Hi, my 2 yr old had a tooth (very slight yellow) the dentist told me it is infected and dead and it needs to be removed so as not to spread the infection. But I'm little concerned as he told me that she may get another tooth only when she is 6-7yr old, Is there any other way to maintain the tooth without being taken out. Please let me know.

A concerned MOM

You don't want to leave a dead infected tooth in your mouth regardless of how old or young you are. This could lead to some pretty nasty consequences with the infection. Baby teeth are sometimes knocked out by accident and the permanent teeth still show up when they are supposed to with no resultant problems. The dentist in this case knows his stuff and I agree totally that it needs to be taken out NOW.

If it is just a dead nerve, I would leave it in as long as I can. If it is infected and can't be taken care of with antibiotics, then I would extract it. Infection in your mouth can lead to many health problems because that infection can run through her entire bloodstream. I understand how you must feel that it is a front tooth (Im assuming-bc that's the age the anteriors erupt) and she will be without it for a while-- I know the most important thing is that you don't want your little girl to have to go through an extraction at 2-but the infection can hurt her little body and that I could bet my life on, you don't want to do. I hope this helps