I have a ten year old son who broke his front tooth. I wanted a repair right away because we are traveling for the holidays. He can’t deal with the tooth until the end of January. When I asked for a referral somewhere else, he told me the tooth needed time to desensitize anyway and will be ready by the time he is available. Is this legitimate? I don’t want to seek treatment elsewhere if it will be a difficult appointment for him as a result.

Karyn

Dear Karyn,

I am sorry about your son’s fall. It sounds like you’ve got an active boy, which is a great thing. There is no real reason to wait, so I am not sure why he said that except possibly to make sure he did the repair. This is a tricky repair though, so before you schedule your appointment with someone, make sure that you evaluate their ability to do the repair well.

You didn’t mention if you have the piece that was broken off. It is possible that it can be bonded back on. If you don’t have it, that is okay. Dental bonding can repair it but both of these are very advanced procedures. Dental bonding is done freehand and requires an artistic eye and a high level of technical skill.

In your place, I would look for an AACD accredited dentist. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country and they had to demonstrate artistry with bonding cases in order to pass accreditation.

Do not be surprised if, when he is older and the pulp of his tooth is smaller, he needs a dental crown. In fact, it will almost be guaranteed.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.