DentaltownSecond Opinion: The Tooth the Dentist Rejected

The main complaint of an 11-year-old patient was “cavities on baby teeth.” Examining revealed that teeth #3, 14, and 30 have decay. Testing for vitality revealed positive results for all teeth. Nos. 3 and 14 would need more treatment than a straightforward restoration due to the insufficient thickness of the remaining dentin. The author explores early permanent first molar extraction and shows how the tooth he rejects—the permanent first molar—can enable the second permanent molar to become the cornerstone and, in certain situations, prevent extraction of the third molar.