Just when you think things couldn't get worse...

[needmorecoffee]

dd has just seen the dentist and he wants to remove 3 of her baby teeth under anaesthetic. He said they don't fill teeth of kids with CP cos its too hard. Just take them out. I feel sick thinking about it.
We clean her teeth but she does drink soya formula from a bottle (she can't use a cup and needs the calories of the formuala) and of course, food stays in her mouth for ages cos of her CP.
Should I get a second opinion? Anyone everyu had teeth out for a 3 yo?
I feel like a total failre and feel awful that dd is going to have more horrible things done to her

My gut reaction to this is it sounds wrong. I have no idea if it is usual practice but it still sounds wrong. There is no way they would pull out the teeth of a 3 year old NT child. But, hey, a kid with CP doesn't need them right? doesn't matter what they look like or if it makes it harder for them to eat....

What does he mean by its too hard? If its because they don't think the child will co-operate then why not do fillings under anaesthetic? instead of pulling them out.

I think I would want a second opinion. Having teeth pulled out isn't fun.

I agree with HITC - get a second opinion

The dentist once told me if my DD ever needed dental treatment- fillings, extraction anything would need to be done under GA. But surely if they need to put her under GA they could treat the teeth rather than extract them.

He said they wont do fillings undera GA, only sedation and kids can't have sedation. I'm taking her to another dentist tomorrow for a 2nd opinion to see if the borwnish areas are actually decay or not.
I just don't want my poor baby going through more crap. This year she's had 2 lots of botox, seizures, terrible treatment for seizures and uncomfortable hand and feet splints. Its just not fair.

I would definitely want a second opinion. Why won't they do fillings under GA? It makes no sense to me.

sometimes I think every dentist says different things. Had one tell me I needed 4 fillings (NHS one). 6 months later saw a private one and he said my teeth were fine.
Argh

agree with everyone else about getting a second opinion. also once the current problem is treated, you might want to look into having a protective resin put on her teeth to protect against decay (think it's called fissure sealant).

When I was a child I had to have several teeth taken out as I had too many for my mouth. I was petrified of being awake whilst they were yanked out, so the dentist put me to sleep with GA. Which I always thought was another type of sedation, but maybe not.

Ds had to have a lot of baby teeth out at the beginning of the year (under GA). They did say it wasn't worth filling them because they are so small that by the time you see the damage they are already too rotten. However, they did manage to save one at the back by putting a silver crown on it so maybe you could ask if this is an option for your dd?

I think often dentists don't fill baby teeth (NT or SN) but take them out instead.

I was told that if ds1 needs fillings (he has adult teeth now) it will be done under GA at the hospital. Also if she ever goes under GA ask about some coating you can get put on teeth that stops them rotting......

Get another opinion.
Seriously dodgy to say that they treat children with CP differently.

Fucking idiot.

Dodgy was it a school dentist, if not you can ask your paed to refer you to a large school dentist practice, they deal with kids with bad teeth and handicapped adults and kids. My ds goes to one and they are fab.

This was the so-called SN dentist. We're taking her to another dentist this afty. I called the dental helpline and they said we should have been brushing her teeth 1 hour after eating, not straight away which is what her bloody SN dentist said back in January. So we might have accelerated the damage.
I feel like a total failure. None of my other kids (all teens now) have ever had fillings.
The dentist also criticed frequent meals and soya formula. But her paed says she needs to eat little and often cos her weight is so low and the formula gets calories and vitimans into her that she can't get from food cos she is so little and eats so little.
Its just one more crappy thing to happen to dd, as if cerebral palsy and seizures weren't enough.
Pixel, how old was your lad when he had a baby teeth out? How did he cope? Just the back ones or all of them? Doesn't help I hate dentists (especially cos they all say different things)

Sorry I can't answer about the dentist question but I just wanted to say please don't feel like a failure- used to be a NHS dietitian (adults) a few years ago and the advice for people with a poor appetite was to eat lttle and often so you haven't done anything wrong.

sounds strange. I'd get a second opinion.

Needmorecoffee, he was almost 7 and had 7 teeth out. Believe me, I felt pretty terrible about it too as dd hasn't had a single filling and she's nearly 12. He'd already got some adult teeth at the front (which are fine thankfully) so it was ones along the sides he lost.
The actual hospital experience is one I would rather not repeat, (not due to the operation but due to the long wait with an autistic child very upset by playstation games in the playroom and no bloomin' machine to play them on! plus a whole ward of people staring at his meltdown) but he was fine really by the next morning, in fact he chomped down a banana virtually as soon as he woke up because he won't eat anything 'wet' like yoghurt and it was the softest food I could think of!

the second dentist said that its best to take those teeth out

Sorry to hear

sorry to hear you dd is going to have to put up with yet more.
my friends ds had some of his baby teeth out, the hospital dentist said it was risky to leave them in as they were a possible source of infection for a child with a crappy immune system & he couldn't tell them when he was in pain.
But they have put in place a good dental hygiene & care plan for when his adult teeth come through.

Oh NMC I so sorry to hear that. Give your lo a big cuddle from me.

DS3 lost most of his teeth at the age of 4 - 5 (cant remember exactly) that was due to soya- but then soya milk saved his life when he was a baby so hey i cant complain. My niece also lost all hers at trhe same age, as she also was on soya formula (eczma diet in her case).

So they do pull the teeth of NT kids, because Sam wasn't dx'd then. Although he was regarded as awkward enough to send to a specialist behavioural dentist, that was because they thought he had behavioural issues.

I have a friend who is one of those mum's who do everything 'right'. 4 beautiful children, everything organic and cooked from fresh, no fizzy drinks etc. Still her eldest had to have 9 teeth out all at once and now her 3rd is booked in for extractions. Sometimes these things will happen despite your best efforts so don't feel too bad.

Eeek, sorry about the extra apostrophe. Don't let that lot from pedant's corner get me .

Need more coffee - my DS1 was told he needed 5 teeth out when he was 6.

I went for a second opinion to a Paediatric Dentist who said he would take out 1 tooth (to let second tooth come through at the back) and do three VERY tiny fillings with gas and air.

He was fine

Hi Emma. They wont do anything while she is awake cos she has severe cerebral palsy and can't obey and open mouth instrauctions.
Does gas knock them out? That might work. I wonder if they still do gas and would they do it.
We're having x-rays done next week and then we have to go back to the dentist and he will referr her to a paediatric dentist at the dental hospital. But I'd like to save her teeth if I can. Molars shouldn't come out till 10 or so.