If your child loses or chips a tooth, don’t panic. There are plenty of solutions for it.
Kids are little explorers – they always love testing their environment and limits through play, and sometimes they play rough. Getting hurt is inevitable, and small bruises and scratches serve as proof of the lessons learned. However, sometimes your child can get a more serious injury.
Everything went great today for her surgery but I do have some feedback about other things. My daughter was scheduled to be put to sleep to undergo a root canal. They ended up needing more anthesia which I was willing to pay for. Surgery was supposed to be an hour (I was told this before they started), and it ended up being 2 hours because of some minor complications. Noone came to the lobby to inform us. When it was over, I asked to see her. They said I had to pay first. I just paid almost 5k and they were more worried about an additional $300 before allowing me to see my daughter? This didn't sit right. I didn't say anything. I paid the bill and went to see my daughter. Dr. Hoffman is the nicest man I have ever met! He was outstanding.
Also, in the weeks before her surgery, the office appeared to not communicate. I would receive a call saying one thing then someone else would say another. They were never on the same page.
Last week, they needed to speak with me to confirm a few things. They called me at 8:16am then again at 1:06pm. Leaving me a voicemail that if they do not hear from me they were going to cancel her surgery. Wow! I work. I work 8am-5pm. I do not have access to my phone during those hours. They did leave a voicemail and I would have called the next day but they did not give me a chance before sending me an email threatening to cancel.
Also, they had called me several weeks before to inform me I had no insurance. I called my insurance company and they said I did. Not sure what happened but it resulted in unnecessary phone calls during my only free 20 minutes at work.
If your appointment is at 10am, do not plan on seeing anyone for awhile. All our appointments ran an hour behind.
I think Dr. Hoffman is wonderful but the office staff needs some help.
Not friendly at all. Noone even smiled!
The nurses in the room with my daughter were great too.
I went to nervous and 3 to 4 hours later, I essentially woke up in the car on my way home without realizing anything had happened. If you have trauma with previous dental issues, this is the place. I have a had severe dental trauma my entire life. Until now, they are all fantastic.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience. We’re grateful our team could help provide a comfortable experience and appreciate your trust in us.
Our experience was wonderful. Our Down’s Syndrome son is very apprehensive about his appointments, but Dr. Thoms and all of his staff made our son more compliant. Each member seems vested in their job and are so kind and caring. Thank you for a positive experience.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad your family had a positive experience. Our team takes great pride in providing compassionate, individualized care, and your feedback means so much to us!
Everyone is always very welcoming and professional.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad our team makes you feel welcome. We truly appreciate your support!
How to Save a Dislodged Tooth
Saving a dislodged tooth is not impossible. Your body is able to do it, as long as the tooth is kept alive. A popular myth is that the broken tooth should be put in milk while you’re on your way to the dentist. While it may be much better than nothing, saline solution is more fit for this. Use a sterile saline solution that is compatible with human body fluids.
Options for Tooth Loss in Kids
If you did not have the chance to save the broken tooth, plenty of options are available for your kid. However, if you are considering a dental implant, it may not be the first solution available to you.
Let’s explore the solutions in case your child breaks a tooth.
Dental Implants
Dental implants may be a permanent solution, almost identical to the lost tooth and solidly fixed onto the jaw bone to give it full functionality, but children should not have them done before their jaw is fully developed.
The minimum age to get a dental implant is generally 15 for girls and 17 for boys. It is around that age when the jaw is fully developed, and the implant doesn’t affect the future tooth alignment.
Bridge
A bridge is a partial denture that uses the healthy teeth next to the gap to stay in place. The dentist can ground a healthy tooth and fix a crow on it that holds the partial denture in the gap. But that is not the only way to get a bridge. It can also be done by bonding the denture to the healthy teeth with resin.
Artificial Tooth Attached to Braces
If you were planning on getting braces for your child anyway, they could be the perfect option for missing teeth. Fake ones can be attached to the braces and fit perfectly while the others are being straightened.
Partial Denture
A minimally invasive solution is a partial denture. The dental technician will create a fake tooth that will fit in the space left by the missing one.
Your St. Louis pediatric dentist will provide the best option for your child until they are old enough to get a dental implant. Give us a call today at (314) 862-7844!
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The first two board-certified Dentist Anesthesiologists in the state of Missouri.
