Ok moms here goes. My 5 yr.son has been going to his pediatric dentist for 2 years with no teeth problems. This Saturday he just went to the dentist and they found a cavity. Here's my dilemma. You would think that my son is being tortrured when they are cleaning his teeth or doing X-rays. He cries uncontrollably to the point where they have to put him in a private room so he won't scare the other children. The dentist said since he is so uncontrollable, in order to remove the cavity they would have to administer the laughing gas to control him a bit. Now I am kind of skeptical about this. I asked if all this is necessary; do we really need to remove that cavity since they are not his permanent teeth and he will remove them eventually, but 2 dentist has told me the same thing. Where his cavity is located, he will have that tooth for another 5 yrs and an infection can grow there therefore, it needs to be taken care of. Has anyone gone through this situation? How was it handled? Thanks.
Thank you, every advice was wonderful. I love his dentist, she has been wonderful so I will get that cavity filled. I was just a bit nervous about the laughing gas which the dentist reassured me it was ok, but I was a bit skeptical. I feel much better now that other moms has gone through this and nothing bad happened to their child as far as side affects. Thanks again.
Been there done that with both sons- 5 and 7. We went to a Ped Specialist in Crystal Lake and they were WONDERFUL. The facility is child friendly with TV's and toys/games for them so they didn't even know what was happening. Both boys were administered laughing gas and they both sailed through it great.
The cavity needs to be fixed - the pain is bad for little ones.
Yes, my daughter had a cavity in one of her baby teeth. She ended up losing her teeth kinda late, so I was glad we had it taken care of. Infections can grow as well as the cavity getting worse. Plus, in can all spread to the new tooth growing beneath the surface.
The laughing gas worked wonderfully for her. If he has some anxiety from it to start, this could really help. He may have some discomfort from the cavity and not realize it. Once the tooth is taken care of, he may realize how much it helped and he'll be less anxious next time.
Frances,
I'm sorry to hear that your little one has a cavity. By all means, please use the laughing gas to help him get through the ordeal. Maybe a favorite toy or lovie during the procedure will help, as well as a blanket to keep him from getting cold. I'd give him extra comfort and attention without making too big of a deal over it. Try explaining to him what happened, and what will happen if it is not taken care of. (It will be much more painful.)
Have you considered the tooth coatings for his remaining teeth? It helps to prevent them in the future.
Good luck!
R. W
My son, age 6 at the time, had a cavity filled, same situation as far as the tooth was not going to come out for a few more years and the cavity had to be taken care of, so as not to damage the permanet tooth. He had nitrus oxide administered and there were no problems. The dentist gave him the snout looking thing he breathed through a week or so prior to having the procedure to help him practice breathing through his nose and get used to it.
Good luck!
Pediatric dentists are usually better, and I have one that I love. My 6.5 yr old son just had a cavity found and they scheduled an appt for it to be filled. It's in the molar as well and they said that they keep them way too long to not take care of them. He recommended Nitrous as well and will fill it will tooth colored filling. There are plenty of dentists out there who do things just to do them, but if you have a dentist you trust you know that they are doing the best for your child. I would recommend my son's dentist to ANYONE... Everyone I have talked to has been more than happy with him, with routine stuff AND with harder procedures.
Dr. David Jones -- www.smallsmiles.org
He's in naperville, near 75th and Book.
The laughing gas is pretty common to keep their fears at bay. When I had work done they gave it to me as well (different office, obviously). Especially if your son is already nervous, you don't want to make it worse.
Some girls and I were talking at work one day about taking our kids to the dentist. Two of the girls said that every time they take their kids to the dentist they administer this gas to them. That kind of scares me. They also go to just a pediatric dentist. My mother works for a dentist and she's told me that some pediatric dentists will not allow the parents in the room when they are cleaning the childrens teeth and that they come out and tell the parents that things are wrong with their child's teeth that really may not be (just so they can bill medicaid and things). So personally I'm skeptical about going to a pediatric dentist in general. I would agree that the cavity needs to be taken care of. One thing you could also try is a massage before going in to the dentist for him. This has been proven to help relax people with a fear of the dentist. I hope it all works out!
my son had a cavity and he is 5 as well,,,,his insurance waited so long to approve it (he's special needs so we have state assistance) that when we went back they told us he now needs a double root canal because it got worse and actually now is affecting the tooth next to it..since he is autistic the have to put him under general anesthesia and can't do it till spring now so it will be one year total since the day they found it till the day it is fixed...I would say go ahead and let them because it definately could get worse.
YES you want this taken care of! As a retired dental assistant I can tell you that letting it go would not be in his best interest. If you are concerned, get a second opinion. I would Recommend Dr. Janada, he is a peach! Awesome with kids and has a very relaxed staff. Be sure and get a copy of the x-rays or they will want to do another set.
Most people only get two sets of teeth! Help your son to keep his. =)
My sons baby teeth were so infected with cavities that they wanted to hospitalize him. They wanted him in Childrens Memorible. The whole cost would have been $20,000 including the doctors. I could not see putting my son to sleep and having all that done.
I searched until I found a very brave dentist. She agreed to help my son. She never let him see the needle. He had to have more then normal amount of shots. My son had suffered so long in pain that he did better than most children. He was two when the cavities were filled. We lost his back molers they just decinagreted. It was hell. He has crowns and pulled teeth.
People tell me I am a terrible parent and he just has a crumy mouth and hygeine. I hate the prejudice over health and hygeine. My ex-husband had bad bateria in his mouth that have rotted my teeth. My son's birth disorder and daddies bateria did not help him at all. We brushed daily. We flossed, mouth wash, cavity gum and on. His adult teeth are fine.
If the tooth can be filled I would try it. If he can have a crown it is cheaper than pulling it. I hate drugs. Can they have him sit in your lap while they work on him? I am concerned that your son will hate the dentist his whole life.
Doctor Kathy is our hero. She really helped my son. He is doing great now.
I wish you luck with your hard decision.
Well, my 4 year old just had 7...yes 7 cavities taken care of. This on a girl who goes to the dentist every 6 months since she was 12 months and actually gets her teeth brushed 2x day. I did a lot of reading and research because I FREAKED out at so many so quick. Basically some kids just get them. Anyway, for 1 we did a little laughing gas, and actualy did some Versed ( a liquid medicine that calms and helps them forget) prior to that. It doesn't taste the greatest but depends on how your son takes medicine, definately helpful. The gas does really calm them and almost make them sleep. A great idea is to put some music on...at this age, wearing an Ipod/headphones is so cool and it might take his mind of it..and he won't hear any instruments...which I think is a big thing. Now, speaking as a nurse, you want to make sure about safety. Dosing based on weight, have oxygen available and many times they will monitor their breathing and heart rate..just with a finger tip probe thing. And I INSIST I am besides her...some moms do not do well in helping calm/restrain their child. I do..since I am a pediatric nurse....but no one does anything to my girl without me being there. And I seriously question someone who won't allow me to be there. Good luck and I know how you feel!
ARgh. Yes I went through this and my child was no picnic at the dentist either. They gave him novocaine and the shot part was really awful and my kid cried a bunch. However, I think I did the right thing fixing the cavities because now his permanent teeth are good. The fear is the cavity can actually get to those teeth as well as to other baby teeth. (alot of people thought it was nuts but how do you know?-I'd rather be on the safe side) Also, sealants helped alot once we got rid of the cavities. Good luck!
I went through a similar situation last year. However, my son had 4 cavities and that was why they thought laughing gas was the way to go. They were going to do it in two sessions, however my son was so calm they were able to do all four of them at the same time. I did have the same thought though, if they are going to fall out anyway why have them filled. His dentist said they just simply needed to be filled because he did not know when his teeth would fall out, and more problems could be created by not filling them. All went well, I was with him the whole time. I think I was more nervous than he was. I hope this helps you.
K.
The cavity needs to be fixed. Talk to your pediatrician about using Nitrous Oxide on your son. It should be fine. If the pedi doesn't think it's a good idea, ask him for suggestions or meds that your son can take before the appointment.
Good Luck.
I have not personally dealth with the laughing gas, but my friend has a son with leukemia. He gets spinal taps about once a month, and at the beginning, even more regularly. During each procedure, they gave him the laughing gas. He has never suffered any effects from them, except for his mother saying he was extremely silly! She said it was always really cute because he'd say really funny things. I would try not to worry about it. He's probably had it done atleast 15 times in the last 10 months.
My son is 5 and has had a cavity filled. He has been going to my dentist for years and has been fine with cleanings and etc. He does have a very sensitve gag reflex and the last time we went we couldn't get an xray because the thing he had to hold in his mouth kept making him gag. We knew he had a cavity that had to be taken care of. I took him to a pediatric dentist in Janesvile, WI and he was absolutely fine. They do give them the gas and a shot of novicaine for pain. I was not allowed to go back with him, but I don't think he had any clue that they were giving him the shot. I was so shocked that he just came walking out of the room like nothing was unusual. If your son has any kind of anxiety/issues with the dentist, I would hughly reccommend taking him to a pediatric dentist, even if it is only for when he needs work done. My son now wants to go to this dentist for every visit. Don't let your son know you are apprehensive about it. Just let the dentist explain everything to him. They are great!
My 4 year old had a cavity and I had a hard time dealing with it, but I did have it filled. I asked around and many dentists and other moms said it had to be done. My son did well with just the shot of novacaine, and he had no idea they were giving him a shot. He used to cry uncontrollably and through fits when I would brush his teeth, but he went to the dentist and he was ok for him. I didn't have to do the laughing gas, but I talked to him about it ahead of time and felt comfortable that he would only use a little bit and that my son would be ok. If you don't feel comfortable with your dentist doing this, then get someone else you are comfortable with. I know I have changed dentists many times because I didn't feel comfortable about things they were doing. Just a gut thing I guess, but I feel better now that I have switched to someone I trust.
I haven't dealt with this same situation, however, I do remember getting nitrous oxide as a child. I don't know how to say this without sounding like a druggie, but I remember it being a pleasant experience. I liked getting the laughing gas, and honestly, I never suffered any effects from it in the future. I wish I could use it today instead of novacaine.
Talk to your pediatrician if you are concerned. But I think the nitrous oxide should calm your son down quite a bit.
