My 9-year old son has had a history of tooth trouble.

Question

He has had several fillings for baby teeth. Last year he had a modified root canal. He also had an abscess in the same area that's been treated successfully with antibiotics twice. He came down with a toothache last Friday with one of the molars in the area where he's had a root canal already -- but we were leaving to go away for the weekend for a family celebration. I'm going to try to take him to the dentist tomorrow. We are leaving on a family beach vacation this coming Friday. At what point should our dentist consider extraction of this baby tooth? Will this relieve the toothache? Should we wait until coming back from our vacation to consider an extraction? Any one out there with some suggetions?

Answer 1

Stop giving him soda, candy and other non-nutritous stuff.

Feed him milk, water, cheese, protein....high-quality and not fast food...

Then make SURE he brushes and flosses daily and most importantly before bed for at LEAST 2 MINUTES and uses a fluoride toothpaste and rinse.  

Then take whatever advise the dentist gives you....get it done and start working to make sure his ADULT teeth are cavity free, and hope you haven't doomed him to a life of decay.