Quick: anyone who has a child with dental bridgework (aka a fake tooth), question

begalli · Feb 15, 2005

I've had TONS of dental work done in my lifetime. All I can relate to you is my bridge that aligns perfectly with the rest of my teeth.

Doesn't sound right....especially the "gap." I would expect the alignment to be good. How old is your son? Because I would think that if all of his permanent teeth are in, they should be able to fit him.

I fyou really feel uncomfortable about it, let her know and ask her specifically WHY it's different for children?

begalli · Feb 15, 2005

I might add that I do have a gap between the gum and the top of the "fake tooth." But it is neither visible nor can I feel it. It's only wide enough to get floss up and around it.

mitchsmom · Feb 15, 2005

He is only two, but at this point it's the same difference as having permanent teeth b/c his baby teeth are all there (it's not like they are mixed baby/permanent that are hard to judge by) - one reason I got the bridge instead of leaving a huge gap, for the speech reasons and placeholding, etc. etc... although it was largely cosmetic... I didn't want him snaggletoothed for 5 more years since it's his front top tooth.

His gap at the top is very noticable to anyone who looks, to the point that food could get caught up in there... when I brought that up she said it doesn't matter, since it's a fake tooth it's not like it's going to rot out.. of course, then again having food stuck up there sounds really appealing huh??!!

This dentist is a ped dentist and is very nice and has a good reputation but the whole thing just doesn't sit right with me. I'm not like a problem customer that is always complaining or anything but I'm just very disapointed with it.

mitchsmom · Feb 15, 2005

Super poor pictures.. you know how it is trying to get a two year old to stand still... but maybe it will give a little bit of an idea of whether my expectations are too high or reasonable..??

mitchsmom · Feb 16, 2005

btt

landonsles · Feb 16, 2005

I worked in a dental office for four years...while we never did a bridge on a child, our adult bridges were beautiful. An average person should NOT be able to tell that a person has a bridge. (You are right to be concerned about holding the space.)

Even though the doc said it was OK that food got trapped up there, I disagree. Yes, the "fake" tooth will not rot, but what about the teeth on either side--that packed food is setting up a breeding ground for the "cavity bugs."

I think I would seek a second opinion. In my office, they are free...so maybe you can find another dentist to just take a look and see what she/he thinks.

Like I said, we didn't do kids--but this doesn;t sound right to me.

Good luck--let us know!

mitchsmom · Feb 16, 2005

I worked in a dental office for four years...while we never did a bridge on a child, our adult bridges were beautiful. An average person should NOT be able to tell that a person has a bridge. (You are right to be concerned about holding the space.)
Even though the doc said it was OK that food got trapped up there, I disagree. Yes, the "fake" tooth will not rot, but what about the teeth on either side--that packed food is setting up a breeding ground for the "cavity bugs."
I think I would seek a second opinion. In my office, they are free...so maybe you can find another dentist to just take a look and see what she/he thinks.
Like I said, we didn't do kids--but this doesn;t sound right to me.
Good luck--let us know!

Do you know if you guys did the bridges with the crowns on the back teeth attached to a "wire" holding the tooth in place? I'm curious since she's telling me they do it differently on adults... if you guys did this kind and they looked right then that would even more helpful for me to know. :)

landonsles · Feb 16, 2005

The kind of bridge you are talking about is a Maryland bridge. It's the kind where only one tooth is fake and it is held on by "wings" to the backs of the adjacent teeth. We did not do those kind b/c they are not as stable (for an adult) as the traditional kind--since your son will only have this for a few years, it makes sense. I have seen several of the Maryland bridges, though. Each one I saw looked pretty normal to me. The fake tooth should have a liitle gap on top to floss around, but it should be flush with the gumline so you can't see it. I know my dentist has the lab "plump" up the porcelain at the gumline so it blends better. When looking at your son, you (personally) should be able to tell that something is differnt b/c he is your son and you are used to the old teeth, but no one else should be able to tell that something is off or wrong. Especially for the price you paid for it--it should be darn near perfect. (We charge about a $1250 per unit, and my dentist is a cosmetic dentist--we are in the Dallas area, where everything is a little more expensive)

Hope this helps

mitchsmom · Feb 17, 2005

Thanks very much for the feedback, I talked with the dentist and they have offered to redo it (I didn't even have to make a case for it again, I think they realize that it didn't come out as good as possible).

TracyB,RN, RN · Feb 18, 2005

My little sister had a problem... one of her adult top front teeth was missing... just never developed, she had braces that pulled the top teeth apart, & was fitted with a retainer with a fake tooth. It looks beautiful. The plan is for an implant when she is done growing...She is 15 now, so hopefully not too much longer. If you didn't know she had the retainer, or the fake tooth, you would NEVER notice it.

I am glad the dentist agreed to redo the bridge for you, I can notice a slight protusion on one of the front teeth & TOTALLY agree with "landonsles" about the potential for cavities.....need to still be able to floss around the tooth, fake or not, for healthy gums.

FutureNrse · Feb 18, 2005

He is only two, but at this point it's the same difference as having permanent teeth b/c his baby teeth are all there (it's not like they are mixed baby/permanent that are hard to judge by) - one reason I got the bridge instead of leaving a huge gap, for the speech reasons and placeholding, etc. etc... although it was largely cosmetic... I didn't want him snaggletoothed for 5 more years since it's his front top tooth.
His gap at the top is very noticable to anyone who looks, to the point that food could get caught up in there... when I brought that up she said it doesn't matter, since it's a fake tooth it's not like it's going to rot out.. of course, then again having food stuck up there sounds really appealing huh??!!
This dentist is a ped dentist and is very nice and has a good reputation but the whole thing just doesn't sit right with me. I'm not like a problem customer that is always complaining or anything but I'm just very disapointed with it.

While I've never seen one on a child so young, I do remember my sister having one when she was 7 and it looked very natural, no gap at all. This dentist sounds as if she's giving you the run around and you should not accept such shoddy work. If it were me, I would ask friens for the names of dentists that they trust, and take your son to see one for a second opinion. Most of the time, a dentist will be hesitant to outright criticize another dentists work, but you will be able to tell based on what they say, or don't say, if they feel the work is up to standard or not. Then you can go back to your dentist and let her know that you had a second opnion and ask that she either remake the bridge or refund your money so you can go elsewhere.