Q. Hello there, I am 33 and still have a baby tooth which is on the top left hand side, 2 away from my 2 front teeth. The adult tooth is above this and as far as I know sat in the correct position but has just never come down. I have started recently having a bit of tenderness in the gum and the tooth is a little painful, but nothing where I feel I have to take a painkiller. I am very worried now, as been reading that I will have to see a cosmetic dentist to either have the tooth pulled down by means of a brace and bracket contraption or have the 2 teeth removed and a false tooth fitted. Main concerns are, I am a single mum on benefits after my husband left me when my baby was born and could simply not afford to pay privately, and also at the age of 33 I am very upset at the thought of a brace. Would this procedure be done on the NHS and if so, what are the chances of me having both teeth removed and a false one in its place to avoid a brace? I have been reading that leaving the adult tooth in the gum can cause a multitude of problems the older you get and its really upsetting me and worrying me, whereas some websites suggest leaving the tooth well alone if there is nothing wrong with them as they “rarely cause problems”. Thank you very much for your time.