Anyone else taking the wait and see approach?

[snuffles]

My 25 mo ds is scheduled to have GA next week for dental work. He has ECC that started on the back of his top front four teeth and now on the fronts as well. He also has decay in the top molars (a good bit) and some in the bottom (only a small amount there.) The idea of GA is really, really not sitting well with me. It really scares me! His appointment has been scheduled for a couple of months and I have been pretty much ignoring it, aside from brushing with flouride 2x a day and spry gel 2-4 times a day. Has anyone else NOT filled cavities in a child with ECC? What is the likelihood that he would have an abscess? Am I totally crazy for thinking about not getting them filled?

[paphia]

We are seeing some staining on dd's back bottom molars, it doesn't look like full-blown cavities yet. However, I have seriously started to change a lot of things about our eating/brushing habits. When I noticed them, we had been letting dd "brush" her own teeth by chewing on the toothbrush. Now I'm brushing them every night, and since that wasn't doing enough, now I'm also brushing them before nap time. We started having her rinse with a Xylitol mouthwash after each brushing. I am also going to incorporate some dietary changes - we've weaned her off of juices and soda and gone to carbonated mineral water. I've also just purchased some pasture-fed dairy products to get her and myself more minerals, and I'm making a meal plan to include bone broths and organ meats and some of the other foods suggested in the nutrition sticky. And I'm also cutting out the sticky sweets that we've been sharing with dd. Like me, she has deep crevices in her molars and that's where things are getting stuck and that's where we're seeing the decay.

Soooo, I guess my answer is yes and no. Yes, we're going to wait and see if these changes stop the decay and hopefully remineralize her teeth where there is staining. No, I'm not going to ignore it and if it gets worse I'll take her in to see a dentist. If your child's teeth are bad enough that they're thinking GA, you should probably educate yourself as much as possible on the procedure and then get moving. GA is scary, but like my mom says (she's an OR nurse), at least it happens in the hospital where they are prepared to deal with worst case scenarios regarding adverse reactions to the GA.

[snuffles]

THanks for the reply. I'm still torn and wondering if anyone else has some experience/advice.

[snuffles]

This is my last plea for advice--anyone??

[Ahappymel]

Yes, we have taken and are taking this approach. My 21 month old has cavities on all front 4 teeth. The dentist wanted to do a GA and cap all 4. We are going to just maintain it (no juice, no dried fruit and lots of nuts/veggie cheeses and brushing) and get check-ups every 3 months. He is seriously not ready for night-weaning so I am not doing it yet. We tried and he was just hysterical. Maybe in a few more weeks.
My 7 yr old had the same decay and I was told the same thing when he was 2. I insisted that we not do it and just aggressively maintain it. We waited until he was 3 1/2 and had them filled with a sedative. He did okay...some crying toward the end but not horribly so. He had a cavity between the front two teeth and we had it filled...big regrets. It kept falling out. I wish we had taken the wait and see approach with that one. He has now lost his front two teeth, has new big shiny adult teeth instead : ) We are having sealants put on his molars tomorrow.
I am sad to be going through this with another child. I used to think that lazy brushing with the first son is what caused the problem. But we brushed with child #2. I am thinking it is the juice and dried fruit that did the trick. Plus, some of those fruit/nut bars that are full of sugar.
I still don't believe it's the night-nursing that is causing the front 4 teeth to decay. It just doesn't make sense for the concentration of decay to be on the front teeth if it's the nursing. It is likeliest the juice.
My best friend has 3 kids and they eat tons of dried fruit, cookies, juices, sugary soy milks..even candy and she admits that she isn't always stringent about the brushing and guess what? The kids all have great teeth, just like her, just like most of the people in her family. I think genetics has a big deal to do with it.
I guess my biggest advice is to go with your gut...our dentist supports our decision to do so as long it doesn't get worse or the child isn't in pain or have an infection.
I know this is stressful...just keep brushing at least a few times a day and eliminate the sugars (although our dentist told us that fresh fruit is okay, just not juice or dried fruit stuff).

[snuffles]

THanks. DS is supposed to go in tomorrow morning and I"m really scared. I keep thinking about him having problems with the anesthesia. I'm so torn.

[snuffles]

Well, we did it. He had GA and dental work yesterday. I'm so glad it's over! He did fine and is still a little sore/fussy but overall it went well.