Any dental advice anyone can give?

I've had a tooth that has been bothering me this past month and actually started to feel kind of loose. Not really moving or anything but it just didn't feel right. So I went to the dentist today and she confirmed that the reason it is loose is because it is actually a baby tooth that I should have lost many moons ago. She took an xray and there is no adult tooth underneath it and she said she wants to pull it out. I'm a bit concerned because I told her I wouldn't feel comfortable having a huge gap in my mouth and that I thought it would cause trouble eating and I asked if there were any options as to what I could do about this. She just shrugged my concern off and said she thought it would be fine and tried to rush me out of the office. The tooth is my first molar on the bottom right side and I obviously use it quite a lot when chewing, not to mention the fact that I'm going to have a massive hole in my smile. Is there anything that can be done that I could approach my dentist about or find another one who cares, so that I won't have to have a huge gap in my teeth?

I would go to another dentist.  There are options when you are missing an adult tooth, like implants.  I have also known someone to lose an adult tooth and had the shell of the tooth fused/bonded back in (not sure the details).

I am always really shocked to see how leaving gaps in teeth or pulling teeth, etc is not unusual in the UK.

My dad had just had a mass of bridge work done.  He was really worried about being left with gaps in his teeth whilst the false ones and caps were being worked on, but our wonderful dentist had already made a temporary bridge so he didn't look like a gammy fool...and for no extra cost!  Okay, our dentist is a perfectionist, but this makes me think that this might not be a UK/US issue, but a dentist to dentist issue.

I'd get a second opinion, and be a wee bit more assertive.  Ask the options, and explain your fears.

Vicky

Kayla,

I found out about five years ago that one of my daughter's baby teeth has no adult tooth behind it. I was told by several dentists and her first two orthodontists that she'd have to get a dental implant when the tooth eventually fell out. I say go for a second opinion. I'm with you, I wouldn't be comfortable with a missing tooth for aesthetic as well as practical reasons.

As for my daughter, her orthodontist here needed more space to work with for her teeth to get straightened and had the baby tooth pulled as well as the one on the opposite side (a perfectly good tooth, hmph!) to even things out and provide enough space. I suppose the only good thing is that we're now spared the expense of a pricey dental implant.

Having a tooth pulled and nothing put in its place will cause your other teeth to go out of alignment eventually.  You need something in there. 

definately get another opinion.  If another NHS dentist says the same thing as your current dentist then I would highly recommend you try and find a private practice dentist, one that does not work with the NHS at all.  We had a dentist when we first moved here, he took the children on NHS but hubby and I on private and what we found out, the painful way, was that even though we paid him private fees we really did not get anything better than basic NHS work.  We have since switched to a private only dentist and she is wonderful. 

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to try to talk to her again next week and if she still won't give me any options I guess I'll start looking for private care. 

I don't think you need to jump right to private care if you don't get what you need--remember that another NHS dentist might serve you better.  Ask around for recommendations from people and find someone based on that.

I'm wishing you luck.  I'm seeing my first NHS dentist this week and am full of apprehension, but several people have recommended him, so we shall see.

Although I'm not a dental professional, I know quite a bit about teeth and wouldn't go to any dentist who recommended leaving a space in my mouth. The reason for this was mentioned before; your teeth can eventually move out of alignment because of the gap, and the loss of bone that occurs with the removal of teeth. This is why the space should be filled with either a bridge or, if you can meet the expense, a dental implant. I would get a second, or even third, opinion before you decide on anything. Good luck!