toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

Went to the dentist last week for the kids. Tough to get cleaning and exam since both kids are crying the whole time and moving around.

Anyway - DD (she is almost 4) has 6 cavities. 2 molars are bad enough that she will need pulpotomy and then a crown.

Coworker said to me "Just yank the tooth and get a spacer"

What are your thoughts on that?

Also the dentist only uses gas but I know other dentists can give an iv which puts the child out.

Of course being sedated is a big deal, but Im worried gas is not enough to get DD to cooperate.

Thoughts on gas vs being sedated.

Thanks everyone

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

These are baby teeth? my son had a tooth pulled and had the spacer. Worked out fine.

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

I have no personal experience with that however I’ve heard many stories about dentists taking advantage of that kind of situation. Considering how young ur dd is, I’d get a second opinion about it with a different dentist.

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

Message edited 4/17/2018 1:25:23 PM.

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

I only recently heard about dentists taking advantage so I did not get a second opinion but maybe I should have.

With that said DS does not sit still in the chair he has a massive amount of cavities. DH asked about just pulling them and it was not suggested by the dentist as the teeth will not grow in right. DS ended up with several caps (silver because I was not spending $300 per cap for porcelain for teeth that will fall out) and one tooth had to be pulled and a spacer was put in at a later time.

We tried laughing gas for DS and that did nothing for him. The dentist still couldn't see everything we had no choice but to do anesthesia. My dentist calls in another dr just for that so she only worries about what she needs to do in the mouth and the Mds only job is to monitor DS while on the anesthesia.

After my DS was passed out was only when she could really see the extent of the damage.

If you do anesthesia I recommend making sure the dentist isn't administrating it and doing the work. For me it personally made me feel better that she brought in a dr just for that.

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

I did it under anesthesia for my son
Anesthetist charges close to 600-700$
Dentist charges are separate
Then they mentioned they would transfer to hospital if there were any complications..
I got worried and ultimately went to do it in hospital - it cost me a few thousands... ouch
Yes definitely get a second opinion
Make sure there is anesthestist if it’s IV sedation/GA

Message edited 4/17/2018 2:11:29 PM.

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

Thanks for the replies all.

Its actually 7 cavities.
But out of the 7 - 2 are deep enough for the pulpotomy (partial root canal).

The rest are not that deep and they recommend something called Silver Diamine Flouride (Im going to make a separate post on this - it sounds pretty cool)

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

I would get a second opinion immediately. Too many horror stories about pediatric dentists.

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

Anyone want to recommend their pediatric dentist - Who has office hours on Saturday? (since we live in NYC)

Thanks

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

I just went through this with my 6 year old. He is ASD and will not sit in the exam chair. He has been at the dentist every 6 months since he is 1 but never had an xray.
We got xrays in Feb, it showed 4 cavities, all in his adult molars. One was bad enough that it was root canal or extract. Dentist advised to extract because he still has a molar to come in and no space will be needed, the other molar will hopefully fall into that space.
We arranged for all the work to be done under sedation because there is no other way to work on him. They did a full set of xrays while he was out. It was 5 cavities, sealants, an extraction and a cleaning. Dentist portion was $2400, Oral surgeon was $400 and anestethia was $1500. YIKES.
I am not going to do a root canal/crown on him at all at this age. It can fail and need to be redone, so I will opt to pull the tooth.

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

I went through this with my son when he was 5. Went to our regular dentist for a checkup and then was told to go to a pediatric dentist. That's when I knew things probably didn't look good in there.

He had 4 cavities and one tooth that was SO decayed it needed to be removed. We had multiple visits to Dr. Elbaz in Merrick who in INCREDIBLE, unbelievably caring and patient.

She worked on the smaller cavities first so my son could get used to having work done. It was tough to watch. My son didn't really cooperate well and was scared but Dr. Elbaz was so patient and talked him through every single step. She managed to get the smaller work complete but for the extraction and deeper cavity we decided to put him under. It was the best thing for all involved.

Turns out once they put him out and repaired the deep cavity it kept coming out. Multiple times the filling fell out since there was nothing to grab on to. Today he has a crown next to the hole from the removed tooth and eventually we will get him a spacer. My son likes his silver tooth and has had no further problems.

Good luck. It's scary to think of putting your child under but I couldn't bare to watch my son in so much distress. He was so scared.

Side note: Today (2+ years later) he LOVES going to the dentist b/c he knows he's going to get a great report since we brush very thoroughly.

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

I would avoid a root canal at all costs...especially in a child.

Get a second opinion and if they agree I would 100% go for the extraction over the root canal.

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

My ds has gotten fillings with gas and did great. He has no fear of the dentist. He does get nervous when they first put the gas on him because he doesn't like the smell but once it kicks in he does great.

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

There is absolutely no reason to do a root canal on a baby tooth. When my dd was 4 I was told by a pediatric dentist that she needed a root canal. Fortunately for me my bil is a pediatric dentist. I secretly took pictures of her X-rays and called him immediately. He told me it’s a way for the dentist to make money. A baby tooth that cannot be fixed with a filling should be pulled. I swtiched dentist and had the tooth pulled. When I told the new dentist about the root canal recommendation she said that same thing.

My dd had the tooth pulled with gas it was quick and she did great! I didn’t tell her prior since I knew she was getting gas. When it was over I told her the tooth fairy was coming and she was thrilled!!

Message edited 4/17/2018 10:07:38 PM.

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

Message edited 4/18/2018 7:49:26 AM.

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

It also depends if the anesthetist is in network or out of network...
For us we thought it was great because the anesthetist was covered by Medical, in network , but then they charge you a facility charge and it was much higher as it was hospital and not the dentist office .. we were out thousands because of that..

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

my dd had two root canals at that age. I did research and it is not recommended to just pull the teeth anymore. Honestly, their root canals are not like ours. My dd had the gas which was fine - and it was done in 20 minutes. My dd is 8 and still has those teeth so I am glad I didn't just pull them.

toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

also, the cavity filings aren't that bad either - although 7 is a lot. How many does he actually want to do now? My younger dd had a cavity cleaned out and filed without ANY gas or anything. Granted she sits well - but there was no pain

Re: toddlers - root canal vs extraction / gas vs knock them out

In regards to using the gas- I want to say that the gas was a great experience for DD.
She had 2 cavities filled one time and one very deep one more recently and we gave her the gas and she has ZERO fear of the dentist.
She didn't even know she got a needle.

She told us she was floating on the ceiling and flying. LOL

She was very relaxed and calm both times and it really made the experience a lot more pleasant and less scary for a young child.

I am not a fan of gas for myself- I freak out when I am not in control- and I was a nervous wreck about giving it to such a young child, but it really was the best thing ever and I'd do it again in a heart beat.

The only thing is insurance does not cover it and it went up from $50 to $90 in the past year, but still- worth every penny

Message edited 4/18/2018 10:20:13 AM.