My 7 year old needs dental work with sedation :(

[mommy0629]

Hi everyone. As my title says, my 7 year old son needs dental work done and since it's numerous things the pediatric dentists wants to use consious sedation (basically laughing gas and then they'll use novicane for numbing). I'm very anxious and concerned about the sedation as well as the work getting done. He has deep decay in the back most baby molars that's causing some decay in his perminent "6 year old molars" and he needs the baby teeth extracted and fillings in the permanent ones behind them. I was shocked to say the least when she was talking about extractions and a 7 year old child, but she explained to me that the roots aren't deep on the baby teeth and they recover very quickly with very little pain (Tylonal for a day or two will be all that's needed). The sedation SCARES the crap out of me! I know they do it all the time and it's a very popular, well respected pediatric dentist in my area, but I'm still obviously VERY nervous. I also feel so guilty that this happened to his teeth I still brush his teeth for him at night so it's done really well and just let him do it himself in the mornings when I don't feel like it's as big a deal if some spots get missed. I have him rinse with children's mouthwash at night too. He's also been getting regular dental cleanings since he was 4. I don't know how this happened The dentist said it's from not flossing. My mother never ever flossed me or my brothers' teeth when we were kids I mean do people really do that with children??

Anyway, here's where I really need advice though - I'm 25 weeks pregnant and the appointment is in 3 weeks. I suffer from panic attacks and anxiety and although I've been prefectly fine during this pregnancy, I know that that day is going to have me so stressed that I'll need to take anti-anxiety medication (Xanax) to get through it. If I don't my blood pressure will be through the roof the entire day and I have no doubt panic attacks will consume me. My husband will be there too, but I'm still freaking out just thinking about it. Obviously it's not ok to take Xanax while pregnant and I'm sure just the extreme stress of this will be bad for baby.

Sooo, do I put off the procedure for my son until after I deliver in October?? I don't want to keep letting the decay in his teeth get worse, but am I putting my unborn baby at risk with the extreme stress it will put on me?? I don't know what to do I feel like I'm have to decide which child's health is more important at the moment.

What would you do? Has anyone had their child get sedated like this for the dentist and how did it go? Where they sick afterwards? Pain?

 

[morri]

I don't think you need too worry too much- pulling teeth is done quickly I had some teeth pulls at a similar age to make place for the adult teeth(and I also had when I was 10) permanent teeth pulled (secondary incisors) as they failed to come through properly. That was all done on local anaesthetic and I had no problems or qualms what ever--

 

[Dizzy321]

Consious sedation is great! I used to work in a anxiety management clinic and seen lots of young kids get sedated everyday, as young as 3! I have also had sedation, its a lovely relaxing feeling....it makes you feel as though you could chop off your leg and it would not faze you lol! the beauty of it is that its soo much safer than general anestetic, and even though your awake you dont remember any of the treatment.
pain afterwards is the same for any extractions/dental treatment bit of discomfort for a day or 2, soft foods etc. also sometimes it can cause a little sickness but the anaesthetist can give meds for this. honestly try not to get so worked up over this, its not nice seeing your child go through something like this but I would not put it off, hes in the best hands a profesional that will do it 20+ times a day with all the monitoring equipment etc. hope that makes sense.

ETA - also, if your son has decay already in his 1st molars, I would really look at what your giving him to eat and drink....those teeth only erupted around a year ago, so things like sugary juices and soda, sweets, chocolate etc all awful for teeth. not to preech just trying to give some good advice to avoid dental treatment in the future.

 

[mommy0629]

Thanks I get really worked up over even little things (lovely anxiety issues) and just imagining my little boy sedated seems like a major thing to me. My husband definatly insists that we take care of it now, so I'll have to suck it up and deal with it. I'm sure he'll be fine it's just hard not to think about worst case senerio. Thanks for the reassurance

As far as the decay in the 6 yr. old molars, he doesn't drink soda ever, only gets juice about once a day half watered down and sweets like chocolate and candy are maybe once a week at best. It's not like his teeth are always loaded up with sugar or something. The dentist said it's from lack of flossing since the decay started in between the molars. Flossing his teeth honestly didn't cross my mind to do since I never did it until I got older.

 

[evewidow]

I have had consious sedation myself 3 times it is wonderful your son will be fine having it done, no need to worry . It is best to get these things sorted sooner rather than later. If you are worried about being anxious you could wait in the wait room and have your husband go in the treatment room with him ?

oh and i never felt sick or anything afterwards , only time i had after pain was from my wisdom teeth with was ok with paracetamol soon went away.

 

[salb10]

hey, my sister works in a dental clinic for children undergoing sedation. She saw about 20+ children in each session without fail and she didn't tell me anything went wrong so i don't think u should worry yourself too much although i don't want to trivialise it either.

With regards to teeth, my sister also does dental health education in baby clinics and schools, and its actually quite an eye opener. I myself have bad teeth, despite never going a day without brushing them, always regular dental checks etc. Although i do believe i have particularly weak teeth, there are a lot of mistakes my parents made, because the dental awareness just wasn't around back when i was a kid.

For a start, fruit is one of the worst things for teeth! Its full of natural sugar which attacks teeth, yet we've had the '5 portions of fruit and veg' rammed down our necks for years!!
Drinks are also terrible. There's a lot of juice out there, specifically marketed at babies, but its sugar, sugar, sugar! And even if the label says 'no added sugar' - it still has naturally occuring sugar in it! With teeth, it doesn't matter if u coat your teeth in one spoon full or ten, Once u consume some, an acid attack begins on your teeth. The enamel can withstand about 5 attacks a day, so 3 meals, and 2 snacks.
Each attack lasts about half an hour once sugar has got on your teeth.

Take sweets for example. I was always taught to eat them slowly, and make a packet last all day. So every hour, maybe i had 1 sweet. That means every hour, my teeth were under attack. What a dentist would say is if your going to eat a packet of sweets, eat them all at once, so theres only 1 acid attack, and preferably do it after a meal, because your teeth will already be under attack from the meal u ate.

Its quite an eye opener, but don't feel bad because i think a lot of people dont' realise this stuff. I only do because my sister has been telling me it for the last 20 years!

Even my health visitor didn't tell me to not give my 8 month old juice You think they'd be the ones to be helping promote good dental hygiene!

 

[salb10]

the biggest problem my sister does report from these sedation clincs is the kids being so frightened because of the parents being anxious and passing it on to the kids. It makes a difficult job harder. Do the best you can to make your children confident about the dentist and it'll go much smoother for everyone

 

[mommy0629]

Thanks ladies

salb10 - wow, attacks on the enamel, makes me want to carry a brush around with me everywhere LOL. I guess there's only so much you can do basically. I know people who eat terribly and don't take good care of their teeth at all and never get cavities, it's not fair lol. Thanks for the info I for sure will be flossing his teeth now after this at the very least and I do tend to offer him fruit a few times per day as a snack so I'll cut that down or include it in meals instead like you said.

Neither parent is actually allowed in the room with him at all for that exact reason, the parents make it worse lol. Hubby and I will be in the waiting room together. Idk why I'm so nervous, I guess it's just something I wasn't expecting and it seems so invasive, but I'm trusting the dentist. Thanks again for the reasurance

 

[salb10]

I think its good that your seeing it as a big deal because it shows u care and that u understand that it is a serious situation. The idiots who see it as no big deal and just an alternative to brushing are the ones I worry about!
When I was young it was routine to be put to sleep for extractions and I had a fair few with no probs so I wouldn't over stress but do your best to make this the first and last time xx

 

[iBabyGirli]

love this site gives best advice

 

[mommy0629]

Just an update...ds got his dental work done today and it's 4 hours later and he's perfectly fine No upset stomach at all from the sedatives (he ate an ice pop, mac & cheese and now jello with no problems), no pain and he even asked if he could go in our pool (had to tell him sorry, not till tomorrow though lol). The hardest time I'm having now is getting him to sit down and relax like he's supposed to lol (dentist said he'd probably sleep off and on most of the day, yeah right! lol)
I was quite nervous this morning but not as bad as I thought I would be. They said he was very nervous and they had to take their time with him, comforting him along the way and he did need the "extra" sedation of Demerol, but they did a good job with him and he got through it and it's done
Thanks for the advice and support

 

[Footprints4]

Hi Mommy0269!

Let me start by saying I am not a mother, but I can certainly relate to your situation in some ways.

How I relate to your little boy: When I was little I had to have a few of my baby teeth pulled. I have also had teeth pulled as an adult. I can HONESTLY say I don't even REMEMBER getting my teeth pulled when I was a child (so it wasn't traumatic for me in any way, shape, or form). Even having a couple teeth pulled as an adult wasn't too bad. Please just know that your dentist knows what he is doing. I PROMISE you your son will be just fine!

How I relate to you: I have severe anxiety/panic disorder (I also have severe depression, but that's another story). I know how hard it is to stay calm, to not freak out, worry like crazy, or be scared (and I only imagine how magnified that fear is when it comes to your own child). I also know it's only marginally helpful when people try to comfort you (though God bless them for trying!). I know you feel caught between a rock and a hard place, which only makes the anxiety worse... My question is: Do you see a psychiatrist for your anxiety disorder? If you know taking Xanax is not healthy for your unborn child, then I would suggest speaking to your psychiatrist and asking him/her what you CAN take that will help your anxiety AND will not harm your baby. He/she may not be able to describe something super strong, but perhaps they can prescribe something that would HELP to ease the anxiety enough that you're able to cope.
Also, and I don't know if this would be comforting for you or not, but perhaps being in the room while your little boy is getting those baby teeth pulled would help ease your anxiety? That way, mommy is right there, and you can feel safe knowing you're able to KNOW your little boy is alright (and he WILL be, I assure you). =)

You're a mother, you love your child, and it's completely natural to worry. That's what a good mommy does! But I know that those of us with anxiety/panic disorder take that "healthy" worrying and take it to an entirely different level...

I feel for you. I know I don't have any children yet, but I do share your anxiety disorder, and so I can empathize and put myself in your shoes. *hugs*

Like I said, talk to your psychiatrist, see what he/she says, okay? I really do think they'll be able to prescribe something that will help alleviate a lot of the anxiety, enough to where you're in control of it.

Also, I do know when I was little and had to have teeth pulled, the dentist told my mother it was because I drank too much juice. Since your son is already having these issues with tooth decay, take it from me (someone who is very experienced WITH tooth issues), limit the amount of sugar and carbs you give him. Make him brush his teeth twice a day, floss before bed, and use a mouthwash like Act Mouthwash for Kids before bedtime as well. (Act Mouthwash is the BEST out there. I've had several dentists over the years recommend it to me since my teeth are weak and prone to decay.)

I wish you the best! (Sorry this message was so long... lol)

 

[Footprints4]

Aaaaaaaaaaaand I JUST saw your update. -_-
LOL Oh well! Hope you enjoy my "novel" anyways! ;-)

 

[mommy0629]

Aaaaaaaaaaaand I JUST saw your update. -_-
LOL Oh well! Hope you enjoy my "novel" anyways! ;-)

LOL..Thank you very much for taking the time to reply

 

[Dizzy321]

Glad it went well

 

[salb10]

Glad to hear it all went smoothly