Can a congenitally retained baby tooth that already has a filling be re-filled?

Question

My new dentist seems to be a little too yank happy and wants to extract both of my baby teeth, one of which is still perfectly fine. The tooth that's a concern has a filling and a cavity.

Answer 1

I am not sure. But I have two congenitally retained baby teeth (no adult teeth behind them). My old dentist wanted to pull them because he said they wouldn't "last" more than 20-30 years. Well, I'm 40 this year and they are still going strong! So I would suggest getting another opinion.

At least one of my children has the same baby teeth with no adult tooth behind them ... and I wouldn't let them pull his, either! LOL. They wanted to yank them out and fix it with braces but we said no ... we'll keep 'em. =)

Answer 2

It all depends on the condition of the tooth.   Baby teeth can be kept for a lifetime,  given that they do not breakdown or decay.     If this tooth already has a filling,  and now has another cavity,   it may of concern.    Every time you get another filling in any tooth,  there is less of the original tooth there,  and becomes more and more fragile.  

There may be some good reason to take out the decaying tooth,  but if the other one is fine,  there may be no reason to take it out.

Answer 3

It depends. If the tooth is pretty small (as most baby teeth are) and it already has a filling it may not be able to support another filling. Teeth have a living pulp in the middle, if the fillings get to close to the pulp they kill it and you need a root canal or an extraction. Root canals on baby teeth are usually not indicated. They are expensive and may have little chance of sucess.