My pediatric dentist want to remove enamel from my 8-year-old's emerging molars, and then apply a veneer?

Question

The dentist says that the surface enamel of the molars contains naturally occuring gaps and valleys which can trap food and become decayed. She suggests drilling to enlarge the gaps and valleys and then filling in the enlarged spaces with a veneer. The veneer is subject to wear and tear and needs to be removed and replaced every couple years. Does this make sense? I would love to hear from a parent who has experienced this, or from a mature person who had this done at some earlier time, or from dental professional. Thanks.

Answer 1

WHAT THE HELL

This sounds like a scam. You put an eight year old through this and then they have to go through it again at 10 12 etc for the rest of thier lifes. No way I would report this dentist to the authorities for child abuse.

Your child's teeth have only just come through. They are still developing so is the jaw and mouth structures.
I WOULD get a second opinion.
Some of the other suggestions sound more sensible but not drilling into perfectly good teeth to prevent a problem that may or may not occur. I have never heard of such an absurd idea.

Brushing the teeth and may be a dental sealant.

Answer 2

I have heard about this and I have seen this in patients; however, I WOULD NOT recommend that your child's teeth get drilled.
There is a better alternative that does not require drilling. They are called pit and fissure sealants. The gaps and valleys are cleaned and dried, then a liquid(sealant) is painted on with a little brush. The liquid(sealant) is hardened with a light. The same light that is used to harden white fillings. It is a quick and easy procedure. Sealants are checked at every recall visit (check-up). If it has fallen out or worn down, it is replaced.

Pit and fissure sealants are very easy to do, in fact, they can be applied by a dental hygienist too. I have done 100's, if not 1000's of them.

Here is a link with more information:http://www.healthyteeth.org/prevention/pitFissure.html
The link even contains a video of somebody getting a sealant applied to their tooth!!

Pit and fissure sealants are wonderful. The most common place to get a cavity is on top of the molars because of the pits, etc. Bacteria settles in these pits and your toothbrush can't reach down into the tiny pit. Then you get a cavity and it is not your fault!! Applying sealants prevents this from happening. I wish sealants were invented when I was a kid, than I wouldn't have all these fillings on top of my molars :(
I would have been cavity free!!

The most common cause of sealant failure is saliva contamination. It is extremely important to keep the saliva off of the tooth after you clean it and before you apply the sealant. That's why a sealant should be replaced for free if it has fallen out.

Answer 3

Yes, molars have deep developmental grooves - some people have really deep ones that are pretty much impossible to keep clean because toothbrush bristles are too thick to get into them.

A common procedure for this, especially on children, is to apply a sealant. The dentist would clean out the stain and any decay, then etch it with a gel, rinse and dry, then apply the sealant - which is pretty much the same material as a white filling, only thinner so that it can flow into all the grooves. That way, food and debris and bacteria can't get into the grooves so there will be less chance of decay on the biting surface. Sealants, if applied properly, COULD last as long as a white filling, but because they are in a high impact area, they are more succeptible to wearing down. I wouldn't suggest "enlarging the gaps". And, if the sealants are still intact, I see no need to remove them and replace them; but if they fall out, then yes, replace them.

Answer 4

I am 65 have raised 2 children, with 9 years of orthodontic.
Now two granddaughters.

And I personally have 12 crowns, strong enamel did not run in our family.

THIS IS THE DUMBEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD OF.

For starters if it was a good idea, she isn't mature enough.
She will keep growing and the crowns $500-$1000. each would have to be changed as she grows. This is just plain idiotic.

Find a new Pediatric Dentist, go for a regular check up. After you get his opinion, share what the other Dentist said, to get his opinion.

If her pervious Dentist was pleased with her Dental progress, I definately would NOT consider that suggestion.

This sounds like nothing more than a long term money maker for him.

Answer 5

I've never heard of "drilling" to enlarge the gaps, but dentists commonly apply a sealant to children's teeth to smooth out the rough edges of molars. It is best to do this when the teeth are newly erupted. The way they do it is to etch the surface of the molar first in order to make the sealant bond, then they use a light to cure the sealant. It feels a little weird at first, like there's something stuck in your tooth, but you get used to it. I actually had some applied by a dentist (for the first time) when I was in my mid-20s and one of them is still in place!

Maybe you misunderstood what the actual procedure was going to entail, or whoever you talked to about it used the wrong words. Drilling, no -- etching, yes.

I searched for a website that explains this, and found one here: http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/Sealents.htm

Answer 6

My mother was advised by a dentist to have eight of my teeth receive similar dental treatment when I was 13.

We had recently moved home and it was my first visit to the new dental surgery. Prior to this I had received regular six monthly appointments with another dentist who had always patted me on the head for my nice strong teeth - I had no fillings. The only unusual thing about my teeth when I was growing up was that my second teeth came through a lot later than most kids.

My mother, trusting the new dentists "authority" - let him go ahead with the work.

20 years later - my teeth are cracking and breaking because the treatment I received had significantly weakened my natural tooth structure. It willcost me a small fortune for corrective treatment.

I would advise - if your daughter is experiencing no discomfort - that you leave her teeth to develop naturally.

The treatment will weaken her teeth and she will need the work re-done in years to come.

At the end of the day - who is going to really benefit from this treatment? The dentist of course! Unless they offered to do the work out of the goodnessof their heart - free of charge? I doubt it.

Good luck.

Answer 7

I have never heard of this and would get a second opinion before I put my child through it. Now a days they can apply stuff that helps prevent cavitites and protects the teeth so I am not sure what your dentist is suggesting even makes sense. For the life of me I can't remember what it is called when they apply the stuff to a childs teeth to protect them from cavities but hopefully some other poster will come up with the info for you. My daughter had it done for free in school when they did it to kids who don't get regular dental care (she cried and wanted it done so I signed the slip even though we see a dentist regularly) and she and my son both have no cavities.

Answer 8

What you want instead of this is fissure sealant. This remains in your childs teeth and will fill the gaps and valleys that you mentioned. I have had this treatment and am yet to have a cavity. I am currently a dental student, and we would not recommend this procedure - fissure sealant comes in tooth colour and is longer lasting then a veneer. Hope this helps.

Answer 9

of course there is valleys and gaps! dentists always comment i have deep valleys but have had 6 fillings in my whole life....i am in my 30's.......
better answer would be to teach your child to brush for 3 to 5 minutes 2 to 3 times daily and floss...... your subjecting your child to years of expense and discomfort if you follow this plan... where as the natural teeth my defend off cavities much better if well maitained.... i'd at the very least get a different dentists opinion.

Answer 10

No way would I do this to my child. PLEASE wait until all of his teeth come in and then get another opinion. I would wait until he is at LEAST 14-15. OF course there are gaps--all of his permanent teeth haven't come in yet and the shape of his mouth is going to continue to change and he gets older. This so-called dentist is scamming you. BIG time.