IV Sedation or General Anesthesia?

[Namaste Amma]

DD is going to have to have extensive dental work done, and it is very obvious that she will not be able to be conscious for it. We took her to the dentist today and she completely fell apart, wouldn't even let them look in her mouth. So clearly we're going to have to go the sedation route. I am beyond terrified of this. Devastated. Panicked. Need I go on? I feel like a complete failure as a mother that this is necessary, but that's another post.

Apparently there are two ways to go about this: IV sedation with a pediatric anesthesiologist IN a dentist's office, or general anesthesia at the hospital. Does anyone know anything about this stuff? Have any experience here? I'm going to be digging as well as talking to our ped and my BIL, who just completed his medical degree.

[HRJ]

My son had extensive dental work at 22 mos.  He had 8 teeth done (2 of which were capped).  His dentist felt that IV sedation in the dentist's chair was not safe (this was around the time the girl in Chicago died from this).  He also felt nitrous was not safe in young children.  He gave us the option of general surgery at the children's hospital or filling the teeth in the chair with novacaine.  He was great to let us hold our son.  Our son did cry a lot the first time (he did one tooth at a time except the last 2), but it did get easier.  He's gone on to have many more teeth filled and doesn't bat an eye about it now. 

[Springshowers]

We have a friend who had her 18 month old done under GA and she said it went really well. Her daughter didn't even realize anything had happened, and enjoyed the visit to the office (they had it full of toys for kids to play with) and talked fondly of it after (she wanted to go back). She did take a few days to recover from the drugs, but overall was not a traumatic experience for her.

I heard the same thing that GA was safer than IV sedation. I guess if you look at it a hospital anesthesiologist is likely to be better qualified.

I'm stressed right now too as my daughter seems to have lots enamel on part of two teeth.. we have been told to wait and see though (she's 13 months) as their doesn't seem to be decay right now.

Good luck!

[HRJ]

BTW, anyone who is having dental decay in their babies, I recommend having their vitamin D levels tested.  My son has had horrible teeth issues, and his vitamin D level was 8.  It needs to be 20 to prevent rickets but ideally the range is 30-100.  Every dr that  has seen his results has nearly fallen out of their chairs.  He is taking large doses of D now. 

[SAmama]

We had a bad experience with IV sedation (this is the same as conscience sedation, right?). DD was 4 at the time and weighed 16kg. It was done in a GP's office with the dentist coming in (just two extractions). The GP gave her some sedation and then decided to "top her up" and apparently overfilled a bit. DD's heart rate dropped, they thought it was an allergic reaction, intubated her and promptly knocked out her two front teeth as well. We saw another dentist who also does conscience sedation, but with an anaesthesiolagist who does not do it on kids weighing less than 20kg (about 44 pounds) because he feels it isn't safe.

That was our experience. I will never, ever do it with a GP again and would probably just go for GA if I had to do it over. I think. I wish I researched it better before we did it.

In the end we had to get stuff done under GA anyway and decided to go the nutritional route, which worked for us. There is a lot about that on the forum here.

Hope this isn't traumatic for you. DD was over it quickly. It traumatised us though.