Do I Need to Wait to Treat A Damaged Tooth for a Nine Year Old?

Posted by writeradmin

My nine year old daughter fell and cracked her front tooth. Part of it came off. I went to see her pediatric dentist and he said he could not see her for about a month. I don’t want to wait a month to get this fixed so I asked for a recommendation for someone else. He told me I’d need to wait until the root calmed down anyway. Is it normal to wait that long?

Carol

Dear Carol,

There is no reason to wait to fix your daughter’s tooth. I feel like it needs to get x-rayed as well to ensure there is not any internal damage. The chip can be fixed with dental bonding. However, not many dentists know how to do that. You may have to see a general dentist who enjoys seeing children.

Depending on the damage, you may have to eventually have a dental crown put on the tooth and possibly a root canal treatment. I would look for a dentist who can get her in sooner and then evaluate the situation.

If you end up having to place a crown on her tooth, make sure it is an all porcelain crown. But, don’t let them do it unless there is significant enough damage to the tooth. If it is just a chip, find a dentist that is willing to do the dental bonding. You want her to keep as much natural tooth structure as possible.

This blog is brought to you by Mount Dora Dentist Dr. Michelle Stillman.