6 y.o. advised to get 8 crowns! What the what!?

@on_a_mission_ You definitely need a second opinion.

I will say as a side note, my 2 year old's dentist informed me that apparently kids don't have the proper motor skills to brush their own teeth until their about 8 . That blew my mind.
 
@on_a_mission_ We had a pediatric dentist try to do this to us and many other people. It was bullshit. Go to a family dentist and get a second opinion. I guarantee she doesn’t need a mouth full of metal at her age.

You may want to take her for check ups more often just to be sure everything goes well. We did cleanings every 3 months for years and as a result, we never had a single “surprise”.
 
@on_a_mission_ Awww! Poor puppy! ☹️ I realize this was 10 mo. ago but this is more for people who may be going through the same thing:
I was born in the 80s (okay, '89, but whatever. It'll come up.) When I was little I was not a candy-loving kid, my mom was in med school and actually was doing her pediatric rounds around my toddler years so she brushed my teeth all the time and even packed a toothbrush for me for preschool. I ate fruit and salads all the time, no soda, etc. Obvs the point is: theoretically I shouldn't have had cavities. WELP, I did. I had to get 4 caps age 3, almost 4, all were molars. What was the cause? The dentist noticed I had soft enamel (I actually didn't even have #4 & #14 adult teeth!) and I also would grind my teeth, even at that early age.

Also, I used a pacifier until I was almost 3 (I think?) If your kid is using a paci/binky/nee-nee/toot-toot (I made that last one up) I believe it's just adding more germs into the mouth, no matter how clean. I also think my teeth grinding came from not having the comfort of a paci. Btw: I am NOT anti-pacifier.

They gave me nothing but "laughing gas" but I wasn't laughing! I hated every second of it which made me terrified of the dentist from then on. When I was advised to have my son get a crown when he was 6, they offered me the option to put him under at the hospital. Yes, it's more expensive, depending on your insurance, but worth every penny. Yes, it's scary to have your child put under, but possibly alleviating a lifetime of dental anxiety is worth every penny.

For the case like OP's child: ask your dentist what they think the cause could be (BIG THING TO NOTE: ADHD MEDICATIONS CAUSE DENTAL ISSUES. I'm not saying this was the case, but for other parents.) I don't think it was an "upsell" for various reasons. If anyone is concerned about aesthetics see if the tooth could have composite material first, but if they really need crowns, ask about the material. Porcelain crowns, in OUR day, were for rich people. Nowadays it seems that dentists are phasing out metal crowns. It was ~9 yrs ago when my son got a crown & even without asking (since it was a molar way back) they put a porcelain crown on.

Hope everything worked out well!

TL;DR: Second opinion; see what could be causing the cavities; see if composite fillings could work in lieu of caps; most dentists have phased out metal crowns & use porcelain, which obvs looks better; ADHD meds can cause severe dental issues if your child is on them (other meds can too, even to unerupted adult teeth!) Don't think it was an upsell. Hope all is well!
 
@on_a_mission_
my parents say we had a ‘sealing’ procedure done, no idea what that is! How common is this?
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I had this as a kid, and have also had it done as an adult (and will probably have it done again when it needs redoing)! It is what it sounds like, they put some sort of coating on your molars to prevent decay.

I don't know if it's common for baby teeth, though.

Regardless, crowns for baby teeth sounds ridiculous. Definitely get a second opinion.
 
@on_a_mission_ Get a 2nd opinion. My brushing habits as a child where questionable. And as an adult(even though they are way better, I've only had 1 crown put in.

Your kid probably may need like a filling or something. Do dentists not do fillings anymore?
 
@on_a_mission_ Get another dentist to look. Depending on how long the baby teeth are expected to be in fillings can be normal. Not sure why silver is needed vs the other type.

Some kids can just be genetically fucked on their teeth. It's not just about care and management of their cleaning. So yeah its totally possible even with twice a day brushing they could be genetically dispositioned to be sensitive and underprotected. Flossing though is essential, and will prevent cavities more than brushing will. Flossing is 1st important, brushing is 2nd.
 
@on_a_mission_ I’m in Australia. If they are baby teeth they’d just get pulled out for the adult teeth. No crowns necessary.

I’d go to a different dentist. Crowns for baby teeth is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a while.
 
@on_a_mission_ When I was a kid, I had tons of cavities and I had a silver/mercury crown on my baby teeth. Candy and not brushing enough was the culprit for sure. I agree with everyone else, get a second opinion. If the kid needs crowns though, please get them. I am obsessed about dental health now because I never want another cavity again!

No, this is not a pediatric dentist thing. My son sees a pediatric dentist and has pre-cavities. She said that they can re-mineralize. I think it just depends on the dentist. We stopped drinking from the same glass, and he can't graze on food all day. I think you're doing the best you can. At 6, your child is probably old enough to spit out flouride rinses (not swallow). Good luck!
 
@on_a_mission_ I went through something similar with my son a few years ago. I bought him this toothbrush that works with an app, it's called Colgate Hum Kids Smart Manual toothbrush It helped him SO MUCH. The app gives you progress scores, they can play games, and you can even see the spots that your kid missed when they get done brushing. My kid went from having to have major dental surgery for two crowns, and three cavities to having no cavities on his adult teeth. I highly recommend it!! I replace his dental supplies once a month, new flossers, new mouthwash, new toothbrush (to keep bacteria at bay). So far so good 2yrs later

As far as the crowns go, I definitely recommend getting a second opinion if you can, but ultimately if she needs them you have to get them. Tooth decay is painful, and it can spread to her other teeth. If her baby teeth need crowns at least it's not her adult teeth. Kids really need an adult supervising brushing until they are like 14yrs old my pediatric dentist said. It's because kids don't have the brain development to realize that skipping one day can mean setting a bad habit and leading to cavities. They need the repetitive routine and the pediatric dental association recommends supervision to make sure they aren't being lazy about it. I was honestly shocked to hear that kids need to be supervised for that long, but honestly, it works. My kid has no cavities after following all the ped. dentist recommendations and using that toothbrush for a year.
 
@on_a_mission_ We had to do 4 crowns for my 4 year old. That was after a 2nd opinion. Yes they are baby teeth but you shouldn’t pull back teeth at that age because they are the space holders for adult teeth, and back baby teeth should last until age 10-12. I would get a second opinion. Also see what they want to do for anesthesia and run it by the pediatrician. It’s safer to do anesthesia or sedation in a hospital than a dentist’s office.
 
@on_a_mission_ We fell for that. 8 crowns on a 4 year old. In less than a year they pulled 3 of them. They said the teeth died. Fhey grind them down before putting the crowns on so thers not mich left there. We simply believed the dentist. Paid them thousands of dollars. We finally got a second opinion when they pulled the 2nd and 3rd crowns. That dentist and everyone I've talked to since then say he got over treated. He also hadn't been complaining and was eating fine. Get a second opinion before letting them do the work.
 
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