[mountain]

I've been poking around the archives & such, have found some useful info, but no experiences...Just thought I'd check with the wise dental guru mamas

My dd 2yrs 2mo. 1 cavity--upper right 1st molar--takes up half bottom surface of tooth w/gray decay.
Dentist: not very friendly...wants papoose board...asked if I could hold her, he says, well, she can't move around AT ALL I was too upset at thought of dd strapped down to continue conversation...he says it will only take 20 minutes, wants to use novacaine. Should I request nitrous, or that versed stuff, or what?
Or is novacaine only the way to go? Should I wait as long as possible--don't want infection or abcess, but 2 yrs is SO hard to deal w/ a drill...
Anyone had any luck w/ this type of situation?

Edited to say: OMG I just found the thread about toddlers & cavities under 'causes of decay & prevention' & it's pretty much what I was looking for---but I was looking for something that said 'CAVITY' --i thought that thread would just have tips about brushing (which is important but not what I was looking for)....So sorry to be redundant!!
If anyone has any success stories tho'....

PS Smilemomma, you rock! Such a caring soul, I see you giving so much energy thoughout these posts & archives---

 

[malamamama]

It is so hard to see our dc's go thru dental stuff....

.
I didn't really understand the depth of the cavity by your description. If it is surface (just thru the enamel), this can be done without the local anathesia (novacaine stuff, I read that they no longer use novacaine, but instead something like it). However if it is deeper than that, it could hurt.....
Waiting to do the work will just allow the cavity to get bigger and then necessity for more intense work done later. IMO, it is better to get the work done soon and 20 minutes is quick. You can slow decay, but you can't stop it. We waited and dd ended up with caps, absessess, and extractions....

Not that this will happen to you, but you see how waiting can go.....
Do you have options for dentists? Smilemomma advises that it doesn't necessarily need to be a ped dentist. A general dentist who is good with kids can serve you well and they won't even have a papoose board. My dd was in a papoose board....NEVER again. (I wasn't hip to these boards when we were going thru it.)
Now she wraps herself in her own blanket and I hold her hands. Dentist's assistant holds her head and soothes her with her hand on cheek, wiping her tears, etc.
It sounds like your dentist was somewhat open to no papoose, so if you don't have options, you can at least try to do the work holding him and see what happens. Check out what Smilemomma says about calming oils in the thread that I named below.
Nitrous could be a good option for you. Also the use of essential oils for calming.
Check out these threads: "treatment options" and another called.....something like sedation/nitrous/oils/etc. If you can't find these, let me know....
From experience, I would advise you to make a move on getting the work done, and also to make sure that you feel comfortable with the treatment/sedation option AND to take some Rescue Remedy your self!

It helped me immensely to stay calm for my dd!
You have discovered this cavity at an early stage and that is awesome. Your ds is in good hands and with all the incredible info here, especially thanks to Smilemomma

, you will be able to make informed and educated decisions!

 

[mountain]

Malamama, I believe I've seen you being a tooth angel on these boards...thank you! Of course, I've been reading through parents' posts whose dc have these huge dental problems & mine seems sooooooo insignificant in comparison---that's why I was so

: as to what treatment to go on...It's more than a surface cavity but not much more. I'm going to go to some other dentists...I'm glad to have the experiences to turn to on these boards...it really helps.