what to do...what to do...
Calling all moms and dads...HELP!!!
We brought Lauryn (who is now 3 years old) to our dentist a couple of months ago, to have hime confirm whether or not she had cavities. "Yes", was his quick response. We brought her in again to have one of them removed by laser, since this does not require a needle. At that time, he recommended we come back another time, and wrote a prescription for a sedative. She would have to be sleeping when he attempted to complete the job again because she wasn't keeping her mouth open long enough.
We thought about it and thought about it. Finally, we decided not to put her out, and decided to go see a pediatric dentist instead. This particular specialist was an advocate of 'no sedatives', so we thought that might be a better choice. We took her there this past weekend, and was uneventful. They tried to get 2 X-rays of her teeth, but only managed to get 1. The said she has definitley 2 cavities, but aren't positive because they weren't able to get all x-rays done...and that she would have to come back 3 times to have each of them done seperately. So, the receptionist says, "It's going tp be tough, and she will probably be kicking and screaming, so it would be a good idea if both of you were there to hold her down..." I immediately got this vision in my head where Lauryn was kicking and screaming while we were forcefully holding her down, with this dentist waiting to stick this HUGE metal needle in her mouth...!! And then realized she would be awake for the WHOLE time!
I don't know what's more traumatizing! We're on the fence right now because we know it has to be done, but which proedure would cause the lease amount of stess on everyone??? I remember havign to go thru the same thing, but I think I was 8!!!
Which would you choose?
We brought Lauryn (who is now 3 years old) to our dentist a couple of months ago, to have hime confirm whether or not she had cavities. "Yes", was his quick response. We brought her in again to have one of them removed by laser, since this does not require a needle. At that time, he recommended we come back another time, and wrote a prescription for a sedative. She would have to be sleeping when he attempted to complete the job again because she wasn't keeping her mouth open long enough.
We thought about it and thought about it. Finally, we decided not to put her out, and decided to go see a pediatric dentist instead. This particular specialist was an advocate of 'no sedatives', so we thought that might be a better choice. We took her there this past weekend, and was uneventful. They tried to get 2 X-rays of her teeth, but only managed to get 1. The said she has definitley 2 cavities, but aren't positive because they weren't able to get all x-rays done...and that she would have to come back 3 times to have each of them done seperately. So, the receptionist says, "It's going tp be tough, and she will probably be kicking and screaming, so it would be a good idea if both of you were there to hold her down..." I immediately got this vision in my head where Lauryn was kicking and screaming while we were forcefully holding her down, with this dentist waiting to stick this HUGE metal needle in her mouth...!! And then realized she would be awake for the WHOLE time!
I don't know what's more traumatizing! We're on the fence right now because we know it has to be done, but which proedure would cause the lease amount of stess on everyone??? I remember havign to go thru the same thing, but I think I was 8!!!
Which would you choose?
posted by Mel at
8:38 AM
6 Comments:
I feel for ya Mel. I don't know what I'd in this situation. But I think I would lean more towards the sedative (as long as you do some research to make sure that it is okay to give it to her that young), just because she'd be sleeping through the process.
I think that holding her down during a "needle" process could traumatize her more and NEVER want to go back to the dentist. I STILL hate getting that needle if I have to.
I went to the hospital when I was young to get something done on my teeth and I was totally out for the process. I'm glad I don't remember too much about the experience. I only remember getting liquids for food in the hospital afterwards.
Gee this turned out to be long... but I hope it helps yours and Nick's decision. Miss ya!!
T.
By
mrs cruz, At
May 01, 2006 9:02 PM
I wish I knew. However Mrs Cruz has a point about remembering it all.
By
Gary, At
May 01, 2006 11:11 PM
I'm neither a mom nor a dad, but one option is doing the old pinoy dentist trick: tie a string to a doorknob and... I really hated my parents for that one. "It's baby teeth anyways", they said. Right. :)
By
VirtualErn, At
May 01, 2006 11:36 PM
Thanks for the input, guys - in the whole mess of things, I found a pediatric dentist in Langley, which is only 10 minutes from our place, and not 60, like the one we went to. The receptionist was very helpful and went over some of their procedures...I felt more comfortable, and they have a few alternatives to being totally out. We have an appt. next month...
Marian - the one our dentist gave us a prescription for was called "chloral hydrate"
By
Mel, At
May 02, 2006 9:14 AM
I spent a lot of money on my oldest daughter when she was 18 months old. She had a bottle decay, so all of her teeth got crowns. She was sedated the whole procedure. I will never go through that again because she felt the pain afterwards. Baby teeth are as important as the permanent teeth. If it's not bothering her, I would not do anything. Just continue to brush her teeth and floss. When she turns 6 or 7, you can revisit the procedure and see if she's more cooperative at that point. My middle child who is 4 has 4 cavities that we found out about a year ago. We go to the dentist twice a year. She's not ready for the procedure. We are just waiting whenever she's ready. My 7 year old got her two front teeth extracted. She did really well with that. As long as they're not in pain, it's okay to leave it alone.
By
Anonymous, At
May 02, 2006 11:31 AM
I remember when I was little and had to get fillings, they would put a mask on me to make me sleepy. They would say it was a mask like Darth Vader so it wouldn't be scary. Then, when they would take x-rays they would put salt on it first and say it was like a potato chip.
it didn't hurt or anything because I knew that afterwards I could look in the big froggy toy chest and pick out a toy.
By
bev, At
May 02, 2006 11:46 AM
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