Preschooler Dental Work

[crazygame]

My 4 year old daughter is getting a crown today. I am extremely upset that she has cavities so young and feel like a failure. I am also really worried about the fact that she is getting sedated today and I am not there to hold her hand (my husband's new job doesn't start until next week, so he is with her).   Can anyone share stories of dental work in a preschooler not being that big a deal? 

I also feel like this is so insignificant in comparison to what Karaornot is going through today, it is almost silly to post.  Please don't think I am in any way comparing our situations. 

[Deleted]

I had to be sedated to get a whole mouth full of fillings when I was 4. I have a couple of memories from it (being wheeled away and waking up), but that's it. It wasn't so bad, from the kid's perspective. Some people are just born with awful teeth.

[crazygame]

She's getting one tooth pulled. It's too far gone to fix. The dentist keeps telling my husband this isn't our fault, but I still feel crappy.

[Deleted]

It's just a baby tooth! You're going to have many more permanent ways to screw her up in the next 15 years. She'll forgive you for this one.

[Deleted]

Awww..it's hard to waatch your kids go through anything big or little.

It will be fine though. And maybe she will love the dentist. Mine actually does for some stupid reason.

And don't feel like you did anything wrong (unless you fed her gallons of juice every night in a bottle to wash down the bag of Jolly Ranchers you fed her for bedtime snack until she was 4). My dentist has made it very clear on more than one occasion that of course proper prevention is awesome and necessary but a lot of teeth issues boil down to plain genetics and there's not much anyone can do about that.

[madisen]

No, it's not your fault. Some people's mouths/teeth are more prone to cavities than others. A lot of it has to do with the acidity of our individual saliva. DH had much better teeth cleaning habits than I've ever had yet he's had recent issues while I haven't had any.

[crazygame]

Mar 4, 2015 9:47:36 GMT -5 @justdairy said:

Awww..it's hard to waatch your kids go through anything big or little.

It will be fine though. And maybe she will love the dentist. Mine actually does for some stupid reason.

And don't feel like you did anything wrong (unless you fed her gallons of juice every night in a bottle to wash down the bag of Jolly Ranchers you fed her for bedtime snack until she was 4). My dentist has made it very clear on more than one occasion that of course proper prevention is awesome and necessary but a lot of teeth issues boil down to plain genetics and there's not much anyone can do about that.

For the record, we did not do that. Thanks for the laugh.

[Ashley&Scott]

I understand that you're upset that she has cavities. It's not your fault, some kids just don't have good teeth. M had two caps put on at 18mo. It was done at a hospital under general anesthesia. I know it's upsetting to watch them go through it but she will be fine. 

If you haven't already work with your dentist to make a preventative/proactive plan. (fluoride treatments, no gummy snacks/vitamins, limit juice, always brush before bed (you help), no food after brushing, etc) Are you seeing a pediatric dentist? If not I would highly recommend it, our pedi dentist has been wonderful & is so much better equipped to deal with kids than the family dentist we see. 

[crazygame]

Mar 4, 2015 10:14:44 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

If you haven't already work with your dentist to make a preventative/proactive plan. (fluoride treatments, no gummy snacks/vitamins, limit juice, always brush before bed (you help), no food after brushing, etc) Are you seeing a pediatric dentist? If not I would highly recommend it, our pedi dentist has been wonderful & is so much better equipped to deal with kids than the family dentist we see. 

We started working with a pediatric dentist after these issues were identified.  They have been great at explaining things to her and giving us tools to use going forward. She uses fluoride every night and is thankfully old enough to understand what is going on and the personality to want to do the right thing from here on out.   She is being so good about brushing and flossing.  We will also not allow the next kid to become a gummy addict like she was, just to be safe. 

Based on what they found today, there were definitely things beyond our control at work.  It makes me feel a little better, but still sad for my baby. 

I am a little sick about how much we are spending on her baby teeth.   Eek. 

[Ashley&Scott]

crazygame it sounds like you have a great plan in place. I'm glad you found a good pedi dentist. I feel you on the money aspect too. I don't even remember how much M's dental surgery was...I want to say $2,500 or so out of pocket.