Child’s Dental Appointment On The Sunshine Coast

We recently had an eight year old female patient visit our dental clinic with her father. She was a bright healthy young girl. This is a real example of a patient visit, her name is withheld for privacy. It is not meant as dental advice, but rather an example of the difference between different dental clinics and their services.

One dental issue this young patient was facing was that as her baby teeth were falling out, and being replaced by adult teeth, there was not quite enough room for the top teeth to come through.

The middle two adult teeth were obviously larger than those they were replacing, and they are coming down with a space between and not exactly straight. This is a quite common occurrence. One of the teeth next to the top front teeth has pushed through and is also coming in okay. The problem is with the last remaining tooth, which is still in the gum.

It can be seen, this is only due to the lack of space currently available for the tooth.

This patient had been to another dentist nearby and the recommended treatment included removing teeth to make more room. The parents of this patient were quite concerned about the invasive and irreversible decisions the other dentists were strongly suggesting.

As an experienced family dentist, there were other options that could be presented. Removing a tooth can have many affects on a young person’s dental health. Sometimes yes, it is necessary, but for this patient … really?

Children’s Dental Care

One option in this case was to simply wait for some months to see what happens. It is possible that the teeth will shift in the mouth naturally and her new tooth will come into place. A plate could be used to “pull” the front tooth across to make room for the tooth in waiting. These are obviously much less aggressive techniques that could provide a better solution.

Her father was quite relieved and so was she! She was lucky to have good nutrition and healthy teeth and gums which were then well cleaned and protected in the meantime by a non toxic tooth sealant.

There is often more than one way to treat dental issues. This may depend on the patient’s budget or lifestyle choices. Both of which are respected by our friendly Sippy Downs dentists.

This patient was also eligible for the CDBS support payment from the Medicare. This meant there was no cost for the patient.

If you would like to get a second opinion about treatments such as extractions, dental implants of Invisalign on The Sunshine Coast, then contact us for an appointment today.