Does My 5 Year Old Need a Filling or Will Her Tooth Just Fall Out?

First molars usually do not fall out until between age 9-11 so she is still going to have that tooth for a while. If the dentist were to pull it out now she would most likely need a space maintainer to keep the space open for the permanent teeth. I would discuss the options further with your dentist or get a second opinion, but a filling probably would be the most conservative treatment.

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Because of risk of infection, I would either get the filling, or just have the tooth pulled. Whatever the Dentist suggests. Infected teeth can cause serious health problems.

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Good Morning C., check to see if her tooth is loose. Molars usually don't come out until yrs later. Maybe 9-12 yrs of age.
Sometimes Dentist's suggest a small filling to keep the cavity from spreading to the tooth below, if it's going to be awhile before it comes out. Oops sorry I had a brain malfunction.. Not a Cavity but soft spot. Ok the filling would prevent any more breakage that would cause more discomfort,with hot & cold things, also keeps food from getting stuck there.

But check to see if it is actually loose (it shouldn't be loose at this age though) before going the filling route.

Have a Wonderfully Blessed Merry Christmas.
K. Nana of 5

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I would ask if not filling it could effect the adult tooth beneath.
I also think they fill or seal teeth earlier than when we were kids so it is not as deep and not as painful a process.

You should get the filling. Molars take the longest to fall out. It could be years before it does and in the mean time she's in pain and it will only get worse.

if it is a molar- which it sounds like to me, she will need that tooth until she is at least 10. it is very important for chewing and holding the space for her perm. tooth. kids this age usually do very well if it is done at a dental office that sees a lot of children, it is explained well, and the parents do not scare them. if it is hurting then for sure fix it, but a little cavity is not usually felt but if it grows larger then it can cause pain and infection. (i have worked in a dental office for 7 years and my hubby is a dentist who sees a lot of children) hope this helps-i would fix it for sure

Hey C.,

I was a dental assistant for 12 years before deciding to quit and stay home with our son. Now, I work from home and absolutely love it. I just wanted to say that yes I would get the filling for your daughter. It will keep the tooth healthy longer and you won't have to worry about decay which will eventually hurt her. Keeping her baby teeth healthy is just as important as her permanent teeth because they set the environment for the permanent teeth to come in. She needs to keep her baby teeth as long as possible because loosing them prematurely can cause a lot of problems for her permanent teeth or you will have to spend a lot of extra money on space maintainer and stuff like that to make sure the permanent teeth can come in. So just my opinion I would for sure get the filling. Go luck!

T. Cogan
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Yes - absolutely get the cavity filled! It will affect her permanent tooth and cause other problems regardless of whether it is about to come out or not. It sounds like you are talking about her 2 year molar - those don't come out until late. Regardless, go ahead and take care of the cavity - they will be gentle and it will not hurt her a bit. Good luck!

I would get the filling to be on the safe side. You wouldn't want it to develope a cavity, I have always been told that cavities can affect the permanent teeth below the baby tooth and that they can even spread from one tooth to an ajoining tooth if left unattended. Unless you know that this particular tooth is already loose and will come out "soon" which my middle child didn't start loosing teeth until later than a lot of kiddos. Also is it possible instead of filling the dentist will just pull or cap the tooth?
Hopefully all works out = )
B.

get it FILLED! :) I was going to wait with my 5 year old (he had three-- yikes!!)... and trust me, they will only spread and get worse if you wait... plus it could be a long while before the tooth actually falls out :)

I would get the tooth filled. It will take a long time for that particular tooth to fall out. Also, you may want to prepare yourself for similar situations in the future. Some people are blessed with teeth that rarely get cavities; others get repeat cavities regardless of how often they brush or floss - I think it doesn't help if you have "soft teeth". She made need several fillings in her baby teeth. Even though the teeth will eventually fall out, they are still worth taking care of. Not filling cavities and soft spots can lead to very painful infections, and I have even heard of kids needing root canals in their baby teeth! Good luck!

Fill the cavity! You can pay for it now, or pay dearly when she is older!! Yes, logic would state that the tooth will fall out, so why bother, but a cavity can harbor bacteria and lead to gum issues. (It seems like an over-reaction, I know, but it's true!)

If you need a dentist, let us know!

I wouldn't worry about filling it ONLY if is is loose right now.
If it is not loose then I suggest having it filled. It may be a while before the tooth falls out & if it gets a cavity before then it could get very painful.
My oldest had perfect teeth, then at his next dentist apt. he had 2 cavities. They can appear very quickly. The dentist that we go to has laughing gas & that helped keep my son calm durring the fillings.

God bless & Merry Christmas!

I agree - you really don't want her mouth to get infected! Even though the tooth will fall out, you really need to get it filled.

I would take the doctor's advise. My daughter will be 11 tomorrow, and she still has those teeth back in the back. They won't fall out for quite awhile, and if it's hurting her now, it'll only get worse. Ask him how long she'll have that tooth, and then you can make your decision. If it was a front tooth, I"d say no, as obviously she'll be losing those any time.

Definitely get it taken care of, the baby tooth will probably be there a while, since it is one of her molars. And you don't want decay spreading to other teeth,AND the decay can spread down the root of the baby tooth to the permanent tooth!!! I would follow the dentists recommendations.

It could be awhile before her tooth comes out on its own. I don't beleive you would want your child to endure a tooth ache. And your dentist is the expert.

can't they just pull it? i agree about infection (and my dentist told me, if you have a toothache, it's PAST time to have it taken care of. at that point it's extremely important to get it fixed.) and i wouldn't put a filling in a tooth that would fall out, either, especially one towards the back that you can't even see that much. i'm sure your dentist is quite "willing" to fill it for you, charging you an arm and a leg on a tooth she won't even have for more than another year or two. don't let them fleece you like that. and also, don't take our word for it either. call other dentists get other opinions.