To Sedate or Not to sedate....that Is the Question!

My youngest has issues with her teeth, and she was not happy with dentists. So we chose to to do the sedation rout. I have to say it went smooth, and was nice. They gave her something to make her tired, they started an IV (I think before she feel asleep) and then they took her back. She does not remember anything after going back. Then they brought her out to recovery and she woke up...
They can do ALL the work that needs to be done at once. Which was another good thing.
Good luck
B.

I had to have gas sedation as a child and I remember it being scary since I didn't know what was going on or what to expect. Maybe take some time beforehand and let the dentist explain what is going to happen and what it might feel like. I remember being dizzy and out of control and things spinning like in Alice in Wonderland.

Hi H.. We faced the same situation with our younger son. I was alarmed to hear that his dentist wanted to use sedation to cap his teeth. After doing some research and talking to our pediatrician, we went with the dentist's recommendation. Please consider a few things. Where will the procedure be done? It should never be done in a dental office. Our kids' dentist does all of these procedures in a hospital with a pediatric anesthesiologist. Our son experienced no pain or discomfort, but he did have a hard time coming out of the sedation. Had he been in a different setting (ie: the dentist's office), I shudder to think what would have happened. In fact, our ped. very matter of factly told me that when one of her patient's dentist is willing to do this type of procedure in the dental office, she tells the patient's parents to find another dentist. After going through it with our little guy, I can see why. Our kids have gone to the same pediatric dentist since their first visits. I have every confidence in her, and feel very good about taking my kids to her. They have never had a negative experience with her or any of her staff. I would suggest you get as much information as you can and then turn to your own pediatrician for some guidance. It's important to trust the professionals we entrust with our children's health and well-being. If you trust your dentist and your pediatrician, you can rest assured that you have taken every precaution to protect your daughter. Good luck and bring a book with you. It can take a while. :)

Good for you, H.- and I'm going to tell you a story - and the ''''vote'''. 7 year old God-daughter- charming, composed little girl- needed a filling that the dentist said was really deep- and the office wrote a prescription for oral sedation. Mom didn't fill it- thought it was 'overkill-' - and it was a disaster. The child has a dreadful time going anywhere near a dentist now. The office staff are geared to deal with children who are sedated and a bit 'out of it' - and some of their skills regarding non-sedated children are not as keen. It was ghastly. The sedation has risks- true - but as a nurse - you know exactly how to moniter and be on top of that--- go for the sedation- SHE'll be glad you did - even if she doesn't know that.

Take care-

J., aka - old Mom

Have you ever had a crown? It is a extremely long and painful process. Have you ever had a cavity in a front tooth and needed a shot in the the front gum? Hurts more than you can imagine. And a crown takes a long time. A six year old can not sit in the dental chair that long.

Sedate her and spare her from that pain.

She is old enough to remember the visit to the dentist and will not want to go back if you expose her to the pain. I can not imagine for the life of me why you would hesitate, but for the for the reason that you have never had a crown.

Good luck in making the correct decision.

My daughter was orally sedated and they also used gas to top it off and it was very effective and she doesn't even remember it. It made it so much easier. However at that age make sure you bring some one or something to get her to the car after if they are unable to supply you with a wheelchair, because my daughter couldn't walk for a couple hours after.

Hi H.,
I have the same teeth issues as your daughter.....my six year old molars came in without enamel due to antibiotics I took when I was a baby. I now have crowns on them all four of my molars.

The initial work done on my crowns in 1976 was without pain killers and I remember it clearly. It was quite painful. I was mildly traumatized by this experience and it changed my perspective on going to the dentist. Our visits to the dentist afterwards were not awful, but they certainly were not relaxed.

If this was my child, I would investigate what drugs the dentist plans to use and check it out with my child's pediatrician. Assuming the risks from the drugs is minimal, I would definitely move ahead with the sedation.

Good luck!

P.S. One thing to file away, is that your child will need to have adult crowns put on later in life. I could have/should have had my crowns replaced when I was in my early 20s. At that point I was still on my father's dental insurance (while I was in college) and he had great coverage. The issue of replacing them didn't come up until I was 24 years old. Unfortunately I had no dental coverage through my employer. Due to the cost, I delayed the procedure for years. (Thankfully I went to a great dentist as a child and the crowns and my teeth held up exceptionally well). Eventually I got 50% dental coverage and replaced 2 crowns at a time. Even with the dental coverage, it was still a few thousand dollars.

I have two daughters 4 and 5(autistic). My 4 year old had dental work in November and was admitted to the hospital and sedated. She had 5 crowns, some fillings, and repair of her front teeth. It was much easier this way. The amount of time they have to keep their mouth open and hold still can be a factor. My 5 year old will be going in the end of this month for some similar issues and root canal. Your daughter loves the dentist, keep it that way. Putting crowns on irritate the gums and can cause soreness and bleeding (temporarily). I encourage the sedation. Although my daughters have some extreme dental issues, it was easier for my daughter, me and especially the dentist who wants the job done right the first time around.

I am a peds/ob nurse also and understand not wanting sedation, but I say go with the sedation. My girls have VUR and had sedation when they had their VCUG's it was so much better. They only have fond memories of Doernbecher, I would hate taking them back to some place they are terrified of going. Your daughter is going to need to go to dentist for the rest of her life and is too young to start being afraid. Hope this helps.

I have been in the dental field for many years as both an assistant and now a dental hygienist. Oral sedation is usually valium and is used in a small dose for longer procedures. The nitrous will supplement the effects of the valium and your little one will more than likely not even remember having the crown done. I have worked with pediatrics and this is usually the best way to handle a procedure like this; both for the dentist and your daughter.
The only time a child is hospitalized for dental care is when the child is fearful, very young, or in need of extensive work that will, under normal circumstances, take several appointments. This does involve an anesthesiologist, and being completely under. It does not sound like your daughter needs this kind of treatment.
Good luck. You have a good dentist whose main interest is to take care of you daughter and ensure she has no lingering fears of going to the dentist.
T.

I had to have my daughter sedated for dental work when she was 3 and I highly recommend it. It's hard, honestly, to see your child like that. My dentist doesn't allow the parents to be in the room during the sedated proceedure and it was a little tough on her coming out of it, but she was fine by the afternoon and didn't remember any of it.

It helped keep a traumatic experience untraumatic.

I have not had any similar experiences, but I recommend you follow their recommendations and sedate her. If it ends up being too traumatic for her then she won't ever want to go back... it's hard to love the dentist again after a scary experience.

I had to have a crown done when I was a teenager. It is a very long process and even as a teenager it was soooo hard to sit through. I would really recommend following their advice. They do drilling, digging, suction - lots of things that could be scary, and if she isn't scared now then it's best to try to keep it that way. Also shots to numb the pain, but sometimes the shot wears off suddenly so she could suddenly be in huge pain if awake. Just explain to her that she has to take a nap at the dentists so they can make the pain go away. They don't just put ppl under and are probably recommending it because they see it as the best course of action. Best of luck!

My 7 year old had to get 4 teeth pulled because they were really bad. She had been to the dentist before and it was ok with her. They sedated her using gas and I was amazed at how relaxed she was. She has never been that relaxed ever. The gas has many different flavors like bubble gum, blueberry, strawberry, and orange so they just smell the flavors and then become relaxed. She was still uncomfortable when they pulled her teeth but she did not feel any pain, I was happy about that. I hope that helps a little!!

H.,
I would sedate her, I am sure you can be right in the room with her, but from my own personal experience with bad teeth growing up, in our day it was different, ( I am 50) and at 6 I had a double infected molar that was going to require oral surgery (Thank God, and he is the one for me to thank because the day before the surgery the infection broke, and I had pus all over the place but was great full I didn't have to go under the knife, and I was 6,) and I still remember that event. I have had bad experiences all my life, but also good ones, and the good ones are when the doctor put the gas on me, because I relaxed and didn't feel a thing.
If he is a good doctor and you trust him then have him do what he thinks is the best for your little one.

I would opt for the sedation, as it will be the least scary option for her. Being awake for that kind of dental work would be terrifying, because even if she can't feel it, she can still hear the drilling, etc.

Make sure that you go to a pediatric dentist to get this done. My younger son also had some teeth come in with poorly formed enamel, but just had to get cavities filled and sealants put on the back molars, luckily. He couldn't handle it at the regular dentist, even though they were great with him, and wouldn't take the gas, but once we got to the pediatric dentist, they had so many cool things going on in the office, and had scents to put in the mask so that he wanted to sniff it... he had no problems and they were really quick about it also. Afterward, he got to play video games there, visit the hamsters in the office, etc., and loved the experience.

Hi H. - Ok, have you talked with your daughter about this? Does she understand what is happening & why? When kids feel a part of the process they do much better.

With my oldest son has had both types of procedures (knocked out at the hospital & lightly sedated in the pediatric dental office). He needed caps on a few of his baby teeth (due to genetics) and we tried to do that in the office but there is a small percent of kids who react the opposite and instead of getting a little sleepy they get wound up, that was my son. So due to that we had to do the procedure at the hospital. He did ok & they were able to do more work than they could have done in the office. This summer (when he was 7yrs old) he needed a few teeth pulled due to very tight teeth & not enough room for his new ones coming in. The dentist chose this option to hopefully avoid braces later. Since my son was older we talked with him about what was going to happen & he agreed to do it (we even had his dentist explain everything to him). Since he had the negative reaction when he was younger they were able to tweak the dose of the stuff they give the kids to make them more relaxed. He did well with it & willingly took the oxygen mask to his nose. They were able to pull the teeth & work on another tooth without any issue. I was in the room with him & he did GREAT! He also liked seeing how BIG (with the root) the teeth were & could not wait to show them off & let the tooth fairly have them.

My big recommendation is to talk with your daughter & let her help decide, that again will help her understand all aspects of the dental work. It might also make her want to take better care of her teeth.

Hi,

I was four when I had a tumor in my jaw and was sedated. I remember being TERRIFIED! The doctors and nurses pinned me down and to this day (I'm now 40), I panic when a mask is placed over my face. That being said, I still think you should sedate her, but with a lot of prep first. Help her feel empowered in the situation. Explain everything step by step, let her know that you know she can handle it. I would strongly suggest insisting on being in the room, while they are giving her the sedation and if at all possible, letting her put the mask on. It should be as calm as possible- not strangers pinning her down with bright lights in her eyes! "Playing" dentist at home and practicing the steps could help, too. First she is the dentist, then you. Her teddy bear or doll could be the first patient and then she could do it. Good Luck!

I have 5 girls, and my 2nd, now 11, has been petrified of the dentist since her first visit at 2 years old. Not sure why. She's had to be sedated several times, since she's the one that has inherited my husbands horrible teeth (cavities at a drop of a dime) and has had numerous fillings and crowns. The last sedation, about 2-3 years ago was AWFUL! She fought the sedation with everything she had. I was sitting on top of her trying to hold her down, but she was too much for me, and I'm 5'7 and pretty good shape! We're not sure what happened since this has never happened before.

But listening to the other great ladies in here... RESEARCH THE DOCTOR!

This sedation was done in the dentist's office. She was completely uncaring in the fact my daughter was still feeling pain and fighting the sedation. She didn't give the Novocaine time to work before she started drilling with everything she had. The crown she placed wasn't pushed high enough and still bothers her from time to time to this day. My daughter is of course, even more petrified of the dentist, but we have her able to sit in a chair for a cleaning now, without sedation. To end this really long story, lol, the dentist was later charged with malpractice, and thankfully not practicing here in Anchorage anymore (that I know of)! So, PLEASE! Make sure your dentist is on the up and up, and which kind of sedation they use!

The right dentist and the right sedation is a totally positive experience!

I hope I didn't scare you, just wanted to let you know we have had both experiences with the sedation.

Best of luck!

K.

Sedate, sedate, sedate.

I would keep the dentist visits a positive experience since it sounds like she may need more dental care during her life than average.

Sedate her. Our daughter has had to have 3 dental surgeries...the 1st one they did not sedate her for and I ended up with bruised ribs from trying to hold her down, not to mention she remembered the terrifying experience.

I haven't had to deal with this with our daughter, but I just wanted to suggest that sedation might be a less-traumatic experience than having the procedure done without it. I have had many HORRIBLE experiences at dentists' offices over the years (I don't do well with local and it doesn't always take). I had a root canal once (which was actually the BEST dental experience I ever had - thanks to the little, blue pill they gave me) and had to get a crown as a result from my regular dentist. They didn't numb me at all and it hurt quite a bit. My new dentist says it needs to be redone and I don't even want to have it done again after how painful it was the first time.

I think Julie has some great advice. Do your research and make sure you have it done in the hospital. Also, there's nothing wrong with getting a second opinion. :-D

My brother growing up had a similar condition, only it was his baby teeth that had very soft enamel and all had to be capped. Genetics. Anyway, because of the the amount of time involved with the procedure and the possiblity of discomfort, the anesthetic that the dentist wants to use is in your daughter's best interests. My brother had no fear because there was no pain, only shiny teeth when he woke up and no more pain.

You have a dentist she likes and you like then go for it as I did for my son it works great they are relaxed, stay in the room where you can watch over here to reassure yourself, she will feel no pain, speak to her in a loving happy voice as the sedation take place, when all is over you will have worried for nothing. S. Vancouver Wa.