Cavities in 2 & 4 Yr Olds Regular Dental Procedure or Sedation ?

I had laughing gas when I had a cavity filled in kindergarten. I still remember the crazy dream I had, but I don't remember any dentist trauma. That's probably what they intended :)

I was faced with the same decision and I didn't want to torture them any further, so I am trying cod liver oil supplements, that they are actually taking, to strengthen their bones so that they are not so susceptible to cavities. It's supposedly repairs cavities in 6 months.

I went through this with my twin daughters... we opted for sedation. It was a nightmare for one and somewhat okay for another.
Personally, I almost regret spending over $2000 and putting them through all of that for baby teeth that were gone in less than 2 years. Of course, dental health is very important at a young age, but I would try the least expensive and least intimidating options.
Good luck.. I know it's a very hard decision.

I have only had novacain for dental procedures. I did not have cavities as a child, but I had baby teeth pulled and adult teeth pulled (to make room) as a young child an dwisdom teeth out, etc. w/o sedation. You know our child's temperment the best, but I generally believe if you do't make it scary then it won't scary. In fact, the idea of sedation is very frightening tome. I wouldn't do sedation unless on the day of the procedure it is the only way to go. I would ask your pediatrician's advice about sedation for a 2 year old as I wonder if they is wise in a dentist's office?

i had to go through with that for my 4 yr. And i had them to try the gas on her she did great the first visit then we had to go back and finish up the rest and the second time didnt go as well. It ended up that we had to hold her down to get the caps done. Cuz she remember the first visit and didint want to go through it again. In my opinion i wished i did go with her being sedated cuz it would been done all at once and she prolly wouldnt remember a whole lot. But every mom n child are different. Its what you feel comfortable with. Wish the best of luck to you.

Depends on the kid and the extent of the cavity. My 4 y/o did fine (with the drilling) until they applied the qtip part with the med. I guess it tasted nasty. It was too late to medicate her so we had to hold her down. Even then it was not as traumatic as it sounds.

As far as the sedative they basically give liquid versed in pediatric doses. (then possibly gas )It has a pretty short life in the system.

I would def have the 2yo done under sedation, but in a HOSPITAL, not at the dentist's office, as for your 4yo, you know what her personality/tolerance level is, so that's something to consider... and if your dentist wants it done in his office, honestly, i'd look into getting a new dentist. never allow anyone to put your child(or anyone) under sedation/anesthesia other than a board certified anesthesiologist in a hospital setting. and with the number of visits, i'd assume they each have multiple cavities... you may even look into getting a second opinion before the procedures, and if they do indeed have the dental problems, what you can do so they(and you!) don't have to go through this again. good luck, hope it goes smoothly!

How horrible for a child to have to experience dental procedures awake. I have the pediatric dentist put the kids out, in the hospital, it takes a few minutes and they are done and wake up wanting to go eat at McDonalds. The side effects are minimal, the same as with adults, there are possible side effects but then there are always risks with everything we chose to do daily.

I say have the procedures done in a safe, sanitary place. Our pediatric dentist practices at 5 different hospitals in OKC and Children's has a wonderful, non threatening, fun waiting area. This is the best way, kids sleep deeply, under a gas anesthesia, and wake up remembering nothing. They can be a bit unnerved, it is s different feeling having the gas still in their little systems for about 30 minutes but it passes quickly and they are back to normal.

omg that sounds awful, i cant imagine why you have to deal with that. my daughter had 4 cavities at her 4 year visit, i was miserable! we came back for one visit, she had all 4 filled at the same time (it was like 2 cavities, each squished in between 2 teeth) ... anyway, they had spongebob on the tv, they gave her a tiny shot of novocaine to do the top 2, then again to do the bottom 2. no gas at all. they "strongly suggested" i use the twilight, whatever that is. i asked if we could just try without and see how she does. they said ok and she was perfectly fine. when they finished the top 2, we all asked her if it was ok to do the bottom 2, she said sure. i swear it was a peice of cake. they are a great pediatric dentist, they know how to deal with the kids, try to get one. (im on l.i., if you are anywhere near i would def recommend them)... plus they also sealed her teeth. all at the same visit. and my 6 and 2 year old all got cleanings at the same time, and they all were totally fine, focused on the stickers and tv and the video games and cool sunglasses and stuff like that...

It really depends on the kid.
I worked for a pediatric dental specialist and some kids were absolute champs, no gas or sedation of any kind and then others were so freaked out that calming them really helped and the dentist was able to do the procedures and the kids watched DVD's and were no worse for wear.
They give sedation in such low doses that there aren't really any long term affects. But, there are some kids who actually get a little hyped up once things are over. It could be a reverse affect of the sedation or their adrenaline kicking in afterwards. Some kids are afraid of how the sedation makes them feel because they don't understand that wonky feeling and don't know if it's ever going to wear off.
My son never needed any sedation whatsoever because he's pretty mellow and wasn't worried about things hurting him. It wasn't pleasant to be sure, but he's hurt himself worse getting scraped up in the front yard. My daughter on the other hand needed the sedation because she got herself so worked up ahead of time before anyone even touched her. She was able to doze through most of it and actually thought she "dreamed" she went to the dentist.
Some kids really do better with a little sedation, but like I said, it depends on the kid.

Best of luck!