My Son Is Going to Have to Be Sedated!

My 3 yr. old son is getting the same done next Wed., May 13th. I'll let you know how it goes. He was the same way--wouldn't let them xray and wouldn't even sit in the dentist chair!!

My daughter went through the same thing. The dentist used the blanket... first time worked like a charm, second time it didn't. The sedation was moderate... she was completely monitored and today at 18 years old has no problem going to the dentist. I had to weigh the sedation versus the consequences of not taking care of her teeth. Her health and teeth were more important as we know that poor dental health can lead to other problems.

My 4 year old son had crowns and teeth pulled and they used this blanket thing that straps him in so he can't move. I hated to have them do it but they needed to work on him and that was the only way to make him stay still. He has to be in it for cleanings too because he tries to get away. He's fine when he's done and no drugs. They are kind and gentle with him. Maybe you should see if they have the blanket straps instead of using drugs.

My son had it done twice in the past six months. He needed two silver caps and had a really hard time just getting a cleaning done. He is six. It wasn't bad. He drank the stuff, which actually had the opposite affect on him and made him super hyper. Then they gavehim gas when he went back as well. He wasn't sleepy but the combination made him relaxed and not afraid. It wasn't a tramatic experience for him and he wasn't afraid to go back, which is what I was worred about. Relax, he'll be fine!

My daughter had the same procedure done. They gave her a pill that I crushed and mixed with a little of liquid for her to drink. It calmed her and she came through the appointment fine. At the office we went to they also put her on a back board of sorts and strapped her down so she could not move. That I did not care for much. But all in all it was fine.

As long as he is at a pediatric dentist, I wouldn't worry either. Dentistry for Children has many offices in this area, I'm pretty sure there is one in Peachtree City. Kids get referred from regular dentists to there when they have a tough time too. They are great for things like this. I agree with the comment, would rather have him medicated and take care of his teeth. The consequences of not doing it are not worth it. Plus, having to "hold him down" with out sedation seems like it would terrorize him more.

My daughter had to have a cap put on and they sedated her. I mean they gave her a Valium to take to make her really drunk so that they could do everything that needed to be done without her freaking out. I was worried to but everything was just fine. I know the thought of them sedating your child is scary but it will be ok.

sorry i can't help with the dentist thing, but was wondering if you have an advertisement on this site for your pet sitting business, or if you could send me some info...are you near johns creek at all?

My daughter went through the same thing. When she went in for her fist cleaning (at 3 1/2), it didn't take long to figure out that she'd have to be sedated for any cavity work.

Generally, it just relaxes them so that they don't get overly anxious. Your son will drink the medicine, and then you'll go to a waiting area, and spend about an hour there (it takes a while to kick in). At some point during that time, you'll need to take him to the bathroom (careful, cuz his balance may be off). After the appointment, he'll probably be a little off-balance / woozy for a few hours, but by mid-afternoon should be pretty much back to normal.

He may be sleepy after the appointment - that's fine, but you'll want to monitor him. I generally let my daughter sleep for 1-2 hours after the appointment.

The sedation appointments are usually done first thing in the morning, due to the "extra" hour needed. Your son will probably have to fasting after midnight the day before, and up until the appointment - no food or drink. Also - make sure you don't give any meds for 2 days before. If you need to, check with the dentist first - you may need to re-schedule the appointment if you give meds. [Some might be allowed, I don't recall]

My daughter's dentist required sedation until she was about 7; then they tried laughing gas only for a smaller cavity. Since she was fine, they've been doing only that since.

Hope this helps...

K

In general, dentists use chloral hydrate, which is an oral sedative. It works very well and is very safe as far as sedatives go. I am a pediatric nurse and have used chloral hydrate in the hospital setting many times (too many to count.) It is good they are wanting to calm him down and do the work safely.

Gosh, I don't about children, but my gag reflex is so strong and my mouth so small that I have to have a consideral amount of valium in order to do ANYthing in my mouth except cleaning. Valium's probably what they'll do for your child. I would think the trauma of not being sedated would be MUCH more detrimental to your child then sedating him. If he starts accumulating bad experiences this early in his life, you'll never get him to the dentist.

Just a gut feeling.

Both my children have been sedated for dental procedures. They were monitored very closely by the staff during the procedures. There were no problems.

I'm sorry you have to go through this. Been there. My son was 3 1/2 years old and had to have his front teeth extracted. I too did not want to sedate him for obvious reasons. However, it was very h*** o* my husband to see my son (I was not there, my 2nd child was just born when we went through the procedure) in a papoose. That was the only way they would be still for him, since we opted not to sedate. Even that was very affective. Very traumatic. Took me many months of shopping around for dentists, several more fillings and 3 years later to finally rid him of his fear of dentists. If you can handle it, it will make it much easier on him to sedate. Good luck.

I am sorry C.! I do not have great advise...wish I did. I will tell you that my children BEG to go to the dentist and I still live in terror of them (I have to have a root canal myself on Tuesday...and my dentist offered VALIUM) (I think I can make it without it...) I would say that with him drugged like that, it will at least be a good thing that he will not remember or be hurt by.

I say all of this to tell you that I wish that my dentists, when I was a kid, might have done this. Maybe I would have outgrown the fear...but they hurt me and I do not think it is bad to give him something that will reduce his anxiety and let them work.

Do your kids go to a Pediatric Dentist? Do you like and trust the dentist? I would drive hundreds of miles to take my children to their dentist. They love her. Also, she lets me stay in the room with them when they have a cleaning or work done. That might help you and he get through it. I think that being entirely child oriented is one of the keys. The whole office is centered on catering to the needs of the children.

I am sorry that your little one has such a hard time! I have four kids 13, 11, 7 and almost 2....the 7 year old just had FOUR cavities filled at once and they are our first cavities in the children. He did okay with the gas...twice because they would not numb his entire mouth at once.

I am all for anything that they can do to reduce anxiety and he might have a good experience and be able to go without in the future.

I have a child with ADHD and he has many fears, so not only is it hard to hold his attention but he fears many things. The dentist is at the top on the fear list as well as many other things...so to the point he has had to be sedated he drank the medication and frankly he did very well, after his dental work. that was at age 6 and 7 now at age 8 he's doing much better..however our dentist still gives him the gas to keep him relaxed these days. Your child should be fine...I recall my son came home i put him in my bed with the tv on he was awake to walk but was kinda drunk like still and he watched tv, drank some liquids ate some soft food, banana's when the numbness are over and the drunk feeling he was up and playing it was maybe 2 hrs after his appt. he wasn't down very long. Don't be nervous kids can tell if you are and it doesn't help them or the medical staff (dentist staff). They do this more then you know with many children and it should be fine...just make sure the day before you have soft food for your child and it will be fine. I have a friend that has this every time she goes to the dentist with her child he has autism and he has to have it for cleanings and every procedure he's fine afterwards sleepy as my son was but a few hours later is us and playing.

First I wanted to say to make sure to get the white filling. It costs more, but it is worth it. The silver amalgam has mercury in it. They may tell you that it doesn't, or that it won't hurt you, but that is not true, mercury is highly toxic and it is best not to have it in the body permanently.
Second, sounds like you need to change your child's eating and drinking habits. Pediatricians now say that kids should not have juice. Just water.

Been there! When my son was about 4 he had to have two "mini" root canals done to preserve some back molars. They sent me to a pediatric oral surgeon. He could only have one done at a time, so I had to make two trips. Each time they gave him a little cup of flavored medication to drink. It tasted good to him, so he loved that part.

Yes, "drunk" is the right word! He got all funny and goofy - just like a little drunken sailor! LOL! Anyway, then they took him back and worked on him. It took about 1/2 hour or more. Then they brought him back out and he waved and giggled and said, "Hi Mommy."

He had no fear, no pain, and the doctor said he was a perfect patient...sat quietly in the chair, etc. He slept on the way home and was perfectly normal. No headaches, no complaints of pain.

I would highly recommend the Rx and that's coming from a person who is VERY into natural remedies, no vaccines, no unnecessary trips to the doctor, etc. So, for me to recommend a medication, it's not because we are used to using medications in our home - we are not. But using it to allow the dentist to do his job was really worth it to us.

Yes my daughter had to have all her jaw teeth capped. I think I had contributed to the problem by not taking the bottle away until she was 18 mo old and she drank orange juice by day and a bottle to go to sleep which left her with the sugars and acid on her teeth. She suffered no harm from the procedure and it would have been terrible to leave her cavity filled teeth in her mouth until they were shed when she was much older. She was fine when the drug wore off in a few hours. V.

my 4-year-old had to be sedated at 2 and 3 years old for dental work, which horrified me. but it was fine. she drank the med when we got to the dentist, got a bit sleepy over about 20 minutes, then they were able to do the work. afterward, when we went home, they said she would sleep, but my daughter is morally opposed to sleep (ha ha), so she never actually even slept. she just stayed a little "drugged" acting for an hour or two, and all was fine. both times i have not let her out of my sight for the remainder of the day, but we have never had a problem. i completely understand your emotions on this, but i can try to give you this virtual pat on the back and tell you your son will do fine.

My oldest daughter had to have that done when she was about 5 or 6. She cried and carried on during the exam so they gave me this orange stuff, I think, for her to drink. Well, I'm not sure if I didn't give it to her early enough but it didn't work. They also strapped her down. She scream the whole time. I was out in a lobby area and could hear her. They had the doors close but you could still hear her. Nurses were coming out and saying how loud it was. Well she made it through it. She didn't look too happy when she came out. By the time we got home, she was knocked out. I guess I didn't give it to her early enough. Now she's 25 and has beautiful teeth. My middle child also had a cavity at the age or 4 or 5 but it wasn't deep only in the enamel and they fixed it without anesthesia. She did very well.
I'm sure your child will do well. Just make sure the sedative has time to work.