The Dentist for a 2 Year Old

I don't really have advice for you as far as how to get the cavities filled but I take my kids to an awesome dentist. The have done wonders with my son at making him feel comfortable. It's ABC Dentistry for Children, Dr. James Michaud (there are two other docs who are great too). He has been named a TOP DOC in Phoenix. They are on Baseline just east of Lindsay. You can call/visit them for a consultation. Good luck.

I asked my husband about this (he is a general dentist). He recommended making sure that whomever you choose is a specialty trained pediatric dentist, and then review your pain and sedation choices. He warned that under medicating can traumatize a child and cause an aversion to the dentist in the future. Also, pediatric dentists are trained specifically in pediatric anesthesia whereas as a general dentist working on a child may not have as much experience. There are many shades of gray between full sedation and just a numbing shot.

I worked for a pediatric dental specialist and I can tell you that the reason for sedating children is out of necessity.
A) Their teeth are seriously small
B) Little kids can be seriously strong and freaked out and writhe and wriggle before anyone even gets their mouths open.

Two year olds aren't notorious for understanding and following along with dental treatment plans.
I'm a mother. I love children. I think sedating a child for a dental procedure is more humane than having them scream and struggle through the sounds of drills and people putting things in their mouths.
Some little kids get scared by the feeling of being sedated, but little kids also get scared by the feeling of their mouths being numbed. It's a weird sensation, they don't understand it. They don't know if they will always feel that way.
You do what you think is right, but I know from experience that it's best for children to have a happy outcome without a fear of the dentist because those fears can lead to bad dental outcomes for adults who were traumatized or associate the dentist with pain.
The pediatric specialist I worked for had two little kids of her own and she treated her patients the way she would her own children.
The dental issues have to be dealt with one way or the other and you can't reason with a 2 year old.

These are just my opinions. I mean no offense to anyone.

I wish you the best.

My daughter had work done a few months ago, before she was 2. A couple teeth came in with defects right from the beginning. We have a problem with geneticly weak teeth unfortunately.
Our dentist used a little bit of laughing gas to help calm her and the local numbing shot. They have a speical papoose swaddle thing to keep her from grabbing at things. She cried on and off but they worked fast and got everything done.
I would NEVER do full sedation. A good pediactric dentist shouldn't need it IMO
Our dentist will sometimes split work between visits but if the kids are doing OK he'll do more and sometimes has finished everything when he thought he wouldn't be able to.
My daughter nursed pretty much as soon as she was done and I sat with her in the waiting room. She had no issues.

Yeah, both scenarios stink. :( 3rd opinion? I think I would.

My DD was 4 when she had some cavities filled. I opted not to have her sedated.

You can heal teeth, supposedly. You might look into that first.

Opt not to put mercury fillings in your baby's head! And run from the dentist office if they won't let you back there w/ her.

I don't think a 26 month old would be able to hold still for these procedures. If it were my child at that age, I would probably have to sedate... but I think I would ask around for an alternative, like the laughing gas and numbing shot over full sedation.

My very close friend has an amazing pediatric dentistry office. The name of it is SHINE . The # is ###-###-####.
You will get 100% honesty and compassion.

I don't know either and am taking my 2.5 year old to the doctor tomorrow to see what the pediatrician recommends (she was due for a check up anyway). My daughter has front cavities too but not back ones as far as I know. The dentist we saw recommended sedation.

Update: the pediatrician said hold off until my toddler is a bit older before sedating. My daughter is tiny (only 24 lbs) and the cavities are not too bad. Id' get a second opinion before doing it and find a pediatric dentist you like.

I wish I could remember how old my son was when he had his "baby root canal" done.... he had a lot of problems with his baby teeth. I don't think he was that young, though. Probably more like 3 or 4 years old.

We didn't go to a pediatric dentist, just our family dentist. He has a very soothing voice, and and also has kids the same age as my son. (They also go to our church, so he knew him outside the dentist office.)

He didn't pre-sedate, but did use the nitrous oxide, and give them a cd player to listen to (helps drown out the sounds of the drill).

My son dozed off during the procedure! He was never afraid to go to the dentist, despite all the work he had done when he was young.

BTW.... he has had very little problems with his permanent teeth. (He is now 19.)

I have never used them for this reason (just b/c my daughter doesn't have them) but spiffies chewing gum supposedly reverses cavities and is safe to swallow. Maybe you can look into reviews and try it? I haven't researched too much into that aspect but I know it at least inhibits bacteria from growing so maybe future use if nothing else.

What was wrong with the sedation? I think if you talk to her before hand about it and bring her lovey or favorite toy and stay confident yourself it may be okay with the numbing shot. I think you may have to give her some reassurance after the shot for a sec b/c she may freak out, those shots kinda hurt for a second. I would tell my 2 yr old about what was going to happen and that the dentist is going to make her teeth all better because they have big owies.

Will she say AH to you? I can easily see my 2 yr old's teeth so maybe you can try and see, it's strange that they are getting different numbers.

I agree with the other moms that I doubt she will hold still the whole time. My 2 yr old wouldn't lol.

My son was just three when we discovered he had 7 cavities (one large enough to be seen with the naked eye) and he didn't have them six months before! We chose sedation because he was fearful of the procedure and I didn't want him to have bad memories of the dentist. We went to a pediatric specialist and he did a great job. Six months after that, he had three more cavities, and six months after that he needed a baby root canal and silver crown. Each time, we used sedation due to the extent of the procedures being done. This lessened the time he needed to go to the dentist and he doesn't remember anything. Finally, we started using a special toothpaste from the dentist and have not had any cavities since (he is now 11 and has braces!). You will have to do what you think is best, I would definitely see a pediatric specialist though. These dentists have experience with the small mouths and bodies of children. Good luck!

Hi. My son has a genetic enamel deficiency so I know more about pediatric dentists then I ever wanted to! I have tried a few ped dentists in Los Angeles and each one had a different idea and approach. I have stayed with one who only sedates as last resort although we have used nitrous which is very very safe. For small cavities she does watchful waiting and weekly fluoride paste which has healed some small cavities. Make sure if you sedate that the anesthesiologist is a good pediatric md. You can also have it done in a hospital or if you feel more comfortable as same day surgery. I really recommend a second opinion as it made all the difference for us. I also nursed him after and he did great. Don't feel pressure if you are not comfortable as every peds dentist is very different. Also check out waterlase painless laser treatment in your area. Good luck and blessings on a good outcome.

Good lord, let the baby sleep through it. She does not need that memory.

We have the kids put to sleep every time they need something done that will traumatize them. I can't imagine making them live through that.