Son Has Cavities

The only way that makes sense is if they are planning on putting him under while they do it.... I would find another pediatric dentist and get a second opinion...

Good Luck!

I have a child with autism, and it is common in the autistic community. Anxiety is part of our issue too. I would guess that if the dentist suggested it, he has a good idea that your son would be more comfortable that way and that it would not add to his anxiety problem. It is not something that any dentist recomends lightly.

It is not uncommon for children with issues to have sedation for dental procedures, but if this is your first child with an issue, you would never have known about it. Children who need it, need it. It is up to you to decide if your son fits that category.

M.

Is this a pediatric dentist? I know my sisters son had to go to a pediatric dentist because he was a harder patient for cavities. They did not make him go to the hospital..........

Some pediatric dentists often do procedure in a hospital setting when they are going to use sedation. Safer for the patient, better controlled environment for the dentist. If your son can't have the procedure done in a regular office setting due to anxiety and therefore his inability to be compliant in the office setting then the hospital setting with sedation is best. Better for your son because he won't be aware of the procedure and better for the dentist because he won't have to worry about your son moving or becoming upset and causing an injury during the procedure. Very commonly done when my husband was in dental school.

Between the liquid Valium and the laughing gas my son did fine. I was more worried than he was...they only got 2 of his 4 cavities filled before the Valium wore off as my son does not stay sedated like a typical child it wears off really fast. Then he accidentally bit his tongue and they called it a day, and un-numbed his tongue so he wouldn't bite it again.

We use a family dentist...he is not a pediatric dentist and will refer one if you want a second opinion. But I have a friend who takes her 4 children to this dentist and he is good and honest...and worked very well with my son.

Good luck...maybe a second opinion to save on the cost of a hospital surgery for cavities.

Hi,

This was suggested by a dentist for my son's teeth as well, and I was also shocked that they wanted to do it under general anesthesia... he was only 2 years old at that time, so I waited, and got some other opinions. Interestingly, the same dental practice (but a different dentist) later determined that they could most likely do the work in the chair, at the office. Instead of the hospital. So, it might be worth it to express your concerns about this situation, and see if you can try it another way. I do think it is a much more common recommendation to do dental work in the hospital than it was when I was a kid.

You can always, go to another Pediatric Dentist, and get a 2nd opinion.

My granddaughter was sedated at Childrens Hospital and had a whole lot of dental work done at that session. She was a preemie who'd been on antibiotics that hurt her teeth. It was so much easier for her.

My son used laughing gas for his cavities. He was 4 when he got two filled...and he was FINE. They make the mask seem like a super hero and before you know it, the kids are totally fine :o). It was funny to watch the things he was doing with this hands because he was in la-la land. But he had no idea what was going and and did FABULOUS with it!

My dentist uses a sand driller for small cavities and it doesn't hurt at all or make the loud the drilling sound (I had one and they don't even need to numb with that). It's called air abrasion. I couldn't feel a thing though it's messy and you are are covered with fine sand after.

here's some more info on it:
http://www.1800dentist.com/dental-encyclopedia/air-abrasion

My son goes to Dr. Amy Parker in Southfield. He has had cavities filled and an extraction without incident and he was extremely concerned prior to the work. She is a pediatric dentist and I've found that taking him to her has worked out far better than when we were going to a family dentist.