Milk tooth!

[Scarlett]

My right front canine is still a milk tooth, even though I am in my 30s!  The problem is, it is now starting to get really discoloured. I have an adult tooth above it, but it shows no sign of budging. My dentist said a crown would not be able to be attached as the tooth was so small, and the only other option was to have a brace and a chain, and drag the big tooth down- which would take 18 months! As a singing teacher, this really isn't an option- as well as what it would cost. Surely in this day and age there is SOMETHING I could do. Would a veneer work?!?!

[Morrisonker]

my flatmate had this, he's only 20 mind.  But he had the milk tooth taken out and the big tooth dropped down fine.  Ask your dentist because obviously none of us will know what it looks like etc.  If you're worried about not being able to pronounciate properly because of the brace, talk to your dentsit and you may find there's another style which can be used which won't interfer.

[Scarlett]

Thanks for that. Did your flatmate have a brace, and how long did it take for the new tooth to come down?

It's not so much the pronounciation- although that is an issue, it's just having to spend most of my working life talking to a big group of people (lecturing) or with my mouth wide open (singing). It's just not ideal...

[morg_monster]

I had this scenario on both sides, though I was 17 at the time. All my teeth came through late but the canines were the worst, they weren't wobbling at all.  My dentist took the 2 teeth out and then sent me to the orthodontist to have braces installed.  I had them for 2 months (the 'chain' bit hadn't been put in yet).  But to cut a long story short I had them taken out again when the nasty orthodontist insisted on tightening them on christmas eve (I would have had to eat soup for 4 days after - no way) (obviously not just this - it was the straw that broke the camel's back!).

Anyway the canines came down on their own within another couple of months and now they are the biggest teeth in my mouth!  So I reckon get the tooth out, BUT obviously it is more important for you and you'd need to look at the options if the tooth didn't come down, what would happen then.