Missing permanent tooth what do they do?

[mom2alix]

DS5 had an extra permanent front tooth that was showing up in xrays. It was growing in between his permanent front teeth and starting to make them turn, so our dentitst reffered me to an oral surgeon to have it removed last fall.

Just went for a check up today and discovered that the surgeon removed the wrong tooth! I knew at the time that the tooth he took out looked perfect (not mis-shapen) but he (the surgeon) explained that it was because it was sideways on the xray and wasn't really mis-shapen. Nope - he took out DS's good front tooth and left the one he was supposed to remove. Now DS is going to have to have a fake front tooth once he loses the baby teeth.

I am SO upset. The whole reason we had the oral surgery done was to make it better for DS, so his front teeth wouldn't be crooked. Now he still has to have the mis-shapen tooth removed and he'll be missing one of his front teeth.

Anyone have experience with a child losing a permanent tooth? What do they do to replace it? I know the dentist mentioned they could do an implant, but not until he's finished growing. What do we do in the meantime?

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I'd be on the phone with a lawyer--- stat. Even if you don't sue for any kind of damages, you want to make sure that that child's mouth is taken care of properly with the utmost of care.

 

[JenLanDisney]

I don't know what to tell you but I would be so upset, too!

I feel for your little guy.

My husband had a school yard incident in elementary school. Someone threw a rock and cracked his adult front tooth sideways exposing the root. It had to be completely removed. He has a post and crown there. Unless you knew to look, you can't tell the difference.

 

[squirrel]

Oooh that's a big mistake.

I would be furious.

My sister had one of her permenent teeth in the front bumped bad enough that the roots died and it turned gray. She had to have it removed. The dentist did give her a false one. She has to have it re attached every so often as it comes loose.

I would look into the kind where they put a fake one over top. Don't let them pull the one that's mis-shapen. My sister has had trouble as they didn't have a post to hold the fake one on. My BIL (her husband) has the same problem with one of his front teeth also.

I would think the denist should do this for free. That was a big mistake.

 

[Kat77]

I'd be on the phone with a lawyer--- stat. Even if you don't sue for any kind of damages, you want to make sure that that child's mouth is taken care of properly with the utmost of care.

I agree. This is what insurance is for.

I would look into the kind where they put a fake one over top. Don't let them pull the one that's mis-shapen. My sister has had trouble as they didn't have a post to hold the fake one on.

I would think the denist should do this for free. That was a big mistake.

PLEASE DO NOT have anymore teeth pulled until you have consulted with several different dentists. You want to preserve any permanent teeth if at all possible rather than implanting. Have an orthodontist look at the misshapen tooth to see if it can be pulled into place and ask cosmetic dentists what can be done to reshape the tooth (veneers?). And by all means, do not agree to treatment just because it is offered free of charge.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I am missing a permanent tooth, but it's a molar, not a front tooth. Nothing happened to it, it just wasn't there. When I was young, I had braces then retainers that kept the spot open. Once I was in college, I had a permanent bridge put in.

Since it's a front tooth, I'd look into a dental implant. Implants were relatively new when I needed my space filled. We looked into having an implant done but my dentist recommended against it because there were still some problems with them. I've heard that the implants have improved a lot now.

But definitely contact a lawyer. Even if you don't want to pursue a malpractice claim against the surgeon, you should consult with an attorney to make sure you get it set up for the oral surgeon to cover all the costs associated with his screw up. Cause that's really awful!

 

[CrAzY4DL]

My cousin lost a tooth in the front and wore this thing that looked like a retainer but had a fake tooth attached. She wore that every day and then when was old enough (don't remember what age that was) they implanted a post and then attached a tooth. Hasn't had any problems since.

Hugs and pixie dust your way!!!

 

[LMC]

My DS15 is missing 9 permanent teeth (genetics) and we have been able to retain most of his front teeth. We had them capped which you won't be able to do if there is no tooth but you can definitely do implants. Not fun by any means but doable. You need to make sure that you have all future treatments for this "tooth" covered by this said doctor. You may get an implant and since he is so young it break out and he need another later in life. This happened to one my DH had replaced about 20 yrs ago after a car accident and it the post broke last year. Just make sure any agreement is worded that they will cover any and all treatments/expense related to that for the life of your child.

 

[aussietravellers]

OMG, that is just terrible, I would be so upset too

I also wouldn't take out the mis-shapen tooth yet. I would also consult with several oral specialists and maybe the option of putting a venir (or whatever it's called) over the real tooth, so he can keep the real to and have the cover on.

 

[Brewmeister]

OMG, that is just terrible, I would be so upset too

I also wouldn't take out the mis-shapen tooth yet. I would also consult with several oral specialists and maybe the option of putting a venir (or whatever it's called) over the real tooth, so he can keep the real to and have the cover on.

I think that the word that you are looking for is "veneer". I have one on a front tooth made from porcelain, and it really is indistinguishable from the other teeth, but you really need a skilled dentist to make it look good. They have to grind away a good portion of the tooth and then the veneer is glued onto the front in place of what was ground away (they fit you with a temporary while it is being made). In my case, the veneer was put on to fix a tooth chipped in an injury.

Oddly enough, I also had one of the "extra" teeth that they discovered when I was having my wisdom teeth taken out, so it must not be that uncommon. What was odd was how long it took for it to show up on an x-ray.

 

[2Kds2K9]

I would make sure that the surgeon who made the error pays for any future treatment.

Implants are expensive! Currently going through it with my son who is getting implants on his two front teeth that were knocked out when he was 10. Right now, I've paid over 3K and I'm not done.

But, implants are the way to go. They are permanent and once they are in, he should not have any more worries. However, you can't do this until he is almost done growing. Your bone continues to grow and will grow over the implant (screw). There are many things you can do until he is ready for that. A Veeneer would work, or even a partial.

And don't take this the wrong way, I don't want to make you feel like I'm kicking you when you're down, but I've always gotten at least three opinions before I did any type of dental work on my son. When we were looking at braces for him, and he still had the two dead teeth in, one ortho wanted to pull the teeth, move his two side teeth to the front and make those his front teeth. I couldn't run fast enough out of there! (it would have ruined the profile of his face and I was questioning the integrity of the bone while this process was being completed.)

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Also, spend some time and do research on the internet. There is a lot out there and it will help you make a better decision.

Good luck to you and your son!

 

[auralia]

the oral surgeon that made the mistake should be paying for everything i would go to him and explain the situation if he was't willing to fix it for free or minimal charge i would get a lawyer and sue. he took out the wrong tooth he made a mistake in his career and he should have to pay for it!

 

[mom2alix]

The dentist called this morning before 8 am and told me that he had discussed the situation with the oral surgeon and they want me to bring DS into their office so they can look at it and see what can be done to fix the situation. The surgeon's office left a message while I was taking the kids to school to set up an appointment, so I guess I'll know more soon.

2Kds2K9 - How old is your son now that he's getting the implants done? What did you do in the meantime? The retainer type bridge or something? I'm still trying to wrap my head around what we're in for.

I'm just sick over it because even though it can be fixed cosmetically eventually, and I think the surgeon will likely take care of the expense aspect (we'll see how that meeting goes); now DS is going to have to go through a lot of painful dentistry to fix something that just shouldn't have happened.

 

[LMC]

Listen carefully and take notes as they do all their doctor speak when they look at him again. Then go get another one, two, three opinions whatever you are comfortable with. You want to make sure you hear the same treatment repeated by a couple of doctors before you decide what to do. If this doctor has a differing opinion than other opinions go back and find out why. Take notes everywhere you get an opinion that way you will know exactly what everyone is talking about when you compare. I hope he does the right thing and gives the full blown 100% "presidential" treatment to resolve this. But as a pp said, it will be years before it can be fully corrected if it takes implants. You can't do those until they stop growing. I can't believe this happened when he had xrays in front of him. He could have immediately put it back in place and hopefully it would have retained. (They do this all the time when kids accidentally knock a tooth out). I wonder why he didn't do that. When did you realize it was the wrong tooth?

 

[2Kds2K9]

Here's my tale of woe.

We were on a cruise when DS(then 10) went down a water slide and had the two teeth knocked out, roots and all! DD (then 8) picked the teeth out of the pool. A dentist onboard met us in the clinic and put the teeth back in his jaw. Our first port of call was Belize where we went to a dentist there who bonded the front teeth to the rest of the upper front teeth. Once we were back home, DS had to have root canals on both teeth.

At 12 we had braces put on. The braces were basically holding in the front teeth. Now, the teeth are officially dead and had to come out. The dentist was able to make a partial for him until we complete the implant process.

We were told that DS had a 50/50 chance that the teeth would last. They lasted until he was 14/15. He's 16 now and is 5'10' and just about done growing. They feel his head won't get much bigger. We were originally told not to consider implants until he was about 21 and done growing. BUT there is new technology available so that if there should be significant growth, they can adjust the implant. I"ve done the research and agree that we can do this now.

I have seen at least 4 oral surgeons/implant specialists before going down this road. The oral surgeon that we decided on is great. My son loves him which is very important. He also works hand in hand with the Prosthodontist we chose. DS was knocked out to have the implants inserted as the procedure only takes about 15-20 mintutes but I didnt' want him to see what was happening. He did have to have the one implant re-done as the oral surgeon was okay with it and felt it would last, but wanted to make sure it was perfect. (NC for that surgery) We also had his wisdom teeth removed at the same time. Might as well get it all over at once. The healing was not horrible as the surgeon now uses laser to remove the wisdom teeth. No hammer and chisle that was used on us! He had minimal pain and swelling.

I know this is a horrible experience to go through. I've had nightmares for the last 6 years. But, I feel it is important that you ask as many questions as you can. You need to make sure you and your son are comfortable with 1) the doctors and 2) the procedures. This is an important decision and you don't need to make it right now! Research, research, research and ask questions. Visit at least two oral surgeons and two Prosthodontists. Ask you current dentist/orthodontist who they would send their child to. You'd be surprized by their answer

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[mjkacmom]

I agree with a PP about a lawyer. Even if he pays to correct this, the correction will likely cost money in the future (veneers only last so long).

 

[chinchiller]

That seems a little...odd. I have two baby teeth. The dentist didn't take them out and certainly never suggested things like fake teeth and implants just because there weren't permanent teeth behind them. I was told that, unless there was something actually wrong with them or they were interfering with the other teeth, there was no reason to remove them. They even had braces attached to them for three years.

Eventually I got a cavity in one of them and the dentist botched the filling so the tooth had to be removed and replaced with a crown (by a different dentist). The other baby tooth is still going strong.

I would really suggest getting at least one more opinion from a different dentist, especially given what happened the last time.

 

[bumbershoot]

He's 16 now and is 5'10' and just about done growing. They feel his head won't get much bigger. We were originally told not to consider implants until he was about 21 and done growing. BUT there is new technology available so that if there should be significant growth, they can adjust the implant.

One of the reasons males grow bigger than females is because they can keep on growing, without a pituitary disorder being present, into the 20s. I know plenty of men who grew and grew through college. Heck, look at Anthony Michael Hall! Quite a difference between the 16/17 year old filming Breakfast Club and how he looks (including his face) now!

Even if they are doing all the estimates they can, they don't know. I personally would hold off, just b/c of the amazing growth I've seen in the men I know!



OP my heart aches for you and your son! I'm very distrustful of dentists and others who work with teeth, especially since my mom was conned by a dentist/orthodontist old croney pair (can you say kickbacks?) and I was the one who paid in pain (first ortho visit at 9, palate spreader braces the works...my brother skipped the palate spreader but had neck gear to pull his chin out...his chin looks EXACTLY like our father's, still recessed and handsome, and our father had none of that nonsense). I find it so disturbing, and at the same time not surprising, that this person made such a huge mistake. I am SO sorry that it happened.

I would definitely contact a lawyer.

 

[QVCshopper]

I'm so sorry this happened. But, I have a half tooth since age six when I broke it running into a wall. They put a veneer on top of the half tooth, as the root was still good. I've had the veneer replaced once. But, provided the root on your DS's extra tooth is good, that's probably a good choice. 25 years later, I haven't really undergone much pain. Good luck.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Well that's just horrible!
My husband has several baby teeth - STILL - because his permenant teeth didn't come in. My son has the same issue and the dentist told him NOT to wiggle his teeth but 2 of them are so tiny that I know we will have to get him teeth. There are lots of options so you'll have to choose the ones that are right for you and your budget. For my husband, he just uses his baby teeth and we will deal with those wearing out when that happens. For my son, we'll do the same thing but we'll have to get his replaced while he is still young.

I would also say 'see a lawyer'!!