little girl dies from sedation

[aprilibarra]

This is so sad for everyone.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060928/...ltBHNlYwM3MTY-

[Darcy37]

How sad

[Storm Bride]

I just read about this in TAO.

How common is sedation during dental work? I've had a root canal and an extraction with nothing but novocaine. The only person I've ever known to have sedation for dental work was my ex-SIL, who had her wisdom teeth pulled at the hospital's day surgery unit. This seems really bizarre to me.

[kaPOW!]

What the hell was he doing? This makes me so mad and horrified for that family, and for all of us who have to worry about people like this practicing "medicine" on our children. If there was ever a debate in my mind, this settles it: I'm not leaving my child with any dentist, ever.

[bu's mama]

Sedation is becoming more & more popular for pediatric dentistry, some of the dentists around here even have it in their advertisements. I think they do it so the child is traumatized by the dentist, and as someone who has had extensive, painful dental work I can see that side, but I think it is used way too often. I'm not in that spot right now with dd, but I don't think I'd put her under for routine procedures.

[angelpie545]

This little girl was given three types of sedatives: oral, IV, and nitrus. I think that's a bit much-and I wonder if they proper dosages were used? IV sedation is very very tricky and can be very dangerous. My understanding oral sedatives alone are usually used along with a shot of novicane or lidocaine for cavities and extractions in young children. My friend just had her five year old son in for oral surgery to have some teeth pulled due to decay(long story) and he as given only an oral sedative. It's possible that she can an allergic reaction to it I suppose, but honestly what it sounds like is a tragic mistake that could have been prevented. I find it very hard to believe that the child needed all three types of sedation.

[kaPOW!]

Sedation is frequently used when patients are very young and/or scared. For instance, when my now 16 m.o. has his work done in a few months we will likely use GA. So scary.

[momto l&a]

And the mother was made to leave the room while the work was being done.

[Pookietooth]

How sad. My dentist doesn't use any sedation, and ds is fine with that. Now I'm glad we go to her, not someone who'd rather just knock him out so as not to have to deal with his sensitive temperament (which is what two other dentists wanted to do).

[aprilibarra]

they want to put my daughter under and that's one reason i looked for alternatives.

[ericswifey27]

How said : (

I know it is getting popular because I see ads for sedation dentistry for adults AND kids all the time here in San Diego.

I too think it has its place but not for routine treatment, no way.

[aprilibarra]

the bad thing is that if it was an allergy or just too much stuff i'm sure its been done on other kids and they've been fine. But you just don't know how they'll react. People have problems all the time to common allopathic treatments, and yet it doesn't change anything.

[sarahariz]

I think this procedure is pretty common. We just took 2 yr old dd to the dentist last week and the want to use "conscious sedation" on her to extract teeth, crown and fill others. First they give demerol, chloral, and vistril all together in some kind of juice cocktail. Then they had told me that they would numb her gums with jelly, and give her shots of lidocaine to numb the teeth. But I noticed on the itemized list of charges that they printed out for us, also on the list was "nitrous/IV sedation." If I was even thinking of going back there I would ask them about it, but I've read enough now to know that I would never allow dd to be put through this.

[aniT]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

I just read about this in TAO.

How common is sedation during dental work? I've had a root canal and an extraction with nothing but novocaine. The only person I've ever known to have sedation for dental work was my ex-SIL, who had her wisdom teeth pulled at the hospital's day surgery unit. This seems really bizarre to me.

When my oldest daughter was in K she was given Valium and Laughing Gas (no Novocaine to have a tooth pulled. They only cared about sedating her long enough to get the work done, not about killing the pain. They also wouldn't let me in the room.

After that (which was the last straw in a long line of stupidity) I switched to a dentist I found on the wall of my mechanics office. I figured if the guy could take the time to write a thank you letter to the mechanic he couldn't be all that bad. We loved him. He never had to sedate my daughter to do any work on her. He was able to make her feel comfortable enough to let him do the work.