My son will turn one at the end of June. A few weeks ago he hit his face on a coffee table and injured his two front bottom teeth. They are still in his gums and neither the teeth nor the roots are damaged. We took him to his dentist and he concluded they need to be pulled. We didn't want to unless absolutely necessary but his teeth are very loose and he keeps re-injuring them every time he bumps his mouth they start bleeding and he screams in pain, so we figure it would just be better to have them pulled. The dentist gave us the option of either doing the procedure in his office with just a local anesthetic, or taking him to the hospital to be put under. I cannot decide what to do. I think it would be easier on both him and myself to have it done at the hospital, but I am also very nervous about the risks associated with anesthesia since he is so young. Any experiences/advice anyone can share would help, thanks so much!
Thanks everyone for all your advice. I have actually already taken him to two pediatric dentists...our usual one (who has had his practice in our town for YEARS) and a different one for a second opinion, and I do feel that it is necessary to have them pulled, especially since he keeps re-injuring them. I still haven't decided if I will take him to the hospital or have it done in the office but will take all of your advice into account. THanks again!
My son lost his two front teeth when he was 10 months old. Just an FYI, he will be without these teeth for 5-6 years! The adult teeth came in fine with no problems. I would have them pulled in the dentist office. Baby teeth aren't too hard and they are already loose. Good Luck.
i would seek out a second opinion. when my oldest was 2 due to an accident with his father he almost knocked out his 2 upper front teeth...i took him to ER and dentist they determined to let them heal just be careful what is eaten and not to knock them and they healed perfectly fine..
if they are pulled this early i know from experience that when pulled real early that can contribute adult teeth not going into proper placement and law not growing properly.
i hope things work out for the little guy
It would depend on your ability to control him. Will he listen to sit still. Which child is it is it your 3 1/2 or your 10 month. The procedure for the whole thing is going to take a half hr if that. I wouldn't put him out for it. I would be in with him hold him and have the dentist do it. I would also reasurre him it will be better once its all done. But ? I would get a second opinion. Did you see if the teath or the gums ever go back to sitting still. Or will they always be moving too. Dr. Campbell on metroparkway (16 mile) and Mound area is an awesome dr even with kids. He is really really really good. I had to take my daughter when she was about that age for something and he was awesome. In case you would like a 2nd opinion.
Hi there, I am an operating room nurse and I care for a lot of children at my job. I have a few questions that I always ask my doctors and tell my friends to ask as well:
1. Does the office have a "crash cart" available in case of emergency? 2. Is the staff trained in CPR for children, not just adults? 3. Is anyone on the staff PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) trained. 4. How often do they do THIS procedure on children THIS age?
If they say no to any of those, don't do it at the office.
I'm not trying to scare you at all, but you may find that many offices don't even have emergency equipment for adults if something goes wrong, let alone for kids and toddlers. Also, the emergency medications used on kids are different than adults and so are the doses, so you want someone who really knows what to do. Finally, because your son is so little, you probably haven't had many chances to see if he has any medication allergies, which can be very severe and life threatening, so you want to make sure the office is able to handle that situation if it arises.
I know that a hospital is bigger and more frightening (for your son and you :))and maybe more expensive, but I think it is the safer way to go. That's what I would do if it was me. Good Luck
I hope you decide to have it done at the dental office. It is an easy procedure for the dentist. It will be hard on you, no doubt, its being a parent, you hurt when your child hurts. It won't change as your kids get older. I work for a pediatric dentist, and unfortuantly, we do this more than you could ever imagine. Between falls and bottle rott. Your son will not be happy about having it done, he will scream, but he won't be hurt. Its just he won't want to have anyone in his mouth. Personally, I wouldnt' recomend being in there, for a couple reasons. It will be harder on you, and him. He will want you to rescue him, and its hard to see your child unhappy and scared. We dont' have parents back in our practice, because in the past when we did, we had parents pass out. One mom was a registered nurse. Its just different when its your child. It happened enough, that it became a problem. We need to focus totally on the child, and if a parent drops, we have to tend to them as well. If your child is in the hospital, you wouldn't be in with them there either, its a medical procedure. That is just something to keep in mind. Anyway, he'll heal up fine and back to eating in no time. Good luck.
Before you go that route, you might want to take him to an oral surgeon. They have anesthesia in their office, so a hospital trip won't be necessary. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion.
I strongly recommend a second opinion. You need to go to a pediatric dentist. At this age, those teeth are very important for speech development. You might be able to just call around and talk to a receptionist until you find one that tells you that they doctor tries to hold onto baby teeth as long as possible. Then set up a consult, and decide what to do after you have the consult. They can do some stabiliziing in some situations. Did your original doctor discuss this option at all when the accident occurred?
I agree with getting a second opinion before deciding what to do. I wonder if pulling baby teeth at this age affects the spacing of the permanent teeth that come in later. Since it's going to be many years before his permanent teeth come in, would he need something temporary to keep the spacing? Is pulling them now going to guarantee he's going to need braces or something in the future to correct the problem? I don't know the answers to these questions, but when my neice needed a baby tooth pulled, they put an implant in to prevent shifting of the other teeth.
If you do decide to go ahead with the procedure, I'd strongly recommend doing it at the hospital. It's a rare one year old who wouldn't be traumatized by shots in the mouth and having teeth pulled awake. There is very little risk from anesthesia. Go to a hospital where they're used to caring for kids and they'll make it easy on you and your child. Good luck!
Before you decide anything. Take him to a pediatric dentist for a second opinion. There may be something that can be done to preserve the teeth. It really sounds like they just need some support while the surrounding tissue heals.
If they do need to be pulled. Take him to a certified pediatric dentist experienced in dental repairs. not sure where you are, but we used Dr. Norris in Lansing when my 4yr old needed extensive dental repairs and 2 teeth pulled. Due to the extent of work that needed to be done and my Son's Autism (which is why he needed so much work done! Darn oral aversions!) We chose general Anesthesia. He came through just fine (and it was actually his 3rd time under General Anesthesia...the other 2 times being for MRI's)
I also have to disagree with one of the previous posters regarding the use of laughing gas alone for children. Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) is a sedative...not a pain blocker. It creates a sense of relaxation and wellbeing. It also has an amnesiac effect, so your child might not remember much or any of the procedure. However Nitrous Oxide doesn't work well for all people, there are a lot of factors to consider such as nasal congestion (it is a nasal "mask") anxiety (people who are scared or anxious breathe through their mouth) And if your child will tolerate the nasal mask. You also retain your ability to MOVE, so it's likely that your child would have to be restrained. Your child would still need local anesthetic for pain control.
Given his age if a pediatric dentist thinks it would be best to remove the teeth I would opt for general anesthesia. This will remove any anxiety and pain from your child, and allow the dentist more time to do a good job, and as a bonus most dentists will also do a thourough cleaning of the teeth while the child is under anesthesia. The child may also recieve pain medication via IV so they are not in pain when they wake up.
Hi Christine,
Looks like you have some really good advice, but I would like to tell you if you are near Clinton Twp. at all my son's pediatric dentist is outstanding and I would go to them for a second opinion first. Also in my opinion I would take him to the hospital to have them pulled. Only because they are far more equipped in the event something were to happen. Not that nothing should but better to be safe than sorry. Just my opinion. I am overly cautious though ...lol If you need the name of the Dentist I will be more than happy to give it to you, just PM me and I will give you all the info.
I wish you and your son the best of luck and I hope he gets taken care of well.
S. S.
First off, you might want to get a second opinion. Loose teeth can sometimes be stabilized and not pulled. (Each case may be different but I would ask another dentist about it). If they are pulled, sometimes a spacer is needed until the secondary teeth erupt.
If they need to be pulled, I would discuss this with the pediatrician and have all my questions answered by him or her. Good luck to you and your son. (When my son had to get some teeth pulled at 5 yrs old, I teared up. LOL They gave him the gas and it was over with in seconds. He was fine, I was a basket case.)
um my son did about the same thing! we did have his pulled at the office about a month after his second birthday. it went very well. the only thing that was hard was that they didn't tell me was he couldn't have his paci and that didn't go well. we ended up giving it to him cuz he was so upset that it was making it bleed more! but I definitely wouuld do it again! oh and they do not let u go back with them just so u know! good luck!
My daughter was 5 when she injured her two front teeth and had to have them pulled. They did them there at the dentist office and she was fine, but then again she wasn't 1 years old either.
You say they're already loose? It'll probably be real easy to pull them out. Does your dentist recommend one way more than the other? I think the risks and time associated with general anesthesia (to put him under) would be over doing it. He's young enough that he won't even remember a little pain (if any) by having the dentist do it in the office.
hey christine
me myself would opp to have it done in office if they are that loose it won't take much to get them out and you won't have to put him out and hand him over while he asleep that hard for me and why go under anesthesia if you don't have to .my girls don't do well coming out of it they cry with no way to comfort them and are moodie for days all five of them .maybe i am just lucky that way HAHA.good luck
If he is just having the two pulled you might just want to do it at the dentists office. Now I know that it seems really scary but young children can have dental work done with just the laughing gas. With young children it also blocks pain...not just relaxing like in an adult.
My 5 year old had a cavity filled a couple of months ago with only the gas and came out smiling. My friends 4 year old had a DEEP cavity that they also filled with only the gas.
I know that have the teeth pulled and filled are two diffrent things. I hope that all goes well. I know that I was more scared than my daughter was!
Blessings, K.
I had LOTS of teeth pulled as a child. The shot does hurt, but the tooth pulling doesn't. Tell the dentist to jiggle his cheek/lip as he inserts the needle and injects the novicain. It distracts from the pain, making the shot not as bad. If it were my choice, I would go with the dentist rather than use anesthesia.
