My pediatric dentist refuses to make a dental flipper

I need some advice. My pediatric dentist absolutely refuses to make a dental flipper for my son.  He’s three years old and lost a front baby tooth in an accident. I keep hearing how important it is to replace missing teeth in children because of shifting, but my dentist absolutely refuses. She says toddlers can’t do the procedure. I think she just can’t be bothered working with him because he’s so young. But, why did she go into pediatric dentistry then?

Brooklyn L. – Minn.

Brooklyn,

I wish your dentist had a better chairside manner and took the time to explain things for you. It is only a child’s molars that require some form of replacement. Otherwise it could cause shifting as you mentioned. That is because molars aren’t replaced until around twelve years old. Permanent front teeth come in much sooner.

However, even with molars a pediatric dentist wouldn’t make a flipper for the missing tooth. Instead, they’d place a space maintainer. That just holds the space so things come in properly when it’s time.

Despite her poor manners toward you, she’s right that a toddler wouldn’t easily tolerate the procedure for a flipper. Plus, because they’re so easily removable, they’re a choking hazard.

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