking oat milk. But the consultant said categorically that it was not caused by what he was drinking.

The penny dropped when we were talking about having accidents and my husband had a nasty bike accident when he was in his teens and his jaw took a significant impact, very similar to my son's one. He had endless trouble with the molars in the same position as LO. He finally had major reconstruction work in his 30's as filling after filling kept failing. The light bulb went on!

I have an older son whose teeth are just fine - both boys eat the same food (more or less) and have their teeth cleaned just the same, it didn't make sense that my littlest one had such trouble when my eldest was fine - the only difference was the bike accident.

We are seeing the consultant on Friday and I feel like I'm in a fight to save my sons teeth - one needs to come out but I need to put forward the case for not pulling the rest!

Thanks and sorry for long post!

Sorry- not a huge amount to add, but at that age I had 4 teeth removed.. my parents didn’t tell me what was happening and it was a horrible shock being put to sleep with a mask on and waking up with the horrible feeling of missing teeth and pain, it’s one of my strongest early memories so please make sure your LO knows something is going to happen, even if you don’t go into detail to not frighten him but don’t do what my mum and dad did (they thought they were doing what was best!)

Is there any other consultants you can speak to as well?

I had 4 molars removed when I was a bit older, maybe 8. It didn’t effect my speech at all.

I had mine removed under local. That wasn’t fun!!

I had 7 molars removed at 7 and my friend had 8 removed at the same age. I went under a general for one tooth near the front to be removed due to an abscess and woke up and the dentist had removed most of my back teeth. I was fine, no lisp and recovered quickly. I remember eating soup and bread and butter a lot of the time. No idea why they were all taken out. I brushed my teeth twice a day and had a reasonable diet. Good luck to your wee one OP.

The cynic in me says they are all being taken out in one go to save the possible cost of several visits to the hospital. The optimist in me says the consultant would only do what it best for your son.

I had six out I can't remember how old maybe 8ish it was because I still had baby teeth I don't know why that was a problem and none of my teeth had decay but I had six front teeth out and I was fine it was a bit scary as at the time they used a mask that went over my full face. I've also had 4 adult teeth molars out as a teen as I had too many teeth and needed them out and a brace it was fine again and a smaller mask then. My friends little one is four and they had all 8 back teeth out because of decay she was devastated and her little one was scared but got over it very quickly and doesn't have a lisp or anything

Thank you all for your very useful replies - I'm feeling more confident that his speech wouldn't be significantly affected.

sthitch - certainly agree - we've been keeping him informed. He knows that he may have to have a special sleep so the doctor can 'pop' out his troublesome teeth. He's a bright little boy so he understands as far as he's able but I know nothing can prepare him for the shock of waking up with 8 teeth gone!

Thanks all - I'm having a second opinion tomorrow after school as my gut is telling me that he doesn't need all 8 out. One is a dead tooth (root has died) and that is the most troublesome. I'd like that one out but I got the impression that the option on offer was all 8 out or none out. I'm hoping to negotiate on Friday. He's had 2 abscesses on the dead tooth but we manage with colliodal silver and salt water washes as that brings the abscess under control within a day. I'm quite confident in managing any further abscesses in the same way. We have a penicillin prescription on standby if silver and salt doesn't work.

Just an update: after some more thinking, the second opinion and the very helpful information you all gave - we are going ahead with the extraction in 5 days.

There is evidence of chronic low level infection and the risk of that infection becoming systemic or getting into his bloodstream is just too great. Now I know that his speech is unlikely to be affected, we are confident that we have made the right decision for his overall wellbeing.

I have explained to him that his teeth have to come out because inside the broken teeth are little lumps of germs and if those lumps pop and the germs escape into his body, it would make him very, very poorly. So poorly he would have to stay in hospital. He really didn't like that idea so he's completely on board with the extraction.

I'm drip feeding him information over the next few days - the big gaps will feel really funny to start with. He might be a bit sore but we'll give him medicine. His teeth will grow again, and we'll have to avoid some food for a while. I think a trickle of repeated information goes in better than a 'big talk' for little ones.

Please wish us all the best - the idea of handing over my comatose and completely vulnerable 6 year old to a complete stranger is deeply unsettling.

Hi. Know it’s been a while since anyone posted here but my son has had 8 teeth removed. How will he cope with eating solids once healed as mostly baby molars. I’m petrified he will choke as unable to chew hard foods? Please any advice gratefully received x

A good acronym to remember for deciding on medical procedures is BRAIN
benefits
Risks
Alternatives
Instincts
Nothing - what happens if we just remove the one tooth and adopt wait and watch for the other teeth?

Hi! My 5 year old had 6 molars extractions this week. I have the same concern about how she will cope with eating solids? Has your son adapted and how is his chewing???