Cavities 4yo/afraid of gen. anesthesia/help me

[julesmom]

Ds (4y) has one visible cavity and 7 smaller ones beginning according to ped dentist who we visited for the first time today.

He says there is "no hurry" but is recommending general anesthesia in order to complete 1 hour of dental work in 1 visit and take care of all the cavities.

I am very, very concerned about GA. I do understand that multiple visits with fillings may be tough on ds (who is already fearful, tho he did great today ), but I can't help feeling extremely fearful of putting him completely under. I wonder if that step truly needs to be taken.

I don't really have a specific questions. Guess I'm just wondering if others had similar situations and were able to avoid GA with dc.

Any insights welcome...I'm scared...

[mommymonkey]

We're going through this too. My ds is 17 months and he had 2 teeth break off. I feel like such a bad mama right now and I'm also scared about the GA.

[Denali]

I have a similar situation except for that my son is only 13 months and thus too young for GA anyway

But since he does have two really bad cavities (and one not quite as bad), I am looking into alternative "treatments"....have you read this thread?

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=399989

Don't let it scare you, it's 27 pages and it takes ages to get through, but it's worth it.....I am definitely going to try to go that route

There also is another thread from someone with a succeess story who has used that method:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=905599

Sounds promising, doesn't it?

Good luck,

Charlie

[flowmom]

Originally Posted by Denali

There also is another thread from someone with a succeess story who has used that method:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=905599

That's me . When we did everything on the list including the HealOzone, we saw improvements within 4 weeks. Dd's decay is now arrested (confirmed by dentist). Good luck .

[julesmom]

Thank you all for the responses!

It does all sound promising. All this info is great. On a quick glance, I can't seem to find any dentists in the area who do the Healozone treatment but I will research further.

Ds has really been on board with more frequent brushing and flossing. I'm hoping he will be accepting of a more "detailed" dental routine.

[flowmom]

Originally Posted by julesmom

On a quick glance, I can't seem to find any dentists in the area who do the Healozone treatment but I will research further.

Some families have travelled to get HealOzone (link to other threads) . Travelling for HealOzone may be cheaper than paying for dental treatment in some cases (obviously situations vary).

Originally Posted by julesmom

I'm hoping he will be accepting of a more "detailed" dental routine.

Try to add new things gradually .

[Peony]

I did conscious sedation when DD1 was 3y to fix 4 cavities. She is 5 now and has 6 more. The pedi dentist refused to do it unless we put her under GA. We went to another dentist yesterday to see if it would even be possible to do it in multiple visits. I didn't know if DD1 would cooperate. I figured worst possible case we would have to do GA, but maybe she would do great. She did. She was really scared going in, but she did so great, we got the worst two cavities fixed. We have two more appointments to do still. I will admit that we did promise a trip to the toy store after every appointment...

[julesmom]

Originally Posted by Peony

I did conscious sedation when DD1 was 3y to fix 4 cavities. She is 5 now and has 6 more. The pedi dentist refused to do it unless we put her under GA. We went to another dentist yesterday to see if it would even be possible to do it in multiple visits. I didn't know if DD1 would cooperate. I figured worst possible case we would have to do GA, but maybe she would do great. She did. She was really scared going in, but she did so great, we got the worst two cavities fixed. We have two more appointments to do still. I will admit that we did promise a trip to the toy store after every appointment...

I would have NO problem offering multiple trips to the toy store if that helps get ds through this without GA .

We are in the process of trying to find another dentist. Ds actually was very cooperative during his cleaning/exam. That's part of the reason I was so shocked when the dentist said GA without even considering a lower level of sedation. I imagine GA is safe but I am so afraid and it just seems extreme for our particular situation.

[julesmom]

Originally Posted by Ksenia

Some families have travelled to get HealOzone (link to other threads) . Travelling for HealOzone may be cheaper than paying for dental treatment in some cases (obviously situations vary).Try to add new things gradually .

Ksenia,

Thank you! I found a dentist in WI who does Healozone. It's a bit of a trip but that's OK. Dh and I are going to talk about it.

In the mean time, I was going to try adding the Spry gel and MI paste to our regular routine. Ds is very sensitive to "weird" tastes in his mouth. Do you kids have a preference on flavor for the MI paste. Also, do I apply these products to all of the teeth of just the ones affected with decay?

If you are willing to pass on more info...it would be appreciated.

[flowmom]

Originally Posted by julesmom

Do you kids have a preference on flavor for the MI paste. Also, do I apply these products to all of the teeth of just the ones affected with decay?

The vanilla flavour is probably the mildest. The Spry Infant Tooth Gel would be used as a toothpaste, so it would go on all teeth. MI paste would be most important to apply to decayed teeth, but applying small amounts to other teeth would be a good idea too, as early stages of decay might be present (that was our case). There are some not-great ingredients in the MI paste so don't overdo it. I find it's best to apply sparingly with a qtip while they're sleeping so that it can sit on the teeth for quite a while.

FWIW, I have safety concerns with some forms of conscious sedation as well. Nitrous gas is pretty safe, but our first dentist wanted to use chloral hydrate in an office setting. Problem with that is the risk of respiratory distress that dentists aren't really equipped to properly monitor or treat if there is a problem -- there have been issues with that it.

good luck

[Peony]

Originally Posted by Ksenia

FWIW, I have safety concerns with some forms of conscious sedation as well. Nitrous gas is pretty safe, but our first dentist wanted to use chloral hydrate in an office setting. Problem with that is the risk of respiratory distress that dentists aren't really equipped to properly monitor or treat if there is a problem -- there have been issues with that it.

good luck

I totally agree, conscious sedation isn't something to take lightly either. When we did it, I didn't want Versed used on my DD1. I did not feel comfortable with that drug in an office setting with only a dentist there, and no MD. We went with a dentist that used a drug combo that I was comfortable with, it was less potent, but it worked in combo with nitrous for her.

[julesmom]

Originally Posted by Peony

I totally agree, conscious sedation isn't something to take lightly either. When we did it, I didn't want Versed used on my DD1. I did not feel comfortable with that drug in an office setting with only a dentist there, and no MD. We went with a dentist that used a drug combo that I was comfortable with, it was less potent, but it worked in combo with nitrous for her.

Thanks so much for your response!

Would you mind sharing which drug combo you felt OK with? I hear about "oral sedatives" but I don't know exactly what type of sedatives they are.

What is Versed?

[julesmom]

Originally Posted by Ksenia

The vanilla flavour is probably the mildest. The Spry Infant Tooth Gel would be used as a toothpaste, so it would go on all teeth. MI paste would be most important to apply to decayed teeth, but applying small amounts to other teeth would be a good idea too, as early stages of decay might be present (that was our case). There are some not-great ingredients in the MI paste so don't overdo it. I find it's best to apply sparingly with a qtip while they're sleeping so that it can sit on the teeth for quite a while.

FWIW, I have safety concerns with some forms of conscious sedation as well. Nitrous gas is pretty safe, but our first dentist wanted to use chloral hydrate in an office setting. Problem with that is the risk of respiratory distress that dentists aren't really equipped to properly monitor or treat if there is a problem -- there have been issues with that it.

good luck

Thank you for all the info! It's so great to hear that your efforts have been working !

[SleeplessMommy]

Our little guy got a crown installed with nitrous oxide (not GA) at around 4 years old. He had one additional session of dental work after that. It went very smoothly and he was not traumatized at all. There were large bribes involved - I brought it in a bag, let DS know what the bribe was in advance, and let the dentist award it. The bribe was a special wooden train each time - he wanted to go see then dentist again!

The important thing is to get a good pediatric dentist. The younger partner in this practice is not as good with kids. if you ask around, you will be able to find a non-GA dentist.

[julesmom]

Originally Posted by SleeplessMommy

The important thing is to get a good pediatric dentist. The younger partner in this practice is not as good with kids. if you ask around, you will be able to find a non-GA dentist.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Makes me feel much better. We are definitely looking for another dentist. It's too bad we didn't feel comfortable with the dentist himself because the hygienist was really wonderful with ds.

I hope we soon find someone. The Finding Your Tribe forum has gotten us some leads .

[Arduinna]

I understand that parents are afraid of general, but as someone who was traumatized from childhood dentistry I highly recommend that you weigh the pros and cons over the long term.

[julesmom]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

I understand that parents are afraid of general, but as someone who was traumatized from childhood dentistry I highly recommend that you weigh the pros and cons over the long term.

Arduinna-Thank you for sharing your insight. I'm sorry for your difficult dental experiences. This is something I fear as well. I'm hoping we can find a dentist who will work with us in figuring out the best possible treatment for ds's physical as well as is emotional well-being.

I will definitely keep your words in mind as we continue making decisions in this process.

[flowmom]

GA would be our choice. Yes, there are risks, but at least the context is a hospital with proper monitoring and emergency medical backup. Dental trauma is a serious long-term issue as well.

[MarineWife]

I'm not advocating any of this but will share our very recent experience. My 4.5yo ds has 4 or 5 cavities that were discovered at his last check up. We go to a family dentist rather than a pediatric dentist. He suggested filling in the cavities on 3 visits using local anesthesia. So far, ds has had 3 cavities filled on 2 visits without any problems. He does complain a little that it takes too long waiting for the anesthesia to take full effect but he hasn't been scared or traumatized. The whole procedure takes an hour at the most. Our dentist did say that he would refer us to a pediatric dentist who does GA if ds had a hard time. He said he does not do GA, at least not with young children. My ds has always been pretty easy going but a bit fearful of things in general. I think I had a harder time than he did with the whole thing.

That being said, I'm not sure I'll take him back for the last filling(s). I know it probably seems kind of silly to start looking into alternatives now but that's what I'm doing. I may even see if I can afford to have the fillings that were just put in taken out.

[julesmom]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

I'm not advocating any of this but will share our very recent experience. My 4.5yo ds has 4 or 5 cavities that were discovered at his last check up. We go to a family dentist rather than a pediatric dentist. He suggested filling in the cavities on 3 visits using local anesthesia. So far, ds has had 3 cavities filled on 2 visits without any problems. He does complain a little that it takes too long waiting for the anesthesia to take full effect but he hasn't been scared or traumatized. The whole procedure takes an hour at the most. Our dentist did say that he would refer us to a pediatric dentist who does GA if ds had a hard time. He said he does not do GA, at least not with young children. My ds has always been pretty easy going but a bit fearful of things in general. I think I had a harder time than he did with the whole thing.

That being said, I'm not sure I'll take him back for the last filling(s). I know it probably seems kind of silly to start looking into alternatives now but that's what I'm doing. I may even see if I can afford to have the fillings that were just put in taken out.

Thank you for posting this. I'm hoping that if dental work needs to be done, we have a similar experience. Gives me hope that there are more conservative options we can try first.