The dentist mentioned a temp crown option only after I asked about costs, which helped a bit. Still, I keep worrying if it’s worth it for a tooth that’ll fall out anyway...
Totally get where you’re coming from. I didn’t realize they did root canals on baby teeth either until my nephew needed one last year. My sister went through the same debate—she kept asking herself if it was really necessary since the tooth would come out in a year or two anyway. But her kiddo was having trouble eating and even talking, so she ended up going for the crown too.
I guess sometimes it’s less about how long the tooth will last and more about making sure they’re comfortable in the meantime. The cost part is rough though. Insurance barely covered anything for us, so it felt like paying a lot for something temporary. Still, seeing him eat normally again made it feel worth it.
Dental stuff always seems way more complicated than you’d expect. There’s never a clear-cut answer, just what feels right for your kid at the time.
I guess sometimes it’s less about how long the tooth will last and more about making sure they’re comfortable in the meantime.
That’s pretty much where we landed, too. When my daughter needed work on a baby molar, it felt weird to spend so much for something “temporary.” But the dentist explained that if you just pull a baby tooth too early—especially a back one—it can mess up how the adult teeth come in. That part made sense, even if it’s still frustrating to shell out for it.
We actually went through the options step-by-step: root canal and crown, just a crown, or pulling. The dentist said if the tooth is pulled before the adult one is ready, sometimes they need to put in a spacer so things don’t shift around. That’s another cost and hassle.
I agree about insurance barely helping. We ended up going with the temp crown, mostly because she was having trouble chewing and I didn’t want her to avoid certain foods for months. It’s not an easy call, though—I kind of wish dentists would walk us through all the pros and cons upfront without us having to ask a million questions...