Q.
Dear Dr Caplan My 12 year old son has beautiful, straight teeth with no fillings. He’s missing his 2s (on both sides) his 3s have come through in their place. His ‘baby’ 3s are where the adult 3s should be and the orthodontist said the roots are long so he could have them well into his 20s. The orthodontist consultant has insisted leaving them all where they are and just filing the sharp ends off the adult 3s to make them look more like 2s, then using bridges or dentures if and when the baby 3s fall out. We’ve recently moved house, and our old dentist told us that the best final result would be to move the adult 3s where they were meant to be (using braces) with dentures maintaining the space the 2s would have occupied, then bridges or implants when he’s older. Which would you recommend? I’m concerned that my son will have to live with the outcome for the next 60 years and just want to make sure that the course of treatment we choose is the right one. The orthodontist was an NHS one with a long waiting list and a budget, I don’t trust that my son’s end result was his priority – but equally, I’m not a dentist and don’t know if I’m just being neurotic! Whilst I appreciate you can’t make a diagnosis, any advice would be very much appreciated. Kind regards,