DD's First Dentist Visit - Pixie Dust & Advice Needed

[ljv1975]

This morning I took DD - 2 1/2, to the dentist for the first time. She had just been to the pediatrician and he noticed a small cavity between her top front teeth.

Here's the thing. It was her pediatrician who told us not to worry about going to the dentist until she was 3 or at least had her 3 year molars (which she still doesn't). Also, she is very small for her age (in the 1st percentile for her age), she only weighs about 22 pounds. So, her Dr. said to give her as much milk as she wanted throughout the day to help her gain weight. Now, he says the reason she has a cavity is because she has been drinking milk all day which contains a lot of sugar. :mad::mad::mad:

So anyway, we went to the dentist and not only does my 2 year old have 1 cavity - she has 5. yes, 5. :( They are all very small, but still. I feel like I failed her in some way and it's all my fault. We brush twice a day and she never goes to sleep with a bottle or cup, but I guess all of the milk during the day is to blame.

Now we have to wait until June 4th and she will have to be put under anesthesia to have the cavities filled. I cried the entire way home. :cry: I know I've done everything I was told and I'm not to blame for this, but I can't help but feel like a loser. I'm also petrified for her to be so young and tiny for her age and be under general anesthesia. I guess I'm just worried that something could happen to my little girl! :sad:

Does anyone have any personal experience or advice on this? Sorry for going on and on, but I just needed to let it out. Thanks for listening!

[crazeedizneefinatic]

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to hear this. Anything that concerns our kids is scary. I personally do not have any experience with my own son with this, but when I was little I had the same thing happen to me. I was 3 or so and had to have some fillings. I grew up in the 70's and my Mom would let me lay down with a bottle of milk for nap time. That's what did it for me. I don't remember being scared or anything, our little ones are sometimes stronger than us.

Don't beat yourself up. You did not do anything wrong. Now that the dentist has caught this early you can only move forward. I know easier said than done. My son is a little peanut too and I worry about him all the time, it's only natural. Maybe now with regular checkups and floride treatments her permanent teeth with be a-okay and stronger.

[offwego]

Oh my word yes I do!!

And I wouldn't be so fast to blame the milk either. My DS was nursed about 80% of the time till he was one, (and not on demand through the night as we didn't co-sleep etc)no bottles after age one either..and no constant sippy of milk or juice either and he still had teeth made out of cheese I swear!

We did take him around 2ish but our dentist had to refer him to a ped's dentist for the front tooth issue you mention (apparently very difficult to fill as well) and even a root canal. Every time we went until he started to get adult teeth he had cavities. His adult teeth are fine and straight however. We had the general anthistic as well. He was fine (we were a wreck) and has no real issues with dentists either.

My personal view is it just sometimes happens..I myself have never had a cavity so perhaps poor DS is getting all of mine?

Bottom line, it's not your fault and likely not your Ped's either.

[ljv1975]

Thanks for the replies. :) I know in my original post I made it seem like I'm blaming the pediatrician, but I know it isn't his fault. I guess I'm just upset with the situation. I've had bad experiences with dentists personally, so I guess anything concerning the dentist office puts me even more on edge.

[meldan98]

My DH has teeth that are very prone to cavities and it appears that my DD got her teeth from him. She is 4 and just went to the dentist and has 4 cavities. We brush 2x a day and floss and give her floride.

Our dentist actually was really good about the first filling. We figured we would try the first one and see how it went before we attempted putting her out to do them all at once. They actually didn't even need to use novicane. They used the stuff that they use to numb the area for the shot, used a brand new drill bit and she did great. I was prepared for her to have a some pain after, but she wast perfect.

[RenDuran]

I know how you feel. My son had his first experience with the pediatric dentist when he was two! He had a cavity dead-center on his front tooth! They had to sedate him to fill it....and I agonized about it for two weeks before our appointment.

Check out the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry online. They have some good information on the anesthesia that your child will experience. My son has asthma, so we were worried, but the anesthesiologist was great.

My son drinks chocolate milk all day long and he hasn't had a cavity again in the past year and a half. They believe his first cavity came from being a mouth-breather.

[TikiGoddess]

We took my DD to the dentist when she was almost three. They told us she had 7 cavities and a tooth that needed a stainless steel cap. She had some teeth where the enamel never formed and thus the cavities and the cap. I felt horrible about it -- we do brush 2x a day and she takes fluoride -- but the dentist reassured us that kids all have different teeth. My other DD has gorgeous teeth, not a problem in her 5 years.

Well, when the dentist told us that DD needed to have the cavities filled, she was almost three. Since the teeth weren't bothering her, they held off on filling the cavities until she was 3 plus a couple of months. They told us that we could have it done in one shot (with anaethesia) or we could try her with nitrous oxide in the office. Since I wasn't comfortable with DD being put under (and the fact that it was going to cost MUCH more money to do it that way) we decided to see if she would be alright in the dentist chair with the laughing gas. Well, she was fine. It took 4 visits but everything went smoothly and she never complained. Only once did she have a problem -- my mother-in-law brought her to the dentist and the novacaine caused DD to bite her tongue hard after one visit and it was sensitive for about a week. (next visit they told us to have her chew on a washcloth until the novacaine wore off and it worked like a charm, no bit tongue)

So.... maybe ask your dentist if he thinks you could wait until your daughter is a little older and perhaps try an office visit?

TikiG

[offwego]

So.... maybe ask your dentist if he thinks you could wait until your daughter is a little older and perhaps try an office visit?

TikiG

TikiG, it's worth asking but if the front tooth is the issue it may be the best way. DS had three yes I said three fillings done in the office in that front tooth and they all "popped" out as it's very tough to set it in the flat front tooth on the wee ones apparently (and then bizzarely the tooth didn't want to fall out later but that's a whole 'nother tooth thread).

If it's for that tooth the anthestic approach may be the best approach. I'll tell you I didn't find three office visits and then doing the anthestic cheaper by any strech!

[biodtl]

I think a lot of it is hereditary. I gave good teeth, my husband does not. Our kids have the same dental hygeine as I did and do, and they both have had cavities young. Do you go to a pediatric dentist? If not, I can not recommend one enough. They are fantastic with kids and mine never fret at all over a visit - even for fillings. Ours doens't even let parents in after the 1st visit, because the kids stay more relaxed that way (they sense our tension). They also don't want parents to try and prepare them for the forst filling, since they have their 'magic' and it works. I was terrified of the dentist, but my kids love it.

[Dakota Rose]

I just wanted to offer you some reassurance. I had 5 cavities filled when I was 3-years-old. We weren't allowed sugar and only had 1 glass of milk with breakfast and lunch. But here's the silver lining. I didn't get a cavity in my adult teeth until I was 21! And it's the only one I've ever had! :thumbsup:

A lot of times doctors can make us feel like we've done something wrong. Be assured you haven't and that your little girl will be fine! :hug:

[ljv1975]

I think a lot of it is hereditary. I gave good teeth, my husband does not. Our kids have the same dental hygeine as I did and do, and they both have had cavities young. Do you go to a pediatric dentist?

I agree that hereditary plays a role. My MIL has a lot of problems with her teeth - and my grandmother had dentures at a pretty young age as far as dentures go.

I did take her to a pediatric dentist, and I am so happy that I did. He was really great with her!


I just wanted to offer you some reassurance. I had 5 cavities filled when I was 3-years-old. We weren't allowed sugar and only had 1 glass of milk with breakfast and lunch. But here's the silver lining. I didn't get a cavity in my adult teeth until I was 21! And it's the only one I've ever had! :thumbsup:

A lot of times doctors can make us feel like we've done something wrong. Be assured you haven't and that your little girl will be fine! :hug:

Thanks! After doing some reading and having a chance to calm down, I've decided to just take the whole thing in stride. Crying and worrying won't make the cavities go away (too bad). Of course, when it comes time for her to go back, I will be a nervous wreck!!

[mrsgaribaldi]

I'm so sorry that she has to go through this. I don't think anyone is to blame, it's like everyone else said. Maybe she'll have them now and none as an adult like Dakota Rose. Lots of :pixie::pixie::pixie::pixie:on the way. Remember to act like it's no big deal around your DD, try to keep her from seeing your fears. We had a boy in the ER with a gash in his forehead that would have made grown men freak out. His mom was so nonchalant that he wasn't afraid at all. I couldn't believe how calm and composed this 9 y/o was with the blood gushing down his face. I'm sure that your DD will be fine. Maybe they can wait a little while like they did with TikiGoddess' DD. Good luck:mickey:

[Tinkerfreak]

When my DD was 5 she had to have a bunch of teeth filled. We did the sedative and it actually made her more upset instead of calming her down. If I had it to do over again I would have just tried filling it in her regular dentists office a few at a time.
Another huge contibutor to cavities is those nasty fruit snacks. The dentist said they are worse than candy because they stick right in between the teeth. People think they are not harmful because some are made with real fruit. After the fillings I stopped all fruit snacks (her daycare was giving her 2 packs a day) and she has never had another cavity. We did brush her teeth really good twice a day but the fruit snacks were stuck in her teeth all day in between brushings.

[handmaidenofprincesses]

I'm sorry you have to go through this! My mom has worked for a pediatric dentist since before I was born and heres what she says:

" My office doesn't put kids under at all. They get to sit in mommy's lap and get their teeth done. if a kid is a real beast, we might reccommend they go to a doctor who does anesthesia, but we won't do it."

So maybe you should call in another pediatric dentist and see if they'll try it w/out the anesthesia.

Don't let it wait!!! If a cavity waits to long it can become absecesed (sp?) and the ensuing infection can make a person very sick and if untreated, can become life threatening.

Good luck!!

For everyone else's general knowledge, b/c I think you should know:

-ignore what the pediatrician says about when to go to the dentist! (apparently my mom sees patients all the time who have waited because of their pediatrician and then have several thousand dollars worth of work that needs to be done on their children) Almost every pediatic dentist on the planet will tell you that their first visit should be no later than one year old, even if they only have a couple of teeth.

- Mom or dad should stand over the child, with the child between their legs and their hand on the child's jaw to brush their teeth. Kids shouldn't being doing this on their own until they are 9 or 10, b/c they just don't do a good job. They can help, but mom/dad should brush their teeth for them for at least two minutes

-Never let your child go to bed with a bottle. The acids and sugars in milk/juice will rot their teeth. if they're thirsty, water is ok.

[trennedy]

I completely understand the drama of going to the dentist for children. My DD is 8 and has weak enamel in her baby teeth. she is a good brusher, but has had 6 cavities filled. The dentist said it's not her fault, and that her perm. teeth shouldn't have that problem. She also has a VERY small mouth and had to have 7 baby teeth pulled because there wasn't enough room in her mouth for the perm. teeth to come in.
I did everything I could think of to get her into the dentist's chair all those times. I just mention the word "dentist" and it sends her into hysterics...
The last time she had to go, I finally found something that worked to calm her down. We stopped on the way there and got a new Webkinz, she held it and almost squeezed the stuffings out of it while having 3 teeth pulled. She said it helped her a lot!
I feel very guilty that she has to go thru all of this...I always try to let her know that someday she will have beautiful teeth!!:D