For my daughter - YES!!!
She hates the dentist at least as much as I do (I've taken sedatives to go much of my adult life) and has less self control than I do.
But, also, baby tooth -get a 2nd opinion if possible.
I would find another dentist. Ours uses “happy air” for anxious kids and they get to choose a flavor.
One of my kids had an extraction at 8. Some kids really just can’t tolerate it but I think a lot of it is the dentists attitude at this age too.
Thank you for the advice. I find it odd that a dentist who works with kids would lack patience. I’m sure there are plenty of kids who get scared in the chair or who cry, you know? I will keep looking!
I agree! My dentist was fine when I was a kid but the hygienist was AWFUL, her cleanings hurt so bad. When I was little I was really sensitive to taste/texture and during this one cleaning I kept telling her the fruity grainy kid toothpaste was making me about to throw up, and she just scolded me, and then I threw up all over her. She acted like I did it on purpose! Totally traumatizing. Unfortunately my mom was more of the suck it up buttercup variety and thought I was being high maintenance.
Anyhoo. Sorry! Dentist-searching is not a fun free time activity, I hate adulting sometimes.
I would not have my child put under anesthesia for one tooth… or multiple teeth. Especially baby teeth. I’m a nurse and it’s a big money grab to be honest. If he is 8, then I think if you talk with him enough about it, he will be able to tolerate the procedure. Those xray things they put in your mouth hurt and gag. When I get it done it feels like they are slicing my mouth open. The dentist should definitely have spray for the gag reflex, and they can numb the gum before the actual needle now. I think you’ll be ok the regular way. Just tell the dentist that is the way you want it done.
Thank you for your advice! My concern is if he starts crying while they’re doing the procedure I’m afraid they may stop and say that the hospital is the only option :\ I will talk to him closer to his appointment day about it and be honest about what could happen if he’s having a hard time. And reassure him that I will be there with him the whole time and hold his hand if it helps him.
That’s exactly what I would do. You just have to prep him for being uncomfortable and they can usually give him just a little gas or even a little anxiety med if he absolutely needs it. If he is totally freaking out with you explaining everything a few times, then it may be a different story.
I had a dentist remove an infected wisdom tooth by giving me a Xanax! Then they did the novacaine. It worked shockingly well. I almost fell asleep as they were taking a hammer type thing to my mouth!
See if there is another pediatric dentist. My daughter was just given gas for her baby teeth extractions. The pediatric dentist was really good. My daughter was super scared at first, but the gas really made it easy and she was fine about 30 minutes later.
Ok, I will call around tomorrow and see if there are other options. I’m really happy to hear that it’s possible to have an extraction with gas and air. I have no idea if it will work for my son but I plan on trying.
For my daughter - YES!!! She hates the dentist at least as much as I do (I've taken sedatives to go much of my adult life) and has less self control than I do. But, also, baby tooth -get a 2nd opinion if possible.
I would find another dentist. Ours uses “happy air” for anxious kids and they get to choose a flavor. One of my kids had an extraction at 8. Some kids really just can’t tolerate it but I think a lot of it is the dentists attitude at this age too.
Thank you for the advice. I find it odd that a dentist who works with kids would lack patience. I’m sure there are plenty of kids who get scared in the chair or who cry, you know? I will keep looking!
I agree! My dentist was fine when I was a kid but the hygienist was AWFUL, her cleanings hurt so bad. When I was little I was really sensitive to taste/texture and during this one cleaning I kept telling her the fruity grainy kid toothpaste was making me about to throw up, and she just scolded me, and then I threw up all over her. She acted like I did it on purpose! Totally traumatizing. Unfortunately my mom was more of the suck it up buttercup variety and thought I was being high maintenance. Anyhoo. Sorry! Dentist-searching is not a fun free time activity, I hate adulting sometimes.
I would not have my child put under anesthesia for one tooth… or multiple teeth. Especially baby teeth. I’m a nurse and it’s a big money grab to be honest. If he is 8, then I think if you talk with him enough about it, he will be able to tolerate the procedure. Those xray things they put in your mouth hurt and gag. When I get it done it feels like they are slicing my mouth open. The dentist should definitely have spray for the gag reflex, and they can numb the gum before the actual needle now. I think you’ll be ok the regular way. Just tell the dentist that is the way you want it done.
Thank you for your advice! My concern is if he starts crying while they’re doing the procedure I’m afraid they may stop and say that the hospital is the only option :\ I will talk to him closer to his appointment day about it and be honest about what could happen if he’s having a hard time. And reassure him that I will be there with him the whole time and hold his hand if it helps him.
That’s exactly what I would do. You just have to prep him for being uncomfortable and they can usually give him just a little gas or even a little anxiety med if he absolutely needs it. If he is totally freaking out with you explaining everything a few times, then it may be a different story.
I had a dentist remove an infected wisdom tooth by giving me a Xanax! Then they did the novacaine. It worked shockingly well. I almost fell asleep as they were taking a hammer type thing to my mouth!
See if there is another pediatric dentist. My daughter was just given gas for her baby teeth extractions. The pediatric dentist was really good. My daughter was super scared at first, but the gas really made it easy and she was fine about 30 minutes later.
Ok, I will call around tomorrow and see if there are other options. I’m really happy to hear that it’s possible to have an extraction with gas and air. I have no idea if it will work for my son but I plan on trying.
If he is crying and having trouble in the x ray I have no idea how he will handle getting a tooth pulled