My five-year-old son had trauma on his teeth. I noticed the front teeth are turning a darker color. Should I take him to the dentist? We haven’t taken him to one yet because he is only five.
Cassie
Dear Cassie,
There isn’t much you can do about the color. However, whenever there is trauma to a child’s tooth you should see their pediatric dentist. This is to check that there isn’t any underlying damage to the adult teeth. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. Most dentists would be more than willing to see him that day for an emergency appointment.
As for the color, there really isn’t anything you can do. At five years old, the teeth will be falling out soon anyway. I would just leave them alone and allow them to fall out on there own.
As to when it is time to start going to the dentist, it’s important you do it sooner rather than later. What you don’t want to happen is wait until there is a problem, such as decay or a tooth infection. Then, their first experience with the dentist will be a painful unpleasant one.
It’s much better if their first experience is a pleasant one. The dentist will show him the instruments and do some x-rays and clean his teeth. Going to the dentist is thought of as a fun thing, instead of a scary thing.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville, IL Dentist Dr. David Potts.