Hospitalization/General Anesthesia

[Yaya & Kais mom]

My almost 2yo dd just went to the dentist the other day. She has pretty bad discoloration and a definite rough texture on the lower part of her top, front 4 teeth. We brought her to a dentist a few months back and he said it was compromised enamel that occured during pregnancy and not to worry about it except to be diligent with her tooth brushing/flossing. So we have been, but she fell,not to hard and her front tooth chipped and I felt her teeth must be really weak, and we brought her for a second opinion. this dentist says its "bottle decay", from night nursing. (She also has a small cavity in one molar). her teeth are decayed!! He says they will get worse if we don't cap them and get the filing done now. He wants to do it all at once, with her under general anisthesia!

We are signed up for the OR the end of January. Im scared and nervous and not quite sure about all of this. i dont know if there are alternatives out there. We are night weaning (I have a 5 mo, so Im ready for her to be done at night!) We've upped her tooth brushing from 3X's to after just about everything she puts in her mouth (she loves it and mostly I let her do it) and we try to floss every day. But I know these won't fix it. Im terrified to have her "under", but cant imagine her sitting still with the sound of that drill and someone holding her mouth open!

Is this the only solution? Has anyone been thru this, what should I expect from the experience? From her? How best to help her prepare? Anything advice is welcome advice! :

[bluemoon]

Oh lady friend my heart goes out to you and i wish I had good advice. all i can say is I am going through the same thing.It is so hard to not feel guilty but try and remember that what you have done is right. Itsounds like you are way more diligent about cleaning her teeth than I was with my daughter. my daughter screams and really fights it every time . Maybe seek out other dentists and see if one will take a gentler approach and go slower with your daughter so she wont have to go under. There is a great thread about the 20 month old with cavaties and told to stop breastfeeding. Best of luck!!

[kradmore]

YaYa and Kais mom, my 16 month old has the same diagonsis your first dentist gave you-hypoplastic enamel. The very first teeth that came out had huge pits in them, and I took him to the dentist right away (he was at 4 months old at the time!). The dentist was very familiar with this particular problem and at no time made me feel or think that nursing was causing the problem. However, he did tell me to stop nursing at 12 months and to stop night nursing right away (both of which I ignored, and SmileMomma's wisdom confimed was the best thing to do.). He currently has 8 teeth that are effected, and two more are just erupting and they aren't out far enough for me to tell if they are like that, too. And, of course, he fell on his face on the sidewalk one time and chipped a small peice of enamel off, too, but loss of emamel over time or by accident is par for the course with this diagnosis. I have come to grips with the fact that he will probably need caps on many (hopefully not all!) of his teeth, because his problem is so wide spread and severe. Initially, he was given a perscription of Prevident 1x/day and brushing after meals in hopes of strenthening the enamel, but that was when only the two front teeth were out. The good news is, the permanent teeth shouldn't be like this. Going under and getting all the work done might not be so bad. Good luck to you both.

[Yaya & Kais mom]

question smilemomma?

I have scheduled the appt for Feb 1. They are going to put her under, and I am really nervous about this. Most people tell me that its perfectly fine and she wont be bothered by it at all. But my ped just told me that her kids who have gone under for any reason have all come out of it a bit anxious and almost frenzied because of the effects on the central nervous system. Is this always the case? Is there anything I can do to ease this transition. Is there any benifit to homeopathy beforehand?

Thanks for any suggestions!
-Jamie

[Yaya & Kais mom]

one more question...

sorry, I have one more question...

I have only slightly dabbled in homeopathy, and have not yet gone to a homeopath (altho I do intend to!) Can you recommend a good book with general info?

Thanks much!
-Jamie

[Smilemomma]

You bet! There's a thread right now over on Alternative Medicine about this very topic.

I love Miranda Castro's The Complete Homeopathy Handbook and Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth, and Baby's First Year. Very straightforward and easy to use. Plus I think her British syntax is very charming!

Good luck!

[barjem]

teenage sedation

Greetings
I have a teen who is down right scared of the dentist ...WE have a lot of work to be done.My teen is ok with the idea of IV sedation .Dentist is licensed for this kind of treatment . I am curious if VALIUM and VERSED are safe and will my child really be relaxed and not remember a thing ?The dentist is saying all the work can be done is less than 2 hours.He has gone over dosage with me and I have consulted a pharmaist and have been told the amounts of drugs are proper for his weight .....
We have tried many dentists and my child seems to like this guy but when it comes to the "real work" he just seems to loose it .....
Please give me any info you ay have on this issue....:

[sandbox]

tooth extraction & 7 cavities-22 mo/old :(

We finally found a great, gentle pediatric dentist who seems very gentle with ds.
He broke his top left eye tooth two weeks ago, it turns out because of severe decay. Little pieces have continued to break off and now there is nothing above the gumline. He's really in LOTS of pain and cannot eat much or sleep well. Tylenol doesn't help, and Motrin helps a little. Dr. won't give him anything stronger.
He also has SEVEN cavities.
Besides the overwhelming emotional experience this has been, and will continue to be, we have lots of concerns about the impending procedure.
The pediodontist would like to use general anesthesia, we've chosen IV sedation, just because he's so young and would be very uncooperative. We also don't want him to have any memory of this event. The risks seem minimal, though nobody wants thier child to be the 1:million. And, the other forms of sedation also carry risks.
She works with a pediatric anesthesiologist, who will remain present during the entire procedure, which should be about 2-3 hours.
We will be able to stay with ds until he is unconscious, then we must wait in the waiting room until the procedure is finished. We will be allowed into the recovery room as soon as he's there, and before he awakens. He will not know that we weren't with him the entire time.
Should we be concerned that the Dr. won't let us in the room while she is working on him under sedation? Her explanation is that there isn't enough room and that this type of procedure is difficult for parents to watch.
We feel very comfortable with this Dr., and we trust her. She seems to really get the idea that we are extremely nervous and concerned about this procedure. She likes kids.
She will also fill the seven cavities while she's got him there. And, she's agreed to use composite fillings at our request. We'll have to pay out of pocket for these , since our insurance won't cover them. Between the anesthesiologist and the composites we will pay over $1000. Who cares? We don't have it, but we'll figure it out.
Bottom line is that we want our son to be better, and as soon as possible. We won't compromise our standards, and we just feel horrible that we've let his teeth rot so badly.

[anythingelse]

I just wanted to tell you that your son is in my prayers, I feel so bad reading your post. It is really hard to cope when your child needs any kind of surgery, we have lived that in our family. One piece of advice I can give you is to dress your child in the most comfy pj 2 piece type clothes so you don't have to pull a shirt sleeve over a iv bandage or remove a lot to diaper change right away. Also to be sure to request that you can sit with him as he comes out from being 'under' and that his IV is removed well before that occurs. It can be scary for them to watch it being removed and then you don't have to worry about him trying to pull on it. Our son also got a teddy bear hot water bottle to hold when he was riding home in his car seat, that gave him some comfort, if your child has a silky blanky or someting bring it with you. I wish you the best, please post and let us know how it goes.

[I Love My Boy]

so sorry!

Poor lil' kido! I just want to give him a big hug!

I'm just curious (my ds is only 4mos and I'm new to all this) but how did his teeth get the cavities? Was it juice, or citrus, or does he have unusually sensitive teeth?

At least they're his first set of teeth though! Maybe if you guys figure out what caused it you can take steps to help him keep his permanent teeth healthy.

Wishing you the best!

[barjem]

Thank you !!!!!!!!!
Now I am feeling very comfortable with this treatment .
Will he feel any pain with injections or procedure ( root canal)?
I am concerned he may try to fight it ..The dentist says almost impossible.....Thanks again

[sandbox]

Thanks for all of your support!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank each of you for responding, especially at a time like this it means so much to have other Mom's who have been there, to be sounding boards and offer support.

Smilemomma-I value your time and your wisdom. For some reason, though I don't even know you, I feel like you've given me such comfort just by listening and understanding what it's like to be in this position. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sadly, he is in quite a bit of pain, and this particular pediodontist cannot perform the procedure any sooner than one week from next Saturday (2/9). Motrin seems to help some, however ds mostly just wants to nurse, and I really don't mind. (We ARE rinsing though!)
I am interested in homeopathy. We are natural foods type of people, vegetarians. and try to stay well informed about ALL types of preventative and treatment related options.

I never saw this coming and feel so horrible. I can't make it go away. I do appreciate your advice about not being able to change it, and to put my effort towards healing and comforting my son.

Vannas mom-Your advice was REALLY good, thank you! I did not think of those things, and I WILL definately do each one of them. This is exactly what I was hoping to find here.

Love My Boy-Thank you for support as well. I am so glad that you've found your way here with such a young child. You are sure to avoid many problems just by being well informed!

I have found so many useful items here, and continue to read as much as possible. I felt proud to walk into the ped.s office knowing at least something about what she was talking about, and I was able to clearly express what I wanted as far as treatment for my son. I think it made me look like less of a horrible Mom. (Although I feel that way. I just don't want to be judged by this, because I am so hopelessly devoted to my son. I just made an awful mistake by not becoming informed sooner)

I will check back, and let you know how the procedure goes. Your prayers go a long way, thank you.

[barjem]

WE DID IT!!!
Just an update ...My child had the root canal ,root tips removed and a filling ..Things did not go as smoothly as hoped for, he fought the whole time It was 45 min before they were able to start .He kept pulling the "bite block "out of his mouth and kept covering his face when they tried to do anything.The Dr gave him extra valium to get him relaxed it did not work as well as hoped for .He came out of it not remebering anything .
But we still have more work to do . The dentist suggested full sedation or perhaps since only one root canal need to be completed he could take 15 milligrams of valium before the appt.
When he woke up the dentist was finishing up on a fillig and my son asked for more since the drill was in his mouth he was feeling and hearing stuff they refused to continue due to all the meds they had already givin him in a short period of time.
My son does not recall any of his actions he is so embarassed.
He was at peace before the procedure .....Do you have any idea why he reacted this way?????
THanks for your insight I felt great knowing things would be ok .AFter getting feedback from you .....

[barjem]

Thanks for the support !!!
He has not taken any Vicodin for the pain just 2 motrins seems to feel fine this am
Do you ever sleep these day?
It seems you are on these boards at night and I know you need some sleep .
You are so dedicated to this board ....and I can not THANK YOU enough ......WE ALL LOVE YOU

[Smilemomma]

barjem, thank you, thank you! You made my whole week! I'm going to save this post for those days when I'm exhausted and feeling like no one cares ... It sounds corny, but it really does make it all worthwhile when I get feedback that I've actually helped someone, especially the very special moms on this board. We get so much flak elsewhere...

And no, I don't sleep much I am usually on here while my dh cooks dinner (he can be a gem) and then after the babes are all in bed (9 is our goal ...). But then I get going, and I love y'all, so I do my board, then read, then go to another board, and come back to see if anything's new, then go back to see if anything's new over there .... I need some control, drat it! If only my computer were set to shut down at 11, I'd be cool!

Thank you for thinking of me. It's extra special that you noticed all these little things about me!

[PB's Mom]

HELP! DS is sick ..scheduled for GA Tuesday morning

I'm not sure what is wrong with DS. He seems to have a little fever, and chills. Didn't eat well today. He was very cuddly tonight (that never happens). He is supose to go in for his dental work Tuesday morning. He is now 23 months old. What should I do? I plan to call them tomorrow (Monday) and talk to them about it, and of course see how DS is doing tomorrow, but should I be concerned enough to postpone everything? Even if he seems fine tomorrow? I've just had this awful feeling something was going to happen Tuesday. Now I'm really worried. I kept telling myself I was being silly. But now with him getting sick today, I'm thinking it is some kind of warning. Well, anyway, I guess I need the facts about what increased risks there are with illness. Thanks for any info

[simonee]

If it feels wrong, don't go. Nothing wrong with rescheduling, everything wrong with higher risk. Your son could be affected by your vibes and react poorly or feel sad or something, and we don't want any of that beside the GA.

[PB's Mom]

UPDATE: He just vomited! That's the first time he has EVER done that!!! I think it might have been something he ate tonight at the restaurant. He probably won't be feeling too good tomorrow. I'm thinking I'll need to reschedule. I don't think they would want a vomiting child in their chair under GA.

My poor little baby He's never been sick! Just 2 cases of a runny nose. Other than that he's been perfectly healthy. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. Just right now was not a good time My husband isn't helping much. He's even more of a basket case than I am!!! Well, it's off to bed with my DS and hopefully we will have a better night.

[mtt/bc]

The stomache flu has been hitting all the little kiddies all over the place. We had it over Christmas but I heard it's still going around. That's probably what your little sweetie has. Definitely reschedule.

[sandbox]

Poor little guy!

It's so wierd to see your post, that is exactly why I came here today! My son is also scheduled for GA, dental work on Sat. and he seems to be coming down with something. Though his certainly doesn't seem as bad as yours does, poor litttle guy. First his teeth, and now this!
I think in your case it seems wise to re-schedule, since he's vomiting and all. It doesn't hurt to play it on the safe side.

Not to hijack your post......but I am wondering if I too should cancel. DS (also 23 mo) has a slightly runny/stuffy nose, and that's it, so far. He is in A LOT of pain with his teeth though, and I am seriously looking forward to his appt. at least in the sense that he will be out of pain. He cannot sleep or eat well, and broke that darn tooth over three weeks ago now. It's been really rough!

Okay....I'm sorry about the hijack. Maybe somebody with wisdom can help us both.

I sure hope your little guy is feeling better very, very soon.