Sedation for dental treatment 18 month old

[Unhappyandunsure]

Has anyone been through this?

My 18 month old daughter has some dental problems which need looking at, but dentist can't treat her as she is too young to cooperate with the dentist.

He says we will go to the community dentist where they can sedate her so the dentist can take a look.

The idea of my toddler being sedated is terrifying. But I know her teeth need treating before they get worse and potentially cause her pain.

Before anyone asks I am doing everything recommended for good tooth care and always have. My other children have never had amy dental problems. The dentist is not sure why she has these problems but they need looking at properly.

Has anyone ever had a young child undergo sedation? Looking for experiences and advice so I know what to expect as I am dreading it.

People are so black and white about dental problems - it MUST be due to your neglect OP. Psh. Ignore them.

My baby teeth had hypoplasia - porous/soft enamel caused by a traumatic birth apparently! - so I had loads of fillings and a pin in a tooth and a root canal etc as a kid. But I was lots older than your child so I was never sedated. Just wanted to post to say I hope you’re not carrying guilt about it, and good luck.

I haven't met the community dentist yet, I was at the normal dentist today and he made the referral to the community dentist as his 'wait until she is 3' advice from last appointment wasn't applicable anymore and he thinks she needs them looking at/treated

He said sedation but maybe that isn't what he meant and he actually meant anesthetic?

The dentist wasn't very clear and seemed in a hurry, so I thought the community dentist will talk everything through properly when I meet them

Thanks for saying that. I'm sorry you had to go through so many dental procedures as a child.

She did have a traumatic birth, shoulder dystocia (got stuck!) and meconium aspiration. She had jaundice and was getting dehydrated but those were addressed quickly and she grew well and hit milestones... didn't realise tooth enamel could have been affected but that is useful to know thank you

Yes even a virus or something can affect them.

@Unhappyandunsure

I would prepare yourself at the community dentist for a "watch and wait" approach especially if she isn't experiencing any pain at this time.
Community dentists often have more time than general dentists and many of them have with experience developed a "knack" for assessing kiddies so they might get a good look.

Have a google of inhalation sedation for dentistry to see the process involved, it might give you a better understanding of the cooperation required for it and why they might chose to wait.

Try not let yourself get worried about it. 😊

Just a hand hold. My 3yo has hypoplasia in a few spots and her specialist paediatric dentist has told us that we’ll never know for sure what caused it, but that it happened in utero. I realise your DD may have a different issue to mine but I totally get the guilt and worry around this for you.

You are doing the absolute best by your DD getting her taken care of to set her up for life. It’s your courage and care and concern that make you an amazing mum xx

There are deaths caused by bad teeth too. Or just pretty awful heart disease.

There was one death with a GA which changed the law so that you can only have a GA in hospital.

OP

I have no experience with children but I have been with two friends who had to have sedation for dental work due to severe anxiety.

Both seemed to actually enjoy the experience. One had gas and air the other an injection.

Gas and air friend giggled a lot and afterwards said she felt like she had been on a swing.

Injection friend kept asking me to help him get off the bed he had to lay on for an hour before leaving the dentist. On the way home I had to call in to a shop, he refused to stay in the car and instead practiced ballet in the aisle.

You must have seen 'David after the dentist'?

David is now in college, which has been paid for by the video.

I know you are worried but the poster upthread who said it is something that needs to be done.

I chipped a tooth on the bath (before baths were made of plastic) at about 6 months and started having check ups after that.

Omg this post has helped me so much. my ds now 3, has teeth issues and after Googling I can definitely see that it is enamel hypoplasia. I have felt guilt everyday after thinking its was breastfeeding that had caused it.
Dentists have been quick to say it was bf and just not helpful or taken time to assess. Have an apt Monday so will mention this.

Thanks so much to everyone who has responded. This has been really helpful and i have learnt a lot. It makes a lot of sense that there is likely to be an underlying issue. I feel a lot more informed now and have some resources to look at. I was feeling very helpless and confused seeing her teeth get worse so quickly despite my efforts and attention. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience, this has helped me a lot.

My DS and some teeth removed and caps added to other teeth when he was 4. This was due to decay. He had them removed at hospital under sedation. I was mortified, felt so guilty. Although definitely not a great diet (fussy child) as s family we are healthy, eat well etc. no one else had these issues.

At 10 he hasn't had any more problems with decay.

The sedation itself was a bit upsetting (watching your child pass out is not particularly nice!) but he came round absolutely fine and bounced back quickly.

Oh, this is sad! Reading what you've spoken about the condition of your 18-month-old daughter's dental problem is terrifying. Sedating a toddler, I don't know how it'd go. Well, my daughter had some dental problems and at first thought, she'd need to get sedated but that didn't become necessary. Anyway, the place we took her, this kids' dental office, was tremendous! Had a fine experience over there.

Did you go to a pediatric dentist? I find they are less rushed with the appointments and much better at calming down the kids.

I would be quite hesitant about sedating my 18 month old just for the dentist to take a look inside her mouth. When DD was about 2 (so a bit older than yours) her dentist let me lay down on the chair with her in my lap so that I could calm her down whilst the dentist looked around inside.

I appreciate that not all kids are the same though so it may not work for you.

Hi OP. I’m. Paediatric Dentist so thought I could offer some correct information.

We wouldn’t sedate a child that young. Children who have dental sedation need to be able to breathe through their nose, sit still, speak, maintain mouth opening etc. The age to start considering this is around 5. This is inhalation sedation. Intravenous sedation is only offered to children 16+.

I presume your dentist isn’t really sure of the best option, but it’s most likely that if your daughter does need dental treatment, this will be done under general anaesthetic. The community dentist can asses this and hopefully provide the appropriate treatment.

It’s likely due to her young age, and risk of developing further decay, that only extractions will be offered. Many community dental services can only offer extractions under general anaesthetic, and not restorations. This is different depending on location, reason for decay, age of patient etc.

Please do not beat yourself up over it. Bringing up children is hard enough. You’ve done your absolute best, and are now trying to get her the best care. The best thing moving forward it to follow the dentists advice, simply put - less sugary/sticky snacks and more brushing. Even if the decay is due to another reason, such as developmental, this will build good habits moving forward. I know hard hard this is in reality, and all you can do is try!

Best of luck x