My Son Is 5 - Matamoras,PA

I think I'd get a second opinion.

First of all - get a second opinion.

Second - please go to an Oral Surgeon. Pulling that many teeth is serious and you don't want to harm the bone.

Third - putting him to sleep will be fine. It will only be twilight sedation - not general anesthesia. Ask the dentist to explain the difference to you. There is a HUGE difference. General is very serious - twilight or conscious sedation is not that big if a deal.

Best of luck!!

all depends on condition of teeth and which ones sounds like a lot to do at one time my kids have had on pulled in office with a shot and one pull no biggy whats wrong with his teeth and how will he eat after and how will you tell him about it

Updated

all depends on condition of teeth and which ones sounds like a lot to do at one time my kids have had on pulled in office with a shot and one pull no biggy whats wrong with his teeth and how will he eat after and how will you tell him about it

Updated

all depends on condition of teeth and which ones sounds like a lot to do at one time my kids have had on pulled in office with a shot and one pull no biggy whats wrong with his teeth and how will he eat after and how will you tell him about it

I would definitely get a second opinion. See if you can find a pediatric dentist. Have them recommend an oral surgeon who has experience w/children. Better safe than sorry!

My son just went through this (only a root canal, not pulling teeth) because he has panic attacks with dentists. So we had to put him to sleep to get through the root canal.

I felt the same as you - I was scared, and prayed the whole time he was under. But, the anesthesiologist was very good, was a pediatric specialist, and he called me the day before and discussed everything with me and told me what to expect. So I felt slightly better after talking to him. I was still worried - and you will be too, because it's completely natural. Especially since we have to sign those damn consent forms that say we won't blame them if our baby dies from complications! But, he went over what all COULD go wrong, and told me how it would be handled if it did, and told me the statistics of things going wrong in my son's case (very, very minimal), and I really did feel better having all that knowledge.

So, yes, it is safe for a 5 yo. And you should ask to talk to the anesthesiologist about everything beforehand and get all your questions answered and your concerns aired. Remember, they do this every day, and it's likely that your son will be one of several cases the anesthesiologist has that very day.

Take someone with you for moral support in the waiting room. My mom went with me.

He'll be okay. And it won't take long, and you can be with him when he falls asleep and when he wakes up.

Blessings to you and your son. I will add a prayer to yours for a quick surgery.

Find a second and third opinion. it doesn't sound right!!!!

If it is necessary because the teeth are rotting, then I would go ahead and do it. I'm not sure what other reason they'd need to pull so many teeth at once for but it seems so early at five. Unless they are rotting, I'd probably wait.

However if it must be done, I would think of it like this. Every day there are tiny babies and small children getting surgeries every day. They are anesthetized and come out of it just fine. The only thing I'd worry about is if your son is allergic to the anesthesia and I'd ask the doctor what precautions they have in place in case this is the moment you discover his allergy...

Absolutely. Infants go in for surgeries ALL the time, and their little systems are much more delicate. And multiple surgeries in a week or month. My 8yo had 3 major surgeries and umpteen procedures (all under general anesthesia) this spring.

Do you want unnecessary surgeries in children? Nope. But here's what happens if they can't pull rotting teeth. The infection gets into their blood stream, goes systemic, and they die.

Would I get a second opinion? Sure. But do it quickly. USUALLY if they want to pull them all at once it means the infection is already bad and they don't want to run the risk of waiting.

Are there risks with anesthesia? Yup. Namely an allergic reaction or bad reaction. Anesthesiologists and surgeons are trained to recognize and instantly treat anyone who starts reacting badly to the anesthesia. HOWEVER those reactions are quite rare.

Which is more dangerous? That's a question for your oral surgeon. It may be you can wait and pull them one at a time, it may be it needs to be done yesterday.

Now... I may be sounding pretty blase about this. I'm not. I sit with the pager around my neck fretting (and chainsmoking) the entire time he's in surgery. But it had to be done. The other option was being in lifelong pain OR being dead. Neither were good options. He did FINE, as did every other child's parents. Even those that were allergic to the anesthesia. They just tapped them with the right meds to control the reaction, and now do nerve blocks on their kids (more dangerous than anesthesia) when they have to have surgery.

I wouldn't do it. Let the teeth come out on their own. My daughter's adult teeth started growing in before the baby teeth came in and I just let it run it's course. She will eventually get braces but that was inevitable anyway.

If they are pulling that many teeth, he should definitely be anesthetized. I had 8 pulled when I was about 9 or so, and it is painful and dreadful. It sounds like they are probably referring him to an oral surgeon for the procedure? That is probably a good thing. I wonder why they are doing it so young though.