Hi Navymama,
Well, for us the decision was quite easy. I felt the risks of my dd having problems from her decaying teeth (4 teeth had cavities and 2 were decaying rapidly and were getting close to the gumline) far outweighed the risks of general anethesia.

My 7 year old had GA as an infant as well (not dental related) under much more severe circumstances so although it was still a little bit frightening to go through the ordeal again, it wasn't as bad as it would have been had I never dealt with GA before.

Our experience was really good. They sedated her first so that she wouldn't be frightened and the whole procedure took about 1.5 hours. She had 4 crowns and 2 extractions total. They gave her the GA in a light enough dose that she was breathing on her own. She never had to be intubated or anything like that. She came out of the GA very grumpy then took a nap when she got home and was back to her normal self right after the nap. The recovery was absolutely nothing. I feared she'd have a hard time nursing/eating but that wasn't the case at all. Seems she was most upset about her lip being numb and after that wore off she was fine.

Good luck in your decision. I know how hard it can be!

 

 

"in TN it is 3 and 30 lbs"

My then 2 year old daughter has office sedation to have 4 front top teeth removed and silver caps put on all the other top teeth in back. It took about 10 minutes. We had it done when she wasn't 3 or anywhere near 30lbs, we live in Nashville. We decided against GA because I just had BAD dreams and feelings about it, and I just couldn't do it. I cancelled the appointment the night before. I looked at pictures of kids under GA and looked at the pros and cons and decided I just could not do it. We did the office sedation, where they gave her some happy juice to drink and it made her groggy. When she came out she was scared and crying, I nursed her, she didn't talk to me for a day, but she's fine now. That was 2 years ago. Either way is a hard decision

 

Thanks to all who posted. I feel more encouraged that we have made the right decision. We are scheduled for 18 June and I am trying to focus less on the risk than on it being the least traumatic approach. We are planning on some special things for Mackenzie that day - a few surprises and her favorite foods. Our pediatrician suggested making it special so that the positive aspects are more remembered than the negative. I'll let you know how it goes.
Carolynn

 

Just wanted to reassure you and send you some

We had GA when dd was 1.6. 4 front top teeth removed,

: We were only nursing day and night till about 1 yr. and the only food she ate was soooooooooo natural and healthy!!! Not only were they decayed, but the dentist claimed that she had so much puss inside her gums, that she must have been in pain, which was obviously making her wake up at night. He also claimed that if we had left it, the puss would have very soon reached her big teeth, way up inside her gums and would have ruined them!!!!!

Anyway, it went okay, was scary, but she woke up fine and it wore off pretty quick. What I do recommend is something natural with it (like bach remedy, homeopathy, reflexology, energy, etc. anything like that) after the treatment is done, to help relieve any trauma that it could cause. Even though the dentists claim that the kids don't remember anything, I don't buy it. So, we did homeopathy and some holistic "energy stuff" which I felt helped quite a bit.

Good luck - it'll be over before you know it!!!

 

Both of my youngest daughters have their 4 front teeth silver capped right now, my youngest (3 yrs) just had hers done last Friday morning. Our reasons for this happening is both of them have fallen and busted their mouths up pretty good while learning to walk (yes, the klutziness is from my side LOL)...

Before each visit, we were given a pain reliever and an anxiety treatment drugs. Then when we went in, they were given the sleepy juice, along with the numbing shots. We have a really excellent pediatric dentist who really caters to the kids.

After all was said and done, both girls slept away a good part of the day. The worst part of us was afterwards, when both girls were hungry/thirsty... our after dental treat is always a chocolate milkshake... the youngest had a very difficult time with her straw and threw a huge fit.

For us, those risks of the drugs outweighed the risks of having bad teeth. I'd rather tend to the problems now than when they are older and these problems can become really big problems. Baby teeth are very important for the development of adult teeth...