NetWellness Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Unerupted Molar with No Roots

Dennis McTigue DDS — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:10:00 EST

Question: My daughter is 14 years old. It was recently discovered by our dentist that one of her 12-year molars has not erupted, and, apparently, it has no roots. The dentist said this is uncommon. What does this mean for my daughter? Will the tooth need to be exposed and pulled out?The dentist suggested brac . . .

Answer: Delayed development of permanent molars is uncommon, but can usually be easily managed. Most often these teeth do eventually develop and erupt, so conservative treatment is usually indicated. The eruption of the 12 year molar opposite the unerupted tooth must be monitored and, many times, another mo . . .

Ask an Expert: Dennis McTigue DDS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Blister on Gum

Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:10:00 EST

Question: My son is 10. He has a white and red blister on his gums. There is a baby tooth that is a little loose below it. The dentist says its an erosion from a big tooth coming in. It is irritating and a little painful for him. Is there anything I can do to help relieve the pain or irritation? Also, how lon . . .

Answer:

Thank you for the question. I'm glad to hear that you had a dentist see this, as that would have been my first suggestion.

In terms of pain relief (and I am assuming your son has no other . . .

Ask an Expert: Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Tooth Coming from Front of Gum (Lip Side)

Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:10:00 EST

Question: My son has a damaged front baby tooth. He had a root canal when he was 3. Now the permenant tooth is coming out throught the front of the gum, what procedures are available to fix this or is this not uncommon.

Thanks

Answer: I'd recommend first off that your son have a comprehensive evaluation by a dentist. This will give a good perspective as to his individual eruption sequence (how the teeth are coming in) and any problems with eruption. This will likely involve taking a xray to determine how much of the baby tooth ro . . .

Ask an Expert: Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

I`m 15 and I`m missing my permanent teeth.

Dennis McTigue DDS — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:09:00 EST

Question: I was born and raised in Jamaica for 8 years when I moved to America to live with my mother. By that time I only had 2 permanent teeth, my "two front teeth." After that as I got older, dentists were baffled by the fact that I had no permanent teeth growing under my baby teeth. I recently v . . .

Answer: The scientific term for missing teeth is "oligodontia" and this can occur sporadically or have an hereditary component. You state that missing teeth does not run in your family, but you might check to see if any extended family members have any missing permanent teeth. It's possible that you, unfo . . .

Ask an Expert: Dennis McTigue DDS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Blue Spot on Roof of 4 -Year-Old`s Mouth

John Kalmar DMD, PhD — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:08:00 EST

Question: Hello - My 4 year old recently went to the dentist for his routine cleaning. Everything went fine, however he does have a small cavity in 1 of his molars. I was brushing his teeth that evening when I noticed that he had a small (about the size of a pencil eraser) bluish spot on the roof of his mouth . . .

Answer: Although it is unlikely to be a serious finding, a bluish spot of the roof of the mouth is unusual enough that you should return to the dentist so the spot can be examined more carefully. Possible explanations can include foreign material (occasionally the result of an accidental jab from the wrong . . .

Ask an Expert: John Kalmar DMD, PhD, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Diagnosis of Ankylosed Tooth

Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:08:00 EST

Question: Is it possible to diagnose a tooth as ankylosed simply by looking at an x-ray? A 6-year molar in my 14 year old`s mouth has not erupted - 2 years ago a cyst above that tooth was removed by an oral surgeon. One orthodontist wants to extract the tooth, claiming it is ankylosed simply by looking at an . . .

Answer: Ankylosis can be diagnosed typically when one tooth appears 'submerged' in relation to the neighboring teeth on an xray. Practitioners will also use percussion (ankylosed teeth make a characteristic metallic sound), but these are subjective. Remember that an xray is a two-dimensional image of a thre . . .

Ask an Expert: Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Permanent tooth not erupting

Dennis McTigue DDS — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:07:00 EST

Question: My son is 11 years old and I was concerned a few months ago when one of his teeth weren`t coming out( the one next to the two front ones). We did x-rays and it turned out that the permanent tooth, still up in the gums had "curly" roots. The dentist said they weren`t strong enough to push t . . .

Answer: The question is whether the permanent tooth still has the ability to erupt into the mouth on its own. Your description of "curly roots" on that tooth raises concern and you should consider seeing an orthodontist or pediatric dentist for a second opinion. If it does not erupt, the tooth can be surgic . . .

Ask an Expert: Dennis McTigue DDS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Infant tongue discoloration

Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:06:00 EST

Question: my 4 month old has had a sore throat for three days now and she now has a patch that is bluish gray on the back of her tongue. what could this be from, infection and should she be looked at by pediatrician?

Answer: Thank you for the question. Unfortunately, there is really not enough information to give any type of diagnosis. I absolutely recommend that she be evaluated by a pediatrician or a pediatric dentist who can perform a comprehensive examination. Hope this helps.

Ask an Expert: Sarat Thikkurissy DDS, MS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Child root canal

Dennis McTigue DDS — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:06:00 EST

Question: my five your old daughter is in pain the dentist told her she needs a root canal and they will put her out she has a hard time letting the dentist look her in her mouth is this normal

Answer: Yes, unfortunately, the problems and treatment that you describe are quite common. The pulp tissue (nerves and blood vessels) inside the tooth is often infected when children complain of toothaches. The appropriate treatment in order to save the tooth is to remove that pulp tissue ("baby root canal" . . .

Ask an Expert: Dennis McTigue DDS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)

Children and discolored teeth

Dennis McTigue DDS — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:06:00 EST

Question: When my niece turned 10, I noticed that she developed yellow and brown spots on her white teeth. She had always had a bright white smile, so to see these specks concerned me. When she was 15, she went to a dentist, and he diagnosed her with a calcium deficiency. We(her mother and I) found this stran . . .

Answer: It's not possible to diagnose your niece's condition without a thorough examination and you are encouraged to have her seen by a pediatric dentist. Pediatric dentists are specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of oral health problems in children and will be able to help with this problem.

I . . .

Ask an Expert: Dennis McTigue DDS, Dental and Oral Health (Children)