Hi everyone:
I recently took my 3yr. old daughter to the dentist and, to our shock, she has 3 cavities! I was floored. We're so good about brushing teeth. Anyhow...it happened. So now I'm a bit freaked out about the cavity filling appointment. She did OK during the cleaning, but she was slightly shaken for the rest of the day. What can I expect with cavity fillings? The dentist was vague when I asked him. Is there anything I can do to prepare her for the experience? What experiences have you had? I don't want her to be traumatized about going to the dentist for the rest of her life. Thanks, as always, for your advice!
Ok sry but WHY is he filling it when it will FALL OUT... 3 is a little young to be honest and if you are good at brushing her teeth I would not get it done...
I suggest you save your money. Her teeth are going to fall out in about 3 more years anyway. I would say just keep an eye on the ones she has and if they get worse then you can consider filling them. Why put your baby through something so unpleasant if you don't really have to?
My son had cavities at a young age and we had to put him asleep to have it done because we knew there was no way he was going to stay seated for the procedure. Nor did we want a bad experience in the dentist office like restraining. Today he is 11 and doesn't even remember it. If your child can sit still they also give them laughing gas while doing the procedure. I go to a pediatric dentist so he deals only with children.
We have a really great dentist who was phenomenal with our daughter. One of the things they did was call the fillings "stars" for her teeth. They explained everything they were doing so she knew what was happening. The "stars" thing was really helpful...hope this helps and good luck!
I took my 3yo to a pediatric dentist. They used laughing gas to calm her then did the novacane and did the filling as usual. they allowed her to watch a movie while it was done. They did one tooth in 25 mins. I tried to talk to her about it ahead of time, but it didnt matter. Just take her for a milkshake when its done!
we have done it! we have taught our kids to "not hate" going to the dentist. You can't show any nervousness on your part when you have one of your own appointments or when your children have one... be excited that they "get to go see the dentist" and make it a personal experience - get the dentist and your child to make a friendship. Put some lip balm/gloss on her lips so that those latex gloves don't pull on her lips! Think what you would want if you were her. Remember your son is watching and listening, too. Our dentist suggests you have your child sit on your lap when your teeth are getting cleaned - just to get them to be more comfortable with the environment.
Which teeth are the cavities in? We got that surprise at my daughter's 1st dentist appt too. They were found on her front teeth. The dentist told us it is probably because she cut them very young. Maybe that can give you peace of mind that you probably brushed just fine. Juice and milk bottles and nursing keeps those sugars on those teeth. However, because they were on my daughter's front teeth, they did not want to put her through filling them because she would be losing them before they really caused her discomfort. They did keep a close eye on them for changes, but we were able to wait until they fell out on their own without having them filled.
Is there a pediatric dentist in your area? They are wonderful and specially trained to work with kids. They do a residency AFTER dental school that provides them with the experience of working with kids.
If your current dentist isn't willing to discuss with you what they will do, then I would either press them for it, or seek another provider. I would want to be sure that the dentist is going to be sensitive to the needs of a small child.
You can talk to your child about the dentist. You may not think it will do much good...but it will. Kids like to know what is coming, they like to have information before hand. It helps keep them at ease. Don't talk to her about it being painful, you don't want her to worry. Just talk to her about how the dentist is going to fix her tooth. It may still be traumatic for her...but she will know that you were honest with her and told her about it ahead of time. You don't want to set a precedent of just taking her places that are big and scary and not talking to her about it first.
Good luck. 3 is young... but at the same time, the importance of taking care of baby teeth is to maintain the integrity of the adult teeth underneath. If a cavity is let go, then infection could set in and cause a great many other problems, not to mention it becoming painful.
My 5 y/o daughter had a cavity. I was shocked. We are so good about brushing twice per day. Dentist said genetics play a large role and recommended against things like fruit snacks, raisons, etc (anything that can get stuck in the teeth) and milk at bed time after brushing. Anyways, this is how we ended up at a pediatric dentist. She was AWESOME and we have now switched. She likes to begin seeing children at 18 months (my family dentist always told me age 3). Anyways, she uses gas to relax children, it was great. No pain what-so-ever. It was a wonderful experience for my daughter. To get the gas, she had to breath into a rubber mask that smelled like cherry or strawberry (she picked her own flavor). Last note....don't just let them go until they fall out. You are risking greater damage to the gum and underlying tooth. Very inappropriate and neglectful statement. Good Luck!
