DD6 is getting 1st filling today! Help!

[AnnetteF]

DD just turned 6 and had xrays taken on her teeth for the first time. The dentist found one small cavity. We have an appointment to get it filled today but I am a nervous wreck about it. I asked him how they give her anesthetic and he said the same way as for adults (meaning with a needle!) When I was a kid I got numerous fillings but I was always given the gas that they put over your nose and that was great. She terrified of needles (like I always was). I actually thinking of cancelling it and finding a dentist who uses the gas. Can anyone tell me what their experiences have been with your children getting fillings?

By the way, her dentist is not a pediatric dentist - I just took her to my dentist. I'm wondering what a pediatric dentist would use.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[FoundMyPrince]

My two older children have each had a filling. Both kids are a complete mess when it comes to needles/shots. DD did fine - no problems. DS did great - didn't know they had even begun and they were finished. Both kids didn't know they received a shot until I told them afterward. Chances are, these fillings will bother you more than your child.

 

[Pinkprincessmom]

Depending on the location of the cavity, they may be able to fill it without any anesthesia. Also, if it is a tooth she will loose soon, I would ask if it really needs to be filled. My DD10 was supposed to have a filling. It was on the outside surface and they were going to do it without anesthesia. When we went in, the dentist decided the tooth would come out on its own very soon. She lost it within 2 weeks! I would have been ticked if I had paid for a filling and the tooth come out so quickly afterward.

If the filling is necessary, I hope it goes well for your daughter.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I won't allow my kids to get laughing gas (I am mean that way). DS's first cavity was sans Novacaine, and the rest have been with. Needless to say we found out DS was one of the people that Novacaine takes twice as long to kick in on. So all in all, 4 fillings have been done without Novacaine and he was fine. Now he is older and if the work is not deep, he does without.

If your daughter is having a very small cavity filled, I would tell her right before they come in the room about the needle. No need to worry her too soon, but I would never let them do it without notice. That is why kids are afraid. It can be explained using past shots or injuries...

And if the cavity is from lack of skills for DD here is a good learning lesson so hopefully it won't happen again. If she just has soft teeth, I am very sorry.

 

[wvjules]

Go ahead with the appointment today but I would switch to a pediatric dentist. Kids are their specialty and she has 12 more years (atleast 24 more dental appointements) ahead of her.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

We don't use a pediatric dentist at all. Most of them that I've called don't allow parents in the room and it's a dealbreaker for us. My oldest had to have her two bottom teeth pulled because hers grew in behind.

They used numbing gel first and then gave her the shots. She didn't even know that she was getting shots because the dentist rubbed her gums as she did it. I was more stressed watching it done than she was having it done.

Just remember to breathe and you'll both be okay.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

I got my first filling done with novacaine when I was 8 and I had no idea they had even used the needle until after my appointment was over. The assistant distracted me while the dentist slipped the needle into my mouth - I was totally oblivious to anything the dentist was doing. That wasn't a pediatric dentist either.

I imagine if she closed her eyes she would have no idea about the shot. You could always ask the dentist to have her close her eyes or find some way to distract her.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

We don't use a pediatric dentist at all. Most of them that I've called don't allow parents in the room and it's a dealbreaker for us. My oldest had to have her two bottom teeth pulled because hers grew in behind.

They used numbing gel first and then gave her the shots. She didn't even know that she was getting shots because the dentist rubbed her gums as she did it. I was more stressed watching it done than she was having it done.

Just remember to breathe and you'll both be okay.

 

[MushyMushy]

Don't let your own fears rub off on your kids! I'm terrified of the dentist, but my kids are just fine with them. When they were that age, they didn't even need to get numbed for a simple filling.

And to be honest with you, I never realized I was getting a shot when I was a kid. I could never see what they were doing in my mouth, and I never saw the needle coming. Maybe I was just a dumb kid.

 

[bigbabyblues]

How did she do?

My oldest DS has had three fillings, all with novacaine. I thought the same thing you did, but I didn't say anything to him, and he did fine. We use a pediatric dentist for them, and they don't use gas atall.

 

[Katie's Butterflies]

When I was a kid, I’d freak out if I even saw a needle. My (family) dentist used laughing gas and I was fine. One time though, the laughing gas didn’t work completely (I could still feel but was sort of out of it), so they used the needle too. I didn’t know they were putting it in until I felt it (but I was out of it so I didn’t care).

 

[simba20]

We don't use a pediatric dentist at all. Most of them that I've called don't allow parents in the room and it's a dealbreaker for us.

Not true. Of course my DD is almost three, but I couldn't imagine NOT being in the room with her.

Outside of the rooms they have a large open area with a number of chairs (it fits the theme of the dentist's office) and parents sit there while their kids get the work done -- older kids.

Why would an office geared towrad kids NOT allow parents to be with their children? Kind of like taking my daughter to the peditrician and them tellign me I can't go in with her....say huh?

Yeah, I'd find a new pedicatric dentist who would allow it, or I'd just stand up for myself with the one I was at.

Anyway, I <3 my daughter's pediatric dentist. If a child doesn't want to do somethng, they don't push it. They wanted x-rays of DD and she was scared so they didn;t press her. At the same time, there was a 6/7 year old boy in the x-rays area who also didn't want x-rays...they didn't push it. Later as we were leaving, the 7 year old boy had warned up tot he x-rays idea...they work with the child and give them time. If any medical personel did not have this belief, then I'd find someone else.

 

[bumbershoot]

Most of them that I've called don't allow parents in the room and it's a dealbreaker for us.

Good for you! That was our biggest question as well.

Not true. Of course my DD is almost three, but I couldn't imagine NOT being in the room with her.

Why would an office geared towrad kids NOT allow parents to be with their children? Kind of like taking my daughter to the peditrician and them tellign me I can't go in with her....say huh?

She was saying that the ones SHE had called don't allow it...so it's true for her.

And there are plenty of dentists who won't allow parents back with their kids. I personally think it's horrendous. And ridiculous. But there are plenty of them out there, I discovered while trying to find a sane dentist for our son! I was part of a yahoo group called veryyoungkidsteeth, where they focus on prevention and even healing, along with dental work, for tooth decay etc, and that's probably the most common complaint when finding dentists for kids...that so many won't let parents be back there.



OP I'm sure it went fine. No need for gas, IMO.

DS had his first filling done with nothing at all! He had a TV in the ceiling playing Finding Nemo (which amused me, but since they restart it for each patient, they never get to the dental office part) and that's all he needed.

The following week DS had two teeth extracted (they came in yellow, turned brown, and started disintegrating, either due to a nasty facial trauma a month before they came through the gums OR DH's paternal family "bad teeth" history) and had just a tiny blip of lidocaine, along with Finding Nemo again, and it was absolutely fine.


I only started noticing the needle when I got much older and started looking around...before, I didn't know there were needles involved. If you don't know it's a needle, you just think they are poking at your gums, and you can cause more pain by flossing and slamming the floss against your gums, I've found, than what the needle causes.

 

[freckles and boo]

We have taken our girls to a pediatric dentist every six months since they were tiny. Our dentist does not allow parents back with the kids because in her experience the kids do much better when the parents aren't there. She treats many kids with special needs, including kids like my younger daughter who have autism. Both my kids love going to the dentist so she is obviously doing something right.

 

[SnowWhite607]

Our pediatric dentist "discourages" parents form going back so DD goes to my dentist. He uses a numbing medicine and she doesnt even feel the shot. She has had 2 cavities and 2 teeth pulled on the recommendation of her orthodontist.

 

[Feralpeg]

This is probably to late to help, but my DD had a small cavity when she was five years old. I was also very nervous because she was petrified of needles. Fortunately, we had a great dentist.

When he was ready to give her the shot, he put a little topical anesthetic on her gum using a cotton swab. Then, he told her to close her eyes and wiggle her toes as fast as she could. While she was doing that, he gave her the shot. She didn't realize until years later, when I told her, that she was given a shot of novocaine.

 

[golfgal]

Our pediatric dentist "discourages" parents form going back so DD goes to my dentist. He uses a numbing medicine and she doesnt even feel the shot. She has had 2 cavities and 2 teeth pulled on the recommendation of her orthodontist.

When our kids saw a pediatric dentist it was the same way. On the first visit we were all invited back for a "tour". It was on large, open room with several chairs for different things, cleaning, fillings, etc. They said the choice was up to us if we wanted to stay back there but they find that most kids behave SO MUCH better without mom or dad around. Our kids said they would be fine so we didn't stay. No big deal at all.

When our kids had fillings they did a topical first and then brought the needle up from below their field of vision so they never even saw the needle and didn't know anything was happening really.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

Good for you! That was our biggest question as well.


She was saying that the ones SHE had called don't allow it...so it's true for her.

And there are plenty of dentists who won't allow parents back with their kids. I personally think it's horrendous. And ridiculous. But there are plenty of them out there, I discovered while trying to find a sane dentist for our son! I was part of a yahoo group called veryyoungkidsteeth, where they focus on prevention and even healing, along with dental work, for tooth decay etc, and that's probably the most common complaint when finding dentists for kids...that so many won't let parents be back there.

Yes, the pediatric dentists that *I* called varied from "highly discouraging" parents to having a "blanket rule" that parents were NOT allowed.

That is simply not how I choose to parent. But I don't leave my child alone, with anyone but very close friends and family members... And then there are two or more children typically present together in most cases.

 

[minkydog]

Go ahead with the appointment today but I would switch to a pediatric dentist. Kids are their specialty and she has 12 more years (atleast 24 more dental appointements) ahead of her.

This is what I'd do. My kids didn't have any cavities filled until their teens, but DS had a couple of teeth pulled. I had no hesitation about our ped dentist doing it AND using nitrous oxide. I have a terrible fear of dentistry--I will throw up in the parking lot. My dentist has to give me nitrous to even clean my teeth. And I take a Xanax before I get there! All of this stemming from a very painful dental experience when i was about 8. i would never want my kids to go through what i went through.

 

[brenalexacamp]

I am a dental hygienist-I work in pediatrics- I ask the parents to come in 1st visit- see everything- ask questions-it is when it turns into a circus that we ask the parents to step outside. Today i had a mom come in-talk to me about her 4 yr old's pacifier, sippy cup, diaper wearing issues! She wanted me to put the seed in her head about giving up the pac, great- I call the child-she starts-daddy, daddy- i say one parent can come- he totally ignored me and said to the wife you come too- I said the room is small, please one- he totally blew me off- picked up the child and was aksing her if she wanted to sit in the chair! HUH? Then the mother started taking pictures! Guess what- between the mother getting photos, the dad hugging her and he head in his neck- No one is listening to me!! I did what i could and dismissed them. I told the parents- Next visit- she comes in alone- it is impossible for her to hear me with all the distractions. The main issue is parents cannot be silent observers. We can take control over the appt and your child will have a great experience- you just have to let us do our jobs. We don't force- we wait, explain, show, then do. Nitrous is a wonderful thing! We let the kids pick out their flavor and they put it on their own nose-they blow bubbles- we don't tell the kids about shots- they don't see anything- we call it sleepy juice-we paint a star on their teeth- if they need a tooth out- we help it see the tooth fairy.
It is the parents that fill the kid's heads with- rip your teeth out- give you a needle- all the fearful things-it's your fault you didn't brush your teeth-now you pay. There are no soft teeth- it is lack of brush, floss, and fluoride and high sugar(juice, fruit rollups, fruit snacks, cereal, panckae syrup) that makes the teeth decay. A child under 10 is NOT able to take care of their own teeth- parents should be brushing 2 times a day for them.
when we say you can't come back-there is a reason. I bet if you trusted and then asked the front desk to check for you- your child would be cooperating just nicely!