5 Yr. Old Needs 2 Pulp Caps-concerned About Pre-med

Hi T.,
I feel for you. My 3 year old had to have fillings and a pulp cap this past June and she had to be completely sedated for it. NOT fun. I was a nervous wreck.

I didn't have to give my daughter Valium, so I can't say much about that, but the dentist wanted to give her Versed and I was terrified of it. So, I contacted our pediatrician's office and spoke with one of the nurses about my concerns. She then spoke with one of the doctors and called me back with some advice and reassurance. I felt much better having the guidance of her pediatrician. Maybe you can contact your daughter's ped and talk to him/her about it? They can tell you if the dosage is correct and what to expect better than anyone. My ped even told me which monitors they need to have on hand in case of an emergency. I was very aware and involved (probably annoyingly so), but it made me feel better.

Good luck!

If I were you, I would call your childs family doctor and ask him or her about giving her that much medicine. Have you tried getting a second opinion from another dentist as well? We do it with family doctors all the time, so why not try that with the dentist. I know that they said she has two cavities, but you can always consult them with the issue of the meds.

It sounds as if you will have to carry her into the dentist office, that sounds like way to much Valium. 10 mg. knocks me out and I am a adult and close to 175 lbs. I would talk to your pharmacist about this. I also would not give her more than maybe 1/4 th of the pill. I get real stressed out about the dentist myself but only when he has to do a filling or extraction and mine gives me Valium as well. I have to take 5 mg before I leave the house, and another 5 mg. after I arrive. By the time he is ready to work on me I don't care what he is doing in my mouth.Of course I have to go to the trouble of finding a ride there and back.

Talk to your pharmacist too just confirm the weight to medicine ratio. My child was put to sleep for his filling and he was younger and he does not remember it at all today. I am wondering even with all that and she is going to be that stressed whether or not she is going to cooperate to have it done. I am hoping your dentist specializes with children and has already reviewed whether or not putting her to sleep would be a better option. I know I had a bad experience as a child(not as young as your daughter) and I still have a problem with dentists. I have to take valium before those type of procedures. I wish the best for you.

It sounds like your little one has alot of problem going to the dentist. While they are doing this they need her to be calm and if she's crying and wiggling around that's not going to be good. So, it sounds like she needs something to help with this. I've read the other responses and they said to ask your pharmacist however I would ask your pediatrition, she is going to know your little one the best and she's going to know the best dose for your child. Goodluck.

HI T.
Poor thing, I feel for you. I do think that 10 mg of Valium sounds like a large dose. My husband just had Lasix surgery done on Wednesday and they have him 10 mg of Valium and he weighs 220 and he was pretty "dopey". Can you call your pediatrician and find out the correct dosage? I am a paramedic, so I do know something about dosage for pediatric patients. .2 mg/kg is what we give for seizing patients but that is IV so I'm not real sure what the correct dose would be orally. I would diffently call your peditrian and ask about the dosage. Good luck!

I have had to give my son Valium before he had his cavity filled last September. I can not remember the dosage off hand but I do know it had no effect on him. He was almost 5 and weighed about the same as your daughter does. I would take it to be filled, the day before, and talk to the pharmacist. I was actually surprised when I saw how little the bottle was when they handed it to me. I feel for what you are going through! Although, my son does like getting his teeth cleaned it was just the filling we had a problem with. GOOD LUCK!!

I have never heard of this. When my son was four we had moved twice in 6 months. So teeth brushing wasn't always supervised as he wanted to do it himself and I was worn out with work, ect. I was shocked when I noticed how bad his teeth had gotten. I told him he wasn'nt brushing good enough and mommy had to do it. In his back bottom teeth he had holes inbetween the back two on both sides. I brushed the black decay away and by the time his dental appt. came he was scheduled to see a pediatric dentist. At this appt. my son ONLY received laughing gas and one side of his mouth was done. Two caps and 3 fillings. He was given a Rx for Tylenol with Codiene and scheduled to come back the following month for the other side. That way both sides of his mouth weren't numb. The same thing happened the following month. My son told me that he liked going to the dentist after that. It was fun and he hadn't been scared or nervous at any time. I would suggest to check with another dentist. Good Luck

that seems like a lot of medication. my son had a tooth capped at about age 6 and they only gave him the shot in his mouth. he was fine and in very little pain even afterwards. we never did have to give him anything else.