Sedation

I’m not sure what to do for my daughter. She’s 5 years old and very uncooperative with dentists. At this point she has four molars with a lot of decay as well as some other teeth. I don’t want to pull them. I also don’t know if she can even have something like a root canal treatment. But, how do I handle any of this if she won’t cooperate? Are there things at home I can do to help with this decay? I know they’re baby teeth and will fall out, but when I looked things up, it looks like some of them won’t fall out until she is around twelve. I worry there won’t be enough of those teeth left. I’m open to any advice you. have.

Lorna

Dear Lorna,

I can tell how much you love your daughter and the worry you feel. Let’s start with the problem she’s having with dentists. Dental anxiety is real. Even some adults struggle to even get to the dentist because of it. What you need is a way to get your daughter the treatment she needs before it becomes a dental emergency. That decay can easily turn into a tooth infection. Without treatment an infected tooth will spread and become life threatening. So, dealing with the decay is priority one.

The best way to do this with your daughter is to see a dentist who offers dental sedation options. This way your daughter can get the treatment she desperately needs without the trauma and fear. If your pediatric dentist doesn’t offer that option, and I’m guessing he or she does not because they haven’t suggested it to you, then you need to find a dentist who treats children and offers sedation.

You are correct that the back teeth need to stay until she is around twelve years old. If her molars can be saved, I suggest you get dental sealant on them after her decay is dealt with. That should have happened early on but i’m guessing it didn’t. If her teeth can’t be saved, then those back teeth will need a space maintainer placed to preserve the area and prevent shifting and crowding.

The amount of decay your daughter has hints to me that she may be snacking a lot throughout the day. Most people don’t realize that this is devastating to teeth. You may have to do some tough love here and limit her snacks. You’ll also want to limit her sugary drinks for the same reason. Water throughout the day is fine and even healthy. Juice and sodas will devastate her teeth.

Take a deep breath and find a sedation dentist. That will start her path back to healthy teeth.

This blog is brought to you by a compassionate dentist in Naples, Dr. Andrea Cameron.