skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I am very upset right now and need some advice. My 12 yo dd needs orthodontic work. There is no dispute there. Her teeth are very crowded and some of her adult teeth cannot come in because there is no space for them. We started consultations with an orthodontist about a year ago and are now preparing to begin treatment in January. We had a meeting last month to discuss preparatory dental work. Dh, dd, and I were all present for this meeting. I took notes. My notes and memory (as well as dh's and dd's) led us to expect that three baby teeth would be pulled now in preparation for treatment. A fourth adult tooth was to be pulled once it came in (after treatment began). Dh and I hemmed and hawed about doing this. We felt three pulled teeth was a lot. But the rational made sense and we ultimately decided to go forward. The orthodontist sent the instructions to our dentist and we made appointments. The plural should have been a flag. I assumed they needed two appointments because pulling more than two at one time was not a good idea. The first appointment was today. Dd went in expecting a pretty simple pulling of one or two baby teeth. She came out very panicked and unhappy and unable to really talk. I was surprised at how affected she seemed but I gave her a long hug and we drove home. She gave me her pulled teeth and I looked at them. There were THREE and not the ones I thought were going to be pulled! She then told me (by writing it out on paper) that she was to have FOUR MORE pulled at next week's appointment. What?!?!? I immediately called the dental office and talked to the assistant that worked with her. She verified the orthodontist instructions, told me which teeth were pulled, and which were to be pulled next week. I asked her if dd was even going to be able to EAT without seven of her teeth. She said that they are all baby teeth and it was not unusual. I then called the orthodontist office. The doctor is out of town all week but another employee pulled her chart and verified that the dentist's orders were indeed what was recorded in her chart. She could not really comment any further not being the doctor and all. She promised to have him call me first thing next week before dd's next dental appointment. I am completely upset about this. It could be a mistake, which would be awful. It could be that we misunderstood, which is also bad. Either way, I'm not sure I will be able to get dd to go back to the dentist or orthodontist after this. She is completely freaked out and upset. We absolutely would not have consented to this course of treatment had we known SEVEN teeth were going to be pulled. Two that were pulled today had very deep roots. She is going to be in a lot of pain. Now to go forward. Obviously, if this is some sort of mix-up and this was NOT what was supposed to happen, we will have to figure out how to handle the negligence. I'm not really asking for advice about that yet, since we don't know. If this is (as I suspect) a situation where we misunderstood what was going to happen or it was not clearly explained, I'm not at all sure what to do now that we are in the middle of it. We would NOT have done this if we knew what was going to happen. But now it is half done. What do we do now?!?! Complicating the situation is that we live in an unusually isolated geographical location. This means we actually have NO orthodontists within two hours. Ours is the closest and comes to our area regularly for adjustments. Everyone who has used him that we have spoken to has been very happy with his work. It is not like we can run out and get a second opinion easily. And we are under contract financially. And for my own information.... Has anyone heard of anyone ever having to have 7 or more baby teeth pulled in advance of orthodontic work? Is that a real thing? I am just sick right now:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I am sorry your daughter is in so much pain! My son has already had four baby teeth pulled and is scheduled for three more. So, no--I do not think that seven is too far out there. But the miscommunication, of course, needs to be addressed. I would have no problem postponing appointment #2 if the ortho really wants all seven pulled. A month will give time for the adult teeth to make some progress. If they are mature teeth, they will often start to descend within days. FWIW, my son had baseball practice mere hours after having four teeth pulled. Hope your daughter's recovery is as swift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I've heard of baby teeth being pulled, just not that many. but, she is 12 and still seems to have a lot of baby teeth. That may be what is unusual and why they want to start moving forward. I had a couplle of kids who had stubborn baby teeth and we ended up having to have them pulled so orthodontic treatment could continue. However, it was only 1-2...not 7. I'd definitely hold off on that next appt. until you can get clarification from the ortho 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I'd be worried about whether they're all really baby teeth though I'm sure that's something that should be obvious to the dentist. I'd see about getting a second opinion with another orthodontist ASAP, if only to make you more comfortable with the current plan! Second opinions are usually complimentary and are commonplace. (We made room in my ds12's mouth with a palate expander first a few years ago and now braces, hoping we can make enough room for those last two teeth to come down. It looks like it's working so far.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 :grouphug: I don't have advice but I couldn't read and not send hugs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashfern Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 :grouphug: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 *hugs* I hope this all works out. I'd get a second opinion before proceeding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It is very unusual to have that many baby teeth left at 12. Most kids lose their last tooth at 11 or 12. Since she still has so many and her mouth is really crowded, then pulling them makes total sense to me. Sometimes kids do not lose teeth normally and they have to be pulled. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 (((((Hugs))))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Another vote that it sounds stinky but not too far out of the norm with that many baby teeth left at 12 and severe crowding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I don't remember specifics (baby vs. adult teeth, single or multiple appointments) but I had 9 teeth pulled before I had braces. The miscommunication is what would worry me more here. I would push for clarification and perhaps get a second opinion. How awful for your daughter! :grouphug: :grouphug: for her and for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I had exactly 7 baby teeth pulled in advance of orthodontia. I had other baby teeth pulled before that- my roots just took forever to dissolve. The 7 baby teeth were pulled, and then a few weeks later I had 3 adult teeth pulled also- two lower molars and one eye tooth on top. There was just not enough room at the inn. I have a very small mouth and this was the best plan. Other than being sore, as expected after having teeth pulled, i didn't have any problems losing all those teeth at once. I actually preferred that to spreading it out. When I had the adult teeth pulled, I went from the dentist in the morning to the ortho that very afternoon to have braces put on and connected before the teeth could start any kind of movement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Hugs to your daughter! I'm really surprised that she had that many baby teeth left. Most people have lost them all before 12. Maybe that is why she's needing so many pulled. The lack of clear communication would make me furious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Try not to worry. The dentist who pulled the teeth would know if they were teeth that looked completely fine, and would question it. My daughter had 8 teeth pulled, and now she will be getting all 4 wisdom teeth pulled. So she we will be left without 12 teeth! I wonder too how she has enough teeth left to chew, but she does. :) Also, she finally has a nice smile! Her teeth were growing it at so many different angles because her mouth was so crowded. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I can understand why you are so upset when this is not what you were expecting. It does seem a little weird that you have notes of a conversation that is completely different than what is recorded in her chart. So that is something I would definitely want straightened out. On the other hand, as someone who has 8 teeth pulled in one week and a total of 19 pulled altogether (12 of which were baby teeth that were done before ortho), no seven wouldn't freak me out at all. I'd have been thrilled to "only" have that many pulled. They started pulling my teeth when I was 7 because the roots were so deep the permanent teeth simply moved elsewhere to errupt and so I had permanent teeth everywhere but where they should be and baby teeth with full roots because the permanents never wore them down enough to get them to dissolve. My case was pretty extreme. Mu understanding is that pulling teeth is less common than when I was a kid but is still used in certain circumstances. My own DD has a couple pulled already with promises of more as she grows. Sometimes mouth size and teeth size just don't watch well. I guess before I took her back in I would want to speak to the ortho who ordered all this to find out where the misunderstanding was and make sure you understand why the treatment plan is so different than you expected. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipper Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 My middle daughter has a very complicated mouth. She had seven (or maybe eight?) baby teeth pulled and either two (or four, sorry can't remember!) permanent teeth pulled. She has a very small mouth and the teeth were truly over-lapping each other. I didn't think baby teeth had roots? (thinking about your comment about her being in pain). Also, if she's in tremendous pain, they will prescribe pain medication. She had eight of them done in one appointment. I did freak out but the dentist, ortho and oral surgeon were all in agreement that it was common so I calmed down. My daughter is still in braces, but her mouth looks so much better and feels better. She has always had dentist anxiety, and they now prescribe her one anxiety pill before any prolonged treatments (cavities and so on) to help with her anxiety. If you're not anti-meds, it might be something to look into. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Ether baby teeth do need to come out before braces. Both my kids lost their last baby teeth late. In fact my 13yr old had two baby teeth pulled this summer because the permanent teeth had started to come in, and he still has three or four more to go before he can get braces. The dentsi made a joke about him having braces at his high school graduation. Neither of our dentist/orthodontists have wanted to pull baby teeth that were not ready to come. I would wonder why treatment needs to be rushed and can't wait for the teeth to fall out on their own? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: The miscommunication needs to be addressed and I would definitely schedule a meeting with the ortho that includes you and your husband as well as your notes. So sorry. That being said, my baby teeth did not fall out. I ended up having to have all of my baby teeth pulled. I was put under but they did pull all of my baby teeth since my adult teeth were trying to find space and there just wasn't any. Then, because my mouth was still crowded with just adult teeth, I ended up having 4 adult teeth pulled before I got braces. Then I ended up having 4 more adult teeth pulled and having to have braces again because my back molars were all impacted and shifted my teeth out of alignment. Bottom line, you need clarification and something written down that explains what the plan is here. This should NOT have been sprung on you or your daughter during the procedure or after the procedure. Maybe there was a miscommunication but definitely before anyone does anything else, schedule a meeting and ask for the plan in writing. You can make a decision regarding whether to continue with this ortho after that meeting. (I realize you don't really have any other option in that area). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 First of all, thanks to all of you for calming me down a little. I had no idea that so many teeth could be pulled like that. I had one stubborn baby tooth pulled as a kid and dh had none so this is just not something we have experienced before. I also did not know 12 was late to still have so many baby teeth. Dd is an only and it is not like baby teeth come up a lot in general conversation so I just assumed it was normal. What we do know is NOT normal is that dd has (or had anyway) three baby teeth with no adult teeth above them. This is genetic and runs on my side of the family. I also have four and they are still in my mouth and holding strong. But I did not have the crowding. These are the three teeth we thought were being pulled. It made sense since there is crowding and there is no adult teeth to replace them. The fourth adult tooth to be pulled later is the fourth tooth to match the other three so it would be even on both sides. My guess is that this is where the wires got crossed. We heard that and wrote it down and might not have understood that it would be in addition to other baby teeth that are not budging (probably because the adult teeth above cannot push them out due to the crowding). So, this really could have been a misunderstanding. Knowing that it is not unheard of after all to pull seven plus teeth helps me to not completely over-react and start calling lawyers..... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 My daughter is still in braces, but her mouth looks so much better and feels better. She has always had dentist anxiety, and they now prescribe her one anxiety pill before any prolonged treatments (cavities and so on) to help with her anxiety. If you're not anti-meds, it might be something to look into. Given today's experiences, this might have to be addressed. I am not usually in favor of unnecessary meds but would consider it in this case. Aside from all of my concern about this situation, I suspect the biggest fall-out from the incident is going to be getting dd to consent to going to any dentist or orthodontist ever again. How old was your dd when she started taking them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 It has been three hours and her mouth is still bleeding a little. She wants to go to swim practice in an hour. I am sure the bleeding will stop by then but anyone know if there would be risk of the bleeding starting again? Should I keep her home? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipper Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 She started taking them when she was 13 years old. Her oral surgeon suggested it based on how upset she became. Others in my family take them as well. It's not uncommon and they only prescribe one or two at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I would keep her home tonight. There could be a little residual bleeding. I am sorry both of you have had such a rough day, and I hope she feels better. :grouphug: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I had 4 baby teeth and 4 permanent teeth pulled before getting braces when I was in 6th grade. I agree with others that it sounds like more of a misunderstanding than anything else. The fact that the dentist who pulled the teeth didn't have issues with the orthodontist's orders would in some ways be like a 2nd opinion. I think your best bet would be to get a written plan of treatment before any future procedures, since you know already that you've had a misunderstanding with this orthodontist in the past PLUS the fact that your DD has some anxiety about it. I would not hesitate to call the orthodontist or dentist and postpone the next procedure until you can discuss the anxiety and ask about some medication to help. Versed is used pretty commonly as a one-time medication to reduce anxiety and to induce amnesia right before medical procedures and surgery. My DD was hospitalized with pneumonia at age 3, and medicating her with Versed was the only way to get a CT scan of her lungs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 I had 4 baby teeth and 4 permanent teeth pulled before getting braces when I was in 6th grade. I agree with others that it sounds like more of a misunderstanding than anything else. The fact that the dentist who pulled the teeth didn't have issues with the orthodontist's orders would in some ways be like a 2nd opinion. That is a very good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It has been three hours and her mouth is still bleeding a little. She wants to go to swim practice in an hour. I am sure the bleeding will stop by then but anyone know if there would be risk of the bleeding starting again? Should I keep her home? Well, since I let my son play baseball the day he had four pulled, I vote "yes" if she feels like it. Kids really do bounce back quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 Well, since I let my son play baseball the day he had four pulled, I vote "yes" if she feels like it. Kids really do bounce back quickly. I just gave her the sad news that she should probably stay home. I worry about pool water getting in her mouth (since the instructions say to not "flush" her mouth) or having it start bleeding into the pool (which would be mortifying). If it were any other activity, I would be OK with it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I would get all planned care in writing so there is no room for confusion. I second not sending her swimming. You might want to check, often it's no swimming for a week with adult teeth, and I thought it was three to five days with baby teeth. I'll reserve judgement on the teeth pulling. We've had our first orthodontist suggest pulling 8 baby teeth between two children. (Our new orthodontist didn't have any problem waiting, and they all fell out eventually without having to be pulled.) DD is the oldest, she will turn 13 in December and just lost four baby teeth in the last month. She had to start wiggling them twice a day to move things along a little, but it happened. All situations are different, but in our area, some orthos and dentists seem to want to hurry things along. They bill out $150-$400 per tooth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Ask the ortho for a written plan. This is fairly normal - when DD14 and DS19 did their braces, we got an initial treatment plan from the ortho that spelled out everything that was going to be done. DS19's mouth was complicated and we got an updated plan as things went along and the ortho made changes. DD14's was simpler and we only had one update when she was finished sooner than expected. I think we had 5-6 updates for DS's plan. I just checked the files and DD14's specified right in the plan which teeth had to be pulled (two baby teeth were stuck - no roots, but not coming loose due to crowding and the adult teeth were coming in behind them in the gum). Having the plan in writing with the knowledge that thinks might happen to change the plan was very reassuring for me. I would also delay the second round of tooth pulling for a while and let your girl's mouth heal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I had a bunch of baby teeth pulled before I got braces (at 15!!) The adult teeth behind them never formed, so they wouldn't come out any other way. In fact, I still have one baby tooth - a one-year molar. I'm 50! I don't remember the extractions being painful or particularly traumatic - baby teeth have shallow roots. i just had local anesthesia. That said, I'd make sure they really need to be extracted and that they're pulling the right ones. That kind of miscommunication would have me :willy_nilly: And I'm always in favor for as few as possible. Baby teeth I don't really have a problem with pulling if they're still in at 12 or older - adult teeth I'm much more cautious about. I only had one adult tooth pulled, because it was malformed. Two orthos wanted to pull two of dd's adult molars (she had a mild overbite with mild crowding); the third was okay pulling her teeth back to make room. I went with the one that preserved the teeth. She did have two baby molars pulled. Her teeth look great now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I'm glad your daughter felt like swimming. That's a good sign. I had 13 baby teeth pulled when I was 12 in order to start the process for braces. DS 13 just lost his last baby tooth. Luckily his teeth are well spaced and it doesn't look like he'll need braces. Both his dentist and ortho said to wait and see how the adult teeth came in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 People's stories are helping immensely. This orthodontist is known for being "conservative" which is why I was so sure 7 teeth must be a mistake. We have been coming in every few months so he could check the progress of dd's baby teeth. She did not lose a single tooth in that time. None were even loose. He did say during our last meeting that he prefers to let nature take its course but with adult teeth coming in the wrong places he felt we needed to get the treatment started so as to not allow more difficult misalignment to occur. He was concerned that her treatment would be much longer if we let the emerging adult teeth continue to move into the wrong places. We did get a plan in writing but it did not include the pre-treatment dental work. It should have IMO. Being the only orthodontist in town, he does work closely with all of our local dentists so I am also confident that the dentist would have said something if it seemed amiss. Our dentist's dd had her orthodontic work done by this guy three years ago and he spoke highly of the ortho and his work. So he is not some sloppy quack or he would have been run out of town by now. But I am not happy. I will wait until I talk to him directly before deciding what to do next. Dd's appointment is not until after I will get to speak to him and her dentist office said they would have no problem at all if we wanted to reschedule, even if it was last minute. They were very concerned about my concern. So we have a lot of options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 I'm so sorry she's going through this :( My only experience with teeth pulled was when they combined appointments for adult teeth due to crowding and wisdom teeth. The wisdom teeth were not bothering me, but they said I would eventually need to remove them so they scheduled 8 teeth at once (4 of which were wisdom teeth). They told me it was better to get it all over with at once. I was out like a light and had the surgery done at a specialists' office, not with the regular dentist or orthodontist. Was she aware of the procedure? Like alert during it? I am also surprised she has so many baby teeth at this age. Can you talk to the dentist and ask them to confirm how many baby teeth she has? It's controversial as to when to address certain orthodontic issues. I was a teenager when I had my teeth pulled. I started orthodontic care in jr. high with a series of appliances -- retainer, twin block, braces, retainer... (braces were removed my senior year). Dd was aware and alert during the process. She was only in there for about 20 minutes. This is a small town so she knows the employees and dentist outside of the office. Everyone said she did great. Dd is a people-pleaser so they did not see the panic in her eyes that I did when she came out. I am pretty sure the baby teeth count is correct. Our dentist has gone over the x-rays with us as has the ortho and both stories are the same. Plus the tooth fairy has not been summoned as many times as one would expect, I am learning. I really should have sought more knowledge on this stuff before pursuing ortho work..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 And for my own information.... Has anyone heard of anyone ever having to have 7 or more baby teeth pulled in advance of orthodontic work? Is that a real thing? Yes, my oldest son. He had 7 baby teeth left and they all had deep roots. He was almost 13 and they were showing no signs of even thinking about coming out. They pulled them in two appointments. One was a bit traumatic because the dentist had to stand to yank it out. The second visit was way easier. I was in the room both visits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It has been three hours and her mouth is still bleeding a little. She wants to go to swim practice in an hour. I am sure the bleeding will stop by then but anyone know if there would be risk of the bleeding starting again? Should I keep her home? If she wants to go, let her go. Cameron's mouth bled a lot after the first visit. They even gave us extra gauze the second time because of it (but we didn't need it). He went to taekwondo and even sparred that night. There's always a risk of more bleeding, but that can happen just sitting in a chair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 My son had two firmly rooted baby teeth pulled prior to his orthodontic treatment. He, like your dd, is missing adult molars, so these baby teeth wouldn't have come out on their own. The space was needed to correct crowding. I watched the dentist pull the teeth, and it was quite traumatic, even though it wasn't painful. It just took an immense amount of effort by the dentist to get them out. He had to use his whole body to lean in and yank and pry on each tooth until it cracked loose from the jawbone. I think the sound was intense for my son as well. I know the panicked eyes you're talking about. He was fine during the procedure, but the blood and the packing in his mouth, and the swollen cheeks (mostly due to the packing) totally freaked him out. He thought he was ugly and that he would look that way forever. I wish I had understood that, yes, they were baby teeth, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy to get them out. It wasn't what I imagined at all. If I had to do it again, I would have had my son put under conscious sedation by an oral surgeon. Be comforted to know that ds didn't have pain afterward. Once the bleeding stopped, he got less freaked out, and he went about his business. But he still remembers the procedure (even though it was about 5 years ago). I know I wouldn't have been able to get my son to go back in for more of the same. Definitely talk to your dentist about sedation for your dd before her next procedure. If he doesn't do it, consider finding an oral surgeon to do it. The trauma may stay with her for years to come, and may make her irrationally afraid of simple dental visits. As for the swimming, most pools have rules forbidding open sores. I'm quite they don't want your dd's bleeding gums in their pool, and I know you don't want the pool water in her mouth. Infection is always a concern after tooth extraction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 My son had two firmly rooted baby teeth pulled prior to his orthodontic treatment. He, like your dd, is missing adult molars, so these baby teeth wouldn't have come out on their own. The space was needed to correct crowding. I watched the dentist pull the teeth, and it was quite traumatic, even though it wasn't painful. It just took an immense amount of effort by the dentist to get them out. He had to use his whole body to lean in and yank and pry on each tooth until it cracked loose from the jawbone. I think the sound was intense for my son as well. I know the panicked eyes you're talking about. He was fine during the procedure, but the blood and the packing in his mouth, and the swollen cheeks (mostly due to the packing) totally freaked him out. He thought he was ugly and that he would look that way forever. I wish I had understood that, yes, they were baby teeth, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy to get them out. It wasn't what I imagined at all. If I had to do it again, I would have had my son put under conscious sedation by an oral surgeon. Be comforted to know that ds didn't have pain afterward. Once the bleeding stopped, he got less freaked out, and he went about his business. But he still remembers the procedure (even though it was about 5 years ago). I know I wouldn't have been able to get my son to go back in for more of the same. Definitely talk to your dentist about sedation for your dd before her next procedure. If he doesn't do it, consider finding an oral surgeon to do it. The trauma may stay with her for years to come, and may make her irrationally afraid of simple dental visits. As for the swimming, most pools have rules forbidding open sores. I'm quite they don't want your dd's bleeding gums in their pool, and I know you don't want the pool water in her mouth. Infection is always a concern after tooth extraction. Yes! One was a molar which does have an adult tooth above it but was still very well rooted and took a lot of effort and unsettling noises to get out. Actually "above" is not the right word...the adult tooth has emerged and was coming in inside of her teeth because the baby was still there with no immediate plans to vacate. I agree about the pool. That was exactly my concerns (the bleeding and pool ickies) so I am glad I made her stay home. I will wait for the dust to settle before finding out just how traumatized dd really is. But will for sure explore whatever it takes to make future dental work as stress free as possible even if that means postponing or finding a different place/way to get the rest of the work done should we decide to proceed with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 It has been three hours and her mouth is still bleeding a little. She wants to go to swim practice in an hour. I am sure the bleeding will stop by then but anyone know if there would be risk of the bleeding starting again? Should I keep her home? When my daughter had two teeth removed she was told to avoid activity that day because it would increase bleeding. She did not have them pulled though. She had what's called a decoronation. Which is basically filing the tooth down but leaving the roots. It supposedly makes a stronger jaw for the implant later. (She has no adult teeth there. ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 When my daughter had two teeth removed she was told to avoid activity that day because it would increase bleeding. She did not have them pulled though. She had what's called a decoronation. Which is basically filing the tooth down but leaving the roots. It supposedly makes a stronger jaw for the implant later. (She has no adult teeth there. ) This. My son has two teeth scheduled to be removed and the dentist was certain to tell me not to schedule my son for any activities that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebbyribs Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Your update sounds really similar to the situation in my own mouth. I had 2 baby teeth that didn't have permanent teeth to replace them. They stayed in and were doing okay up until this year - the problem I ran into was that the matching permanent teeth above them had descended too far to the point where their roots were exposed. So I had all 4 affected teeth pulled at age 36 and started braces to close up the gaps. This is my second round of braces - I had another round as a teenager. I was late to lose my baby teeth, so I didn't get the braces until 15yo. And I got them off a week before starting college! I don't think my orthodontist at the time suggested pulling any of the baby teeth, maybe because he was more laid back, or maybe because I was late starting puberty so still having baby teeth might have been part of my slow physical development, rather than a tooth-specific issue. It seems nice that your dd will just get everything taken care of as a teenager and not do a second round of braces in her 30s. :-) I was surprised reading your description that the dentist didn't inform your daughter of which teeth they were pulling right before starting the procedure. Please ask if they can do so in the future - it's good for your daughter to be prepared for what is about to happen, and if there had been a mistake it could've been caught at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 Your update sounds really similar to the situation in my own mouth. I had 2 baby teeth that didn't have permanent teeth to replace them. They stayed in and were doing okay up until this year - the problem I ran into was that the matching permanent teeth above them had descended too far to the point where their roots were exposed. So I had all 4 affected teeth pulled at age 36 and started braces to close up the gaps. This is my second round of braces - I had another round as a teenager. I was late to lose my baby teeth, so I didn't get the braces until 15yo. And I got them off a week before starting college! I don't think my orthodontist at the time suggested pulling any of the baby teeth, maybe because he was more laid back, or maybe because I was late starting puberty so still having baby teeth might have been part of my slow physical development, rather than a tooth-specific issue. It seems nice that your dd will just get everything taken care of as a teenager and not do a second round of braces in her 30s. :-) I was surprised reading your description that the dentist didn't inform your daughter of which teeth they were pulling right before starting the procedure. Please ask if they can do so in the future - it's good for your daughter to be prepared for what is about to happen, and if there had been a mistake it could've been caught at that point. I'm hoping mine will hold out for a long time. My mom has four baby teeth as well. She is 77 and they are still good. I am not cool with getting braces again! Mine are opposite and paired so that probably helps. I have learned a lot from this experience and yes, I will from now on make sure dd knows exactly what is happening before it happens. And me too! It was one of those frantic days when I thought we were going in for something very simple and not-a-big-deal, which quickly turned into the day being derailed. Hindsight....20/20, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I'm hoping mine will hold out for a long time. My mom has four baby teeth as well. She is 77 and they are still good. I am not cool with getting braces again! Mine are opposite and paired so that probably helps. This is interesting to me (we conversed a bit above, about my son who had two baby teeth removed because of crowding, and the trauma involved.) Well, I didn't mention his bottom baby teeth, which also are missing their permanent replacements, but were left in place because ds didn't have crowding on the bottom. We were told that they would probably hold until his early 20s, but then he would probably need to have them replaced with implants. (Ka-ching!) I am interested to know that baby teeth can actually stay firmly rooted well into adulthood and beyond! I won't be in too much of a hurry to move toward implants. Those things are expensive, and our insurance doesn't cover them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 I am a little surprised he did not give you a written treatment plan. Our ortho gave a written treatment plan that indicated among other things which teeth needed to be pulled, if any; the estimated time that the treatment would last; the monthly cost; and the discounted cost if paid in full upfront. The plan also indicated which items were covered as part of the treatment (for example, one set of retainers at the end of treatment, and what the replacement cost would be if my kids lost a retainer). We had to sign a copy before our ortho started any work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 This is interesting to me (we conversed a bit above, about my son who had two baby teeth removed because of crowding, and the trauma involved.) Well, I didn't mention his bottom baby teeth, which also are missing their permanent replacements, but were left in place because ds didn't have crowding on the bottom. We were told that they would probably hold until his early 20s, but then he would probably need to have them replaced with implants. (Ka-ching!) I am interested to know that baby teeth can actually stay firmly rooted well into adulthood and beyond! I won't be in too much of a hurry to move toward implants. Those things are expensive, and our insurance doesn't cover them. My dentist says it is hit or miss. He has seen people in their 90s that still have them. He also told me that they do not hang on for others. It runs in my family and everyone who has them has never had a problem with them. It is all about root structure. I get the routine x-rays every so-many years and the roots are still strong (I'm in my 40s) with no indication that they are weakening. And my 77 yo mother, who had no dental care at all until adulthood not to mention the poverty-induced poor diet she grew up on, also has no problems. Her teeth are an orthodontic nightmare and as a result are difficult to keep clean, but those baby teeth seem to be here to stay. We discussed this with dd's ortho who also reported that many people keep them for a lifetime. He does not routinely recommend removal for that reason alone. But due to dd's crowding it made sense to remove the most "vulnerable" teeth rather than adult teeth. I am actually a little sad that dd does not get to keep her special teeth. But her teeth are really a train wreck. Keeping all of her teeth would require a lot of lengthy work. So your son may be in luck:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 One of mine had baby teeth pulled, I think on 3 separate occasions. The last 6 baby teeth were pulled all at once at age 13. Orthodontist said he would like to see him out of braces before he has kids, lol, so it was time to pull the last ones. We were pretty patient in waiting for them to come out on their own (periodic checks and consultations and waiting 6 more months, etc.), but they just weren't coming out on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 I am a little surprised he did not give you a written treatment plan. Our ortho gave a written treatment plan that indicated among other things which teeth needed to be pulled, if any; the estimated time that the treatment would last; the monthly cost; and the discounted cost if paid in full upfront. The plan also indicated which items were covered as part of the treatment (for example, one set of retainers at the end of treatment, and what the replacement cost would be if my kids lost a retainer). We had to sign a copy before our ortho started any work. We do have all of that, except for the pre-treatment dental work. It didn't occur to us at the time that this was unusual or a potential issue. Way to start out of the blocks on such a sour note. I am assuming that orthodontists usually (always) have pre-treatment tooth extraction done by the patient's regular dentist or an oral surgeon. If I am not correct, that might be where the disconnect is happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 My DS had 4 baby teeth pulled at once and they all had serious roots. I had no idea they were that far from coming out on their own. DS also did not have pain relief for this because the local didn't work and nobody asked before they stuck a gas mask on him. He was in a lot of pain and I was angry, but I guess it's not unusual. They wanted to pull more but we moved and the next dentist didn't think it was necessary.He'd already had 3-4 baby teeth pulled, but they were pulled when the adult teeth were already poking in behind them. I don't think it's too unusual and I can recognize that DS's mouth would have been very messed up if we'd left them in place. It made braces easier because with the baby teeth where they were, some adult teeth were going to be coming into very painfully in bad areas, his other teeth would have been all pushed out, and it was just a mess. With the teeth out, the braces only had to make minor corrections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I would have been freaking out too. I've never heard of that either and I'm amazed to read of so much teeth-pulling on this thread. Hugs to your daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Well, I didn't mention his bottom baby teeth, which also are missing their permanent replacements, but were left in place because ds didn't have crowding on the bottom. We were told that they would probably hold until his early 20s, but then he would probably need to have them replaced with implants. (Ka-ching!) I am interested to know that baby teeth can actually stay firmly rooted well into adulthood and beyond! They told me my baby tooth would last till I was 40 if I was lucky. I'm 50 and it's still going strong. Ironically, I just had to have a permanent molar removed because of an infection on the root. Not where I was expecting to get my first implant. .. and yeah, $$$$$ :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 My dentist says it is hit or miss. He has seen people in their 90s that still have them. He also told me that they do not hang on for others. It runs in my family and everyone who has them has never had a problem with them. It is all about root structure. I get the routine x-rays every so-many years and the roots are still strong (I'm in my 40s) with no indication that they are weakening. And my 77 yo mother, who had no dental care at all until adulthood not to mention the poverty-induced poor diet she grew up on, also has no problems. Her teeth are an orthodontic nightmare and as a result are difficult to keep clean, but those baby teeth seem to be here to stay. We discussed this with dd's ortho who also reported that many people keep them for a lifetime. He does not routinely recommend removal for that reason alone. But due to dd's crowding it made sense to remove the most "vulnerable" teeth rather than adult teeth. I am actually a little sad that dd does not get to keep her special teeth. But her teeth are really a train wreck. Keeping all of her teeth would require a lot of lengthy work. So your son may be in luck:) They told me my baby tooth would last till I was 40 if I was lucky. I'm 50 and it's still going strong. Ironically, I just had to have a permanent molar removed because of an infection on the root. Not where I was expecting to get my first implant. .. and yeah, $$$$$ :( The plan for ds is to get periodic (yearly?) panoramic x-rays to check the roots. The orthodontist will do this for free, so that's nice. As long as they're holding on, we'll just let them stay there, unless the top permanent teeth start coming down to fill the space. That wouldn't be good for them, as it exposes the root. Wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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