Oh No! My 2 Years Has Cavities! What Do I Need to Do?

Yes, there is another way. My friend's son had cavities. Believe it or not, she went to a homeopathic doctor here in Tallahassee (not a dentist) named Dr. Jensen. He gave her son homeopathic remedies, and the teeth healed. He did not have to get any fillings (or be strapped down!) I just found out I have cavities and I am going to Dr. Jensen as soon as I can. I believe in the power of homeopathy and the ability of the body to heal itself.

I live in Panama City and my daughter goes to Dr. Claussen. He's a pediatric dentist and he uses the chloro hydrate. He also does a lot of crowns as opposed to fillings, but it depends on where the cavity is on the tooth.

Whether or not you find a different dentist, the cavities need to be taken care of or the child will end up having pain and other difficulties. Even though they will eventually fall out, he still has at least 3-4 years (or longer for molars) before they are ready to come out. Baby teeth have all the same nerves and sensitivities as adult teeth and thus are susceptible to the same pain as adult teeth.

Good Luck!

Regular toothpaste actually contributes to some dental problems - any product that truly stopped cavities would be harmful to the dental industry and wouldn't be endorsed by the ADA. Proper mineral balance in the diet and brushing with safer substances like "toothsoap" can prevent cavities.
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OMG I would find another dentist immediately! I would NEVER strap my child down and force them to have a procedure, NEVER. If it means holding off for a few months until you can save up enough for the anestesia (assuming another dentist that you seek for a 2nd opinion agrees that he needs fillings!).

If it were me, and my 2 yr old truly needed fillings, I would sell something, have me or my husband work some extra hours or tell every single person that sends or gives my family Christmas gifts that you want NOTHING other than help with his dental bill.... other materialistic posessions, gifts, eating out, etc would all be on the back burner....

I am certain you could also find another pediatric dentist that would consider a payment plan, but I would most definately get more opinions that this is even necessary, as anesthesia for such a young child isn't a great thing either (but far better than strapping him down and traumatizing him!!!!). Ahhhh, all those poor innocent children going to that dentist! ACK!

BEst wishes....prayers are in order :-)

J. - It has already been said in the previous replies. My daughter developed cavities in 2 of her bottom back teeth by 2.5. I was mortified, anyhoo, we sought out a pead dentist and he put stainless steel caps over them. She is 11 now and still has them. They should pop off when her new teeth come in. I remember them velcroing her to a board, which I HATED, she had Nitrous Oxide, and the job was done. She has no long term recolection of the proceedure. It cost us $1000 back in 2000! Get a second opinion if I were you.

M. F

I would definitely find another dentist. Strapping a child down like that is ridiculous. I don't know where you live, but in Orlando there is a dentist named David Goldstein, and he does procedures with "chloral hydrate" which is just a liquid medicine that the child drinks to knock them out. It's a medicine that's frequently used for children having MRIs, etc. I would look into something like that first. Being strapped down would be terrifying for anyone! Good luck.

J.
Find a pediatric dentist! MY 2 daughter's had cavities at a young age and the pediatric dentist gave them a sedative, & laughing gas and they remember NOTHING about getting their fillings. ( they did strap them down too but they remember nothing) If you can look up David goes to the dentist on you tube that is exactly what they were like. It was not very traumatic for them - (was for me). IT did cost more like $250 But my kids were older 4 & 6. At the very least get a second opinion. It's not unheard of for dentist to manufacture the need to get cavities filled b/c it helps them make $.

My nephew had several cavities at the age of two and my sister put off getting him treated. It became so bad that it became abscessed and his whole face was swollen. She had to take him in for an emergancy treatment. He ended up having to be strapped down and had several teeth pulled, others filled. He is missing his front teeth due to cavities and he is only five now. So he started school missing teeth!
I would think it would be better to take care of it before it gets worse. My newphew does hate the dentist now... but he had to go in several different times to get it all taken care of. It would be better to do it one time than several times. They should be able to numb the area without you having to pay extra.
Oh also google xylitol. It is used in some gums and mints. You can buy it at a health food store. It has been said to reverse cavities. Basically it creates an alkaline in the mouth instead of the acid that sugar creates and eats at the teeth. I have heard of people just putting a little bit in their mouth after each meal and letting it dissolve. One mom flavered the crystals with an orange flavor so it tasted like candy. I have made homemade mints out of it. I just melt it in a saucepan and put some mint extract in it and put drops on wax paper and let it dry.
Good luck mommy!

Those children's Tylenol meltaways (bubble gum flavored) knock me out like elephant tranquilizers... I bet a few of those would do the trick.

Or- If there is a Coast Dental in your area, they have their own little dental discount plan that gives pretty substantial discounts on some things. It's really disgusting that laughing gas would cost $500.00. (Of course they would charge the insurance company a negotiated rate of less than 200.....then you would only pay a portion) The cost of healthcare is ridiculous.

Don't feel bad about the cavities... Sometimes it's genetic.... I used to brush my teeth with baking soda toothpaste and it scrubbed all the enamel off my teeth. I was VERY susceptible to cavities then... Plus- I stopped drinking tap water years ago and bottled water doesn't have fluoride in it. When his adult teeth come in you may want to look into having them sealed. It may save you a ton of money in the longrun.

I work in the College of Dentistry at the University of Florida. Do you live near Gainesville? Even an hr or so away? We have a pediatric clinic here, and although they only take medicaid and CMS insurances, they are a lot cheaper, so even if they had to sedate him, it would not cost near $500. Even if you had to drive, gas isnt going to cost near that either. But you do need to get them taken care of, if not, it will continue to decay into the gums and roots, then needing the teeth extracted before he gets in permanent teeth, and if this happens with permanent teeth, then come the root canals. So its very important. And along with brushing twice a day you need to floss his teeth once a day. Other than that, some dietary things can be factors, like a lot of acidic drinks. And, sometimes its in his salivia, a very acidic saliva wears on tooth enamel, and a very basic saliva wears on gums more. Hope this helps!

Okay first of all have you had a second opinion? I have taken my four year old to the dentist every 6 months for cleanings since she was 1. My husband started a new job last year and we had to unfortunately switch dentists to Dental Health Group in New Tampa due to his dental plan. This past visit they told me she had 3 cavities and that they were either going to have to tie her down to correct them or put her under anestetia. I could not believe it! I clean and floss her teeth daily. I insisted on a second opinion and after going to another pediatric dentist and not telling them what the other said. They did an exam and surprise! She had ZERO cavities! Now I will say I had prior suspicions with this facility since my they told both me and my husband we needed work that wasn't needed, but in any case before I put my child through anything like that I would get a second opinion. If they come back with the same result than I would definitely have the work done because you don't want to damage any permanent teeth or cause him any pain. Side note I did ask three different pediatric dentists about tying the patient down to do the work and they all said they would never do that.

See WestonPrice.com and Dr Bruce West at health alert.Make sure the adult teetha re ggod- and these sources will help with that
Forget about the cavities for now- and for heavens sake DON'T strap down your son-who likes being strapped down- that is unbelieveable- and dentist wonder why they are disliked
k

500 for gas, rip off. When i was younger i went to a ped dentist due to gag reflex and they gave drugs that made me sleepy n not gag.

Correcting this now, while it is "correctable" is very important. If you let them go you will cause pain to your son, and cavities spread like wild fire (which is why he has more than one. You can even spread a cavity from your mouth to your child just be letting them use the same fork, spoon, straw etc... My sister is a dental hygenist and says so many children go without getting care for lack of money, time, or just because parents don't think it's a big deal "they are just baby teeth." Well, the sad news is that cavities are painful and they can spread from a baby tooth to an adult tooth. Since children don't start losing baby teeth until about 6 years old, you are looking at another 4 years of letting this tooth decay. This tooth will in-turn decay the adult tooth, and that is never a good thing. Take care of it now.

I wouldn't do it. My 7 year old had that problem when she was 3 and they gave her this medicine to make her go to sleep, strapped her in a chair, and put ended up putting 4 crowns and 3 fillings when she really didn't need all of that. They didn't look that bad and she wasn't in any pain.
They cause her more problems now by cutting her gums and tongue. If I had known then what I know now, I would have just left them alone. They will fall out in a couple of years. She has been losing her teeth like crazy since the week she turned 5 and half the ones they fixed have already come out. Since she was on Medicaid at the time, I believe that they were trying to "milk" medicaid.
I apologize if I seem so negative about it. We had a bad experience and I just don't feel comfortable with seeing them do that to a child when it isn't absolutely necessary.
I think that you should just wait and watch them. And if you see that he's uncomfortable or in pain, then do something about them.
Also pray about it so God will guide you in the right direction above all.
Take care and hope all goes well!
V.

Where do you live? I can recommend a very gentle pediatric dentist who does not strap them down.

If that were my son I would want them taken care of because cavities can become painful and then you have it causing bad breath and then all sorts of problems that could lead to gum problems...not to mention it can also become a bad habit knowing about the problem and putting it off. I wish there was some other way for your son. My son is 5 and knock on wood but he still has no problems with his teeth and he goes to the dentist every 6 months like clockwork since he was less then a year old. I would check around because $500 for laughing gas seems very high. I know some places that offer it for less then $200 and then what about talking to his Dr to give him something to relax before the appointment. Its just a thought because I'm not to sure. Anyway, good luck and keep us posted on how he's doing.

I am a Dental Hygienist, the molars will not come out until 10 and 12. The front teeth come out at 5 and 6. There is no way they will come out before the cavities hurt and become infected enough to be extracted. If you can get the nitrous do it! Don't tie the child down. Ask if they can seal the on e that is just starting if it is on the biting surface, they may need to use the drill a little. Get your son on fluoride to help his adult teeth come in harder. Floss him nightly, brush morning and night. Stay away from juice, or dilute with water. Brush after meals to save money and dental appts. Because it sounds like he is prone to decay. You really have to take care of this or it will cause more problems and trauma, and cost. Deb