@on_a_mission_ First of all, make sure the toothpaste you are using has fluoride. We had a lot of cavities earlier on and we switched from really young to kid toothpaste too late.
You can get the teeth “sealed” or painted over w fluoride. It protects them from cavities growing or beginning. I do this as an adult as well but most dental cover it in kids.
My daughter needed a crown but we decided to wait and hope it would fall out before she got in pain. She got in pain, we pulled it. However for the back ones they won’t fall out for a long time and you need teeth there for your jaw structure and to chew. I think once your child is in pain it’s too late to do anything as it’s through the tooth and to the nerves.
That feels like a lot of them though. I’d get another opinion and options on how to do it. You might be able to get sedation covered and they could do them all at once.
After all this we set a timer you can see the count down on and that’s how long to brush. We also have electric toothbrushes now (amazingly good on Amazon for
@on_a_mission_ They can usually do white ones, ask about that if you’re concerned about the color.
My son had to have them too around that age, we also take good care of his teeth, but he grew them in super early and we have well water (no fluoride in the water here). We were told by our dentist that if you let them go too long, the decay could reach the adult teeth underneath before the tooth comes out.
My nephew doesn’t have good insurance like we do, and his parents opted to just have the decayed baby teeth pulled. He might have had to have a spacer or something, but I honestly don’t remember for sure. The concern there is just that they grow in wonky if you pull early.
I had the same panicked and guilty reaction too. It’s fine, it’s quite common and doesn’t mean you failed! My son has his adult teeth now and they’re doing great.
@on_a_mission_ Definitely get a second opinion but out of curiosity, are the baby teeth the ones with the cavities and those are the teeth they want to crown?
@happichappi You don't wanna do that with teeth where the permanent ones are still a few years off coming in unless it's really the best option. Source: we did, then needed spacers put in to the gaps, and she's got extra-crooked teeth now
@happichappi The back molars fall out at age 10-12. If the 8 teeth involved are the 8 molars, this kid won’t be able to eat properly for years. And most likely the adult teeth would come in weird, requiring braces.
@on_a_mission_ I showed this to my wife who is a dental assistant and knows a LOT more about this than I do so I’m gonna tell you what she said:
They DO do crowns for pediatric patients. Crowns are used when there’s not enough tooth structure left to do just a filling. It’s important to keep those teeth in there to avoid further problems with the adult teeth coming in and maintain room for them coming in. She also said it’s a good thing your child isn’t in pain because cavities only hurt when they’re really really bad. Her advice is to do the crowns so things don’t end up getting worse (and more expensive) down the line.
@libra111 I am a dental assistant as well. I think it doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion but what your wife said is all true. My 4 years old niece had to get 7 fillings on her molars poor thing but I guess her parents didn’t understand sugar and brushing.
@on_a_mission_ Take your kid to another dentist and get a second opinion. Also Have her bones looked at. My cousin's got a bone disorder that showed up in his teeth first.
@on_a_mission_ If you don't treat a cavity in a baby tooth, just like any cavity, it can reach the root and then you can need a root canal or the tooth might have to be pulled.
Some kids are born with soft teeth, or with enamel that isn't formed all the way. We've had this issue with our 5yo and had to have several fillings and also sealing treatment on the enamel. Both our kids were born with molars that had weak enamel and have had to have sealing done on them, and our 5yo has had pain in the teeth and needed fillings for actual cavities. We brush diligently (but flossing is a fight we're sometimes up for and sometimes not).
I don't know about crowns, but I would take the suggestion seriously and get a second opinion to see if another dentist agrees.
@on_a_mission_ I’d get a second opinion. But I will say that when the same happened with my son, it was explained by the first ortho that if a cavity gets bad enough the bacteria can migrate down to the adult tooth.
I got a second opinion via a neighbor who would benefit from us if needed, did say that yes, that would be why.
@on_a_mission_ In a previous job, I recovered patients after anesthesia. We did a fair amount of kids that needed extensive dental work including restorations. A lot of them were kids that slept with a bottle of juice, but we saw all kinds. There are a lot of legit reasons for little kids to need restorations like that.
But like others said, get a second opinion first. And go somewhere that has a board certified pediatric anesthesiologist in the room. Little kid airways are tiny and they love to spasm.
@on_a_mission_ That’s interesting, did you or other parent get a lot of cavities as a child? If another dentist confirms the issue, you may want to go to a regular doctor to check to see if theres a nutrition issue. Vitamin D deficiency, for example, can cause tooth issues
@on_a_mission_ My guess is you are being up sold. Many dentists upsell with procedures that are not needed. My Dad who was a dentist say if it doesn't hurt you usually can wait.
