Extraction of Baby Molar Teeth

[fengkuoyu]

My 5 year old nephew recently had a check up on his teeth and was told that he has cavities on 8 of his baby teeth. The worst ones are on 3 of his molar teeth. We were told that the cavities in those teeth are so big that the teeth may break into pieces if they get filled and so we were given the option to have them extracted... and to fill the rest of the cavities on other teeth. The dentist then recommended putting spacers where the molars are extracted. Our worries are the following. My nephew has never complained of having any toothache, why are his cavities that bad and big but he's not feeling any pain? Do you think the cavities are really that big if there is no pain? My nephew is sooooo young. I think he won't have permanent molars until he gets to around 10 years old? What are the long and short term consequences if the baby molars get extracted that early? I am worried that if he doesn't do a good job on brushing his teeth, then the teeth next to the spacers will get cavities too. We saw a general dentist when we went for the check up and an x-ray is yet to be taken, but the dentist could already see big cavities just by inspection. (However we as parents and family members only saw 1mm diameter holes on the surface of his teeth). Is extraction of 3 baby molar teeth (one in each quadrant) with spacers put in a bit too extreme for a 5 year old child? The spacers must be awfully uncomfortable. Shall we consider root canal treatment with crowns instead on the molars for the betterment of his oral health? Should we see a paedodontist instead? What do you think is the best option for a 5 year old child if what the dentist said are all true after the x-rays have been taken? We are all worried and unsure of what we should decide. Please help!"