Tooth Extraction Waiting List

[EvieBella222]

Hi All,
My 9 year old daughter has just been referred for two of her teeth to be extracted under general anesthetic, the dentist has attempted a few times to do this just with an injection but it has never gone to plan and now she is terrified of the dentist. I know that realistically we will wait months for this procedure, however she is in constant pain and suffers with toothache daily, to the point where even school have to administer calpol/ibuprofen, I have tried asking the dentist to refer this as urgent as at the moment she is practically housebound and is in constant pain, but they have advised she is in the triage point and I am unable to contact them directly to advise of the urgency. I have been close to taking her to a&e just for an outcome but know I will be sent away. The dentist can't do anything, the GP cant do anything, will I just have to wait months for the hospital appointment? I feel so bad for my daughter that potentially she has to continue with this pain for months - any advice would be greatly appreciated, I would even pay private but struggling to find anywhere to do this due to her being under 18. Many thanks in advance for any advice x

I'm sorry your daughter is suffering so much. The waiting lists for extractions under General Anaesthetic are really long in most areas. There are few private general anaesthetic services generally, but they do exist in London.

There may well be a private paedodonist in your area that can treat her with sedation- they are excellent at handling anxiety. They are usually based in specialist practices.

It may be worth asking for referral to the Community Dental Services for treatment with inhalational sedation? Their waiting times can be much quicker.

Is it the anaesthetic she hasn't coped with or the extractions? Dressing the teeth with temporary fillings will reduce her pain but obviously she has to be cooperative enough for the dentist to be able to do this ( usually she would need to be able to let them numb the tooth and clean it with a drill and let them place a temporary filling)

Longer term, please make sure that despite her anxiety she still goes for regular check ups to try to reduce having to go through this again. Catching stuff early means simpler and quicker treatment that's easier to have done. Check ups should also give her a contrast that check ups are easy and nothing to worry about.

Make sure she is not grazing btween meals and aim to drink only water between meals and cleaning well twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. She will be getting a lot more adult teeth in the next couple of years.