so we had a traumatic experince at the dentist today with my six year old and he was sent home with a temporary filling; which means within the next few days we have to go back (this time to a pediatric dentist) and do it all over again to finish the job.
any advice on how to help him prepare for the shot and the drilling and all the scariness of it? how can we convince him that sitting still and not screaming is really important?
help? poor guy...
the pediatric dentist said we should pull the tooth. oh boy. so we're doing that instead. funny thing is, my son prefers that over a filling so he's not worried at all!!
thanks for the great advice!
If he has nitrous you probably won't have to worry about any of that. I strongly reccommend it. My son did great with it.
Talk to him before hand. Explain that you are sorry the other dentist hurt him and you are going to take him to another who won't. Make sure he doesn't look at the needle before the shot.
You might offer him some type of reward this time if he agrees to cooperate.
Hopefully, the dentist and his staff will be compassionate and do things to distract him also.
My heart goes out to him. I had such terrible experiences at the dentist as a child. One time my parent sent me by myself when I was 12 to have a tooth filled! I was terrified of dentists until I was an adult and found a good one who helped me get over it.
I would try to find a portable DVD player, and let him pick out a brand new movie to take with him to the dentist. You might be able to hold it for him, so he can watch during the procedure. That way he will be excited about his new movie, and it should help distract him. Some dentists have TVs mounted above the chair, I'm not sure if it would be possible to play your own movie though... call the dentist and find out if either would be possible if you decide to go this route. You might also see if the dentist will 'work' on you first... just run the drill and stuff in your mouth so your son will be able to see that it isn't all that scary. Luckily, pediatric dentists know how to handle nervous kids much better than a normal dentist. Other than that, you could try simple bribery. Maybe promise him his favorite food for dinner, or a new toy he has been wanting. You could also get a book to read to him... I know there is a Curious George Goes to the Dentist that is quite popular. (When I worked at a bookstore, I ordered at least 3 a month because we would sell out. lol.)
Aw, poor little guy. If he's going to a different dentist, that should help already, not having to tell him he's going to the same place. And if it's a ped dentist, they should be better prepared. If you haven't already, call them and let them know this will be a challenge and they need to pull out all the stops for your little man.
Also- do they do nitrous oxide (giggle gas?). I'm so not for drugging kids, but the alternative sounds WAY worse- gas him up mom. My daughter had to have a tooth shaved when she was maybe 7 and they gave it to her. She did not get weird or seem 'drugged', she just didn't really care about what they were doing!
At the very least, they should have the numbing gel they can put on a swab before the shot so we won't feel that.
But really, ask the dentist office for help and let them know why. They aren't new at this and should be able to help.
Oh, another thought is maybe find a book at the library about going to the dentist for work?
Good luck.
Does your dentist offer nitrous oxide? It worked for my son. He has high anxiety, so we did it from the start. He has had 2 fillings done with it and both went smooth. I usually have to pay extra for it because it usually isn't covered by insurance. My heart goes out to you and your son. Good luck.
My daughter went through this. My advice is to be patient. We got her to a terrific pediatric dentist (Ditto/Sammons in the Lafayette, IN area). It took 3 attempts for them to actually do the work because she was so traumatized. She's had to do other work (redoing the terrible work of the previous dentist) and she doesn't worry or get upset about it. Each of those attempts were completed on the first try. Just make sure this pediatric dentist is good and caring. It will work out!
the ped dentist should put your son to sleep to do the procedure. I would call and see if he does this BEFORE you take him...then tell him we are seeign a NEW doctor that doesnt do shots...
If the Ped doc doesnt do the mask, go to another one
Been there! A pediatric dentist has dealt with this before. When my son went thru this the pedi dentist gave him phenegran. He was still so unconsoleable they used a papoose. (Sounds lots worse than what it was). He was at the dentist every 2 weeks for about 8 weeks. We only had to use the papoose once and every time he went back it was less and less nerve racking for him. Call the dentist prior and see what their options are. (My son was 3-4 at this time). Now he jumps into the chair no matter if it is a cleaning or a filling (only had 1 since the episode thank God).
As for your son, be honest. The worst you can do right now is not tell him the truth. I like the idea of telling him the dentist will pinch his cheek and then it will feel funny and they will fix his tooth. You can explain 'shot' later.
Good luck! I hope you all come thru with no trama this time.
L.
