Questioning Dental Procedure for 3-Year Old

My three year old has had cavities filled. She was awake for it- no problems. I would suggest you try it before you put the child out. You can also just give them a baby valium to help them relax. It seems a little extreme to jump right into full sedation. Just my opinion....

My daughter also had cavities at a young age. about at age 4 she had to have sedation dentistry to get a crown because we had waited too long to take her to the dentist and one of her teeth was too decayed. We didn't even know it because we couldn't see anything. It was decayed on the sides. Anyway, my daughter had no complications and it was an absolutely painless procedure for her and gave her such confidence in her dentist that she continues to see the same dentist but no longer has to be sedated. Unfortunately, she still gets cavities. Floss, I can't say it enough. Floss. As to whether it is necessary . . . depending on where the decay is it could spread to other teeth or spread to the permanent teeth that haven't come out yet. Please do not delay. It is absolutely necessay for your child's smile and self esteem to have as good a set of teeth as possible.

My oldest had his first cavities at 3 1/2 (my boys unfortunately inherited my families bad enamel). He was not sedated and did great - our pediatric dentist, Robert Morgan is AMAZING. My boys actually have fun at the dentist, and have never had problems getting fillings - they never complain of pain and usually are not even numb by the time they come out from their appointment. Dr. Morgan practices in Richardson and and Irving and was Chief Dental resident at Children's Medical Center. You can check him out at http://robertmorgandds.com/flash/main.swf if you're interested.

As for whether to get the fillings - the teeth may fall out in three years, but that is three more years to decay, get infected and absessed, and cause your little one pain. It really is best to get them taken care of.

This procedure is VERY necessary. Even though they are baby teeth, if your daughter has cavities that are left untreated, the decay will cause her more pain as the decay gets worse. They could abscess and have to be extracted in an emergency visit due to swelling. At that point, you would not have the benefit of the IV sedation.

My children see Dr. Tim also. I have talked to him about how he treats young kids who have decay. He speaks very highly of the group of anesthesiologists who come to his office and has said that he would trust them to sedate his own kids if needed.

If it were my child, I would much rather her be asleep to have an extensive amount of dental work done at age 3 then try to explain to her why the dentist had to give her a shot (or 2 or 3) or hope she doesn't ask any more questions about the procedure before it happens. This way you will also know that the cavities have been fixed well and won’t have to worry about what could potentially happen if you left them as they are.

Hello. My name is C.. I am a mother of 26 years. When my boys were little the dentist did a floride treatment and then provided a clear coat sealant to cover the tooth and slow the decay process. In time the teeth came out. Unless your little one is in lots of pain I would try another alternative to sedation.

what about giving her gas and having her favorite toy to snuggle with...with you possibly holding her... a thought. good luck.

I definitely trust Dr. Brister. If he says it is necessary, it must be. We have been through some necessary and not so necessary procedures with him and he is completely upfront and honest about it. Feel free to ask your questions and get them answered completely before agreeing, but in the end, I trust his judgement. It is fair to ask if there are other options.

Fillings in baby teeth seem like a waste, but the truth is that the baby teeth are very important to the development of the adult teeth. My daughters front teeth were extracted at age 4 because she had fallen on them and they became a problem. Her adult teeth are delayed because the baby teeth are missing. Rotten baby teeth may suddenly cause tremendous pain and require emergency extraction.

Hi M.,
My son was sedated at age 3 (he's 5 now) and frankly it was very hard to see him out like that. For us it was necessary but only after trying twice with the Nitrous and Demerol; both times were unsuccessful and I still had some serious reservations. I'd suggest asking about other options before just putting him out like that. Sometimes it's more work and trouble for the dentist, the assistant and the parent but it's not about what is more convenient for the adults; it's what's best and most non intrusive to the child. When my son woke up, he was still numb and I had to watch him closely because he kept biting himself on the inside of his cheek hard enough to bleed--if you go through with the sedation, be prepared for that. As far as the insurance, ours would not cover it at first but then I called again and they said I had to get a letter from the dentist stating that the procedure was necessary in order for them to cover it. We had to pay upfront and then the insurance company reimbursed us. I don't think the insurance would have covered it had we not tried going the other route first. Don't be afraid to ask.

My son had a cavity at about age 5 or so and the dentist gave him laughing gas. He said it did not hurt at all and he didn't feel anything. Perhaps you could try that first. Our pediatric dentist did it and she is wonderful (Dr. Lisi in Allen).

I don't know about all of those procedures for a 3-year-old, but I can say that I knocked out my two front teeth just after I turned 4, and they grew in just fine a few years later. Makes me wonder why they would work so hard (and charge so much) to fix baby teeth when losing them (if it came to that) would be fine.

My son had cavities filled at 3 with no sedation. They sent him home with a nitrous "nose" so that he could practice putting it on his face. They had different smells like cherry, grape, etc. I also promised him a new car from toys r us if he could be brave. It went fine. Best wishes.

We love Dr. Tim and trust him with our girls. We have not had to go through this...I totally understand your concern and feel it is a valid one. I do know more research is showing that overall health is effected by the condition of the mouth so that is something to consider. Wish I had more experience to share with you.

We use Dr. Brister and my son has never had a cavity show up- he is 4.5 and has been going every six months since he turned 3. We have other friends who've gone and their little ones didn't have cavities either. However, one of our little friends has had like 8 cavities filled by Dr. Brister. I say if they have cavities, get 'em filled. Some kids are just more prone, unfortunately. Thank God my son didn't get teeth like mine. I know, sedation is scary, but the kid with 8 cavities has gone under twice with no probs and my son has gone under once and was fine.

I understand your concern but the cavities will only get worse and could become abscessed or infected. The pain associated with them will get worse, too. If they are caught early enough, the procedure is easier. My son had to get a filling when he was 4 and another one last month and he did fine both times.

I know it is expensive but I wouldn't hesitate. The longer you wait, the more complicated and expensive it will be to fix them.

M.,

Greetings, I am in the dental field and saw your question. Dr. Brister is wonderfu, we refer to him very often. As far as the cavities, it is necessary to have them filled as you do not want her permanent teeth that are in the development stage to be affected by the decay in the primary teeth(since it will continue to get worse over time). As far as sedation, at her age it is probably the easiest and less traumatic way for her to have the treatment done. For the coverage of sedation, you may want to call your insurance company to discuss, as they are all different. Best of luck!

I can understand your concern. I would not want to have to sedate my child and she is 14!

We never had any issues with cavities and my daughter's teeth started coming out normally at 4. By 10-11 she had her 12 yr molars and everything that was supposed to happen by age 12. Perfect set of teeth, just early with it.

We go to Catherine Judd (she is the new pediatric dentist that took over Dr. Tipton Asher's office). She is very good. Would you feel better getting a second opinion? That might help ease your feelings. I can imagine that it would be quite difficult to work on a toddler's teeth with the child awake and holding mouth open.

I agree that if you ignore it and "wait" for them to fall out normally, your child may be in severe pain and things could get much worse.

Who knows when "normal" falling out is.....I was shocked and scared when my newly 4 yr old was losing teeth in preschool. There are some kids who start losing teeth late as well....we can't predict when that cycle will start.

Also......we have been Dr. Asher/Judd's patients since daughter was 1, however, I have heard very good things about Dr. Brister and have friends who love him.

Best wishes to you.