Fillings for Baby Teeth

My son needed fillings at 3 and 4 (bad genes). The dentist we go to doesn't use the scary terms of cavity, filling, drill, or other dentistry words that may frighten small kids. For example, he used "sleepy teeth" to describe the shot that my son never felt because of the nitrous......To this day, my son has no idea he has fillings! I say find a great pediatric dentist that you can trust. Mine is Dr. Dave from Small Smiles Dental in Naperville. I highly recommend him. Good luck.

If you have a good pedi dentist it will not traumatise him. My baby had her whole mouth done at 3 under conscious sedation and was fine. Cavities hurt even in baby teeth and can lead to infection and perm tooth damage. Get it done, its necessary.

Yes, it's necessary. Along with the excellent points the other ladies have made, this sets a very important precedent for your child's dental and overall health for the rest of his/her life. My hubby is a periodontist and they are finding/have found all sorts of health concerns linked to lack of proper tooth and gum health.

Yes. Especially if a molar as they will have that for another 5 years minimum. The cavity in the baby tooth, if not properly taken care of can continue to deteriorate causing increased and ongoing pain and possible root and gum damage on the extreme end and at the very minimal pain and looking horrible. I know only 5, but think what a statement teeth (clean or dirty) make about health and cleanliness in general in our society.
You may also want to consider having your child's teeth sealed. It is a great way to protect those molars from ever having cavities.
Best of luck with your decision.

Maybe. Check out these resources

"Cure tooth decay: remineralize and repair cavities naturally."

"Kiss your dentist goodbye! A do-it-yourself mouth care system."

If you can stabilize the cavity so it's not progressing, you might be able to wait. If you cannot stabilize the cavity, it will need to be filled.

If you can find a holistic dentist who uses ozone to sterilize cavities without drilling, this might be helpful.

If you do decide to do the fillings, find a good dentist that you are both comfortable with. Do lots of role-plays. Let your have some control over the process. I've seen kids that age sail through dental work. I've also helped a child through a dental phobia that began with a mask being forced onto her face at age 4.

Good luck!

Yes, it is necessary if the tooth is in pain. Otherwise, (from what I've been told) the cavity can affect the permanent teeth below, and could even turn into the child needing a root canal. So, it is likely a case by case basis.

Apparently though, even dentists disagree on if fillings are necessary, as stated in this article;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1195026/Ditch-d...

My 4 year old had a cavity in the spring. Depending on the severity of the cavity, they now have a procedure where they just use air brushing- no needles, no sedation, nothing. It was quick and painless. I was worried she would never want to go to the dentist again, but she was a perfect patient. On a side note, I am 36 and still have a couple baby teeth, so you never know how long you will need your baby teeth- get the cavity fixed. Good Luck :)

You have to get them filled - you don't want them to go through the consequences of larger cavities, infected teeth and then causing the adult tooth waiting to have problems too! My son had to have cavities taken care of around 2 or 3 years of age. Find a great pediatric dentist - I have an amazing dentist in Bloomingdale - Dr. William McElroy.

I agree, as long as you have a good dentist thats also calm and patient then you should have nothing to worry about. But also think of it this way, would you rather not do anything about it and let her/him be in pain or get it resolved by taking her/him? I also know that some dentist's will allow a parent to go in with the child. I love our children's dentist! She makes it fun for them, my son had work done on his teeth when he was 5 and he wasnt put to sleep but they made sure he was'nt able to feel athing. Hope my info was helpful and good luck!

According to our pediatric dentist, if there's a cavity in a baby tooth it should be filled because if left untreated it could lead to damage on the adult tooth. My girls haven't had any cavities yet, but my 4 year old just had a big fall and actually broke her bottom center tooth. We had to go in for an emergency visit and my daughter who at every regular check-up, screams and fights to get out of the chair, sat calmly while the doctor did his stuff. They gave her nitrous and it was fine. Not traumatizing in the least. It's a little mask that goes over her nose and mouth and he even demonstrated how it worked before he put it on her. She didn't "wear" the mask, the hygienist simply held it over her while my daughter watched cartoons. Unfortunately, when her tooth broke it wasn't a clean break and the root and part of the tooth was left in. The dentist had to dig around to remove it and my daughter didn't feel a thing. I'm so glad she was able to have the nitrous because it kept my baby from having to feel the pain of having a tooth extracted.

Just had to have my 8yo daughters 4 cavities in baby molar teeth filled. Dentist said that because they won't fall out for at least 4-5 more years, she could run the risk of pain/sensitivity if left untreated. I don't want it to get to that stage. If they had been in teeth that would fall out in a few months to a year, he said he would wait for them to fall out and not fill them. Get a couple of different opinions. My daughter had the shot of novacaine, but it was preceded with a numbing agent the dentist refers to as his bionic finger. lol! She said nothing hurt! If I ever get another cavity, guess what I'm requesting? :) Good luck!

Dr Mary Hayes, DDS MS
737 N Michigan Ave # 1330
Chicago, IL 60611-5401
###-###-####
http://www.chicagokidsdds.com/

Parents stay with their children while the dental work is being performed. Dr. Hayes and her entire team of professionals know children and give the highest quality pediatric dental care.

While having two teeth extracted to prepare for braces, my child watched the latest movie on the ceiling flat screen above. Dr. Hayes also called later that same afternoon to check up on how he was feeling and if I had any questions.

After working in a pediatric dental office for years I can answer your question with confidence. Some baby teeth they will have longer than others. The front teeth will come out earlier than the molars. If your child was 9 or 10 it would be a different scenario. Ask your dentist when he/she should lose that tooth. I have seen too many sad cases where kids ended up having to have teeth extracted (pulled prematurely) because the parents waited and the decay was so extensive. If you go to a Pediatric Dentist in your area then they will know the best way to soothe and treat your child. Don't use words that are scary to kids (i.e. SHOT!!) use terms like "sleepy juice/ squirt gun". Remember that the nitrous ("no worry air") really does help to relax them. Good luck!