You are here:

Dentistry/they want to do dental surgery on my 3 year old

Advertisement

Expert: - 11/25/2008


Question
Please help.  I breastfed my daughter til 2 including night nursing.  She has visible cavities on all her top teeth, She has 5 front teeth(she has an extra tooth) 2 of which have already broken down to nothing more than nubs.  She had one toothache on Halloween.  They want to iv sedate her with propofol, extract the five front teeth and put stainless steel crowns on the rest of the teeth.  They will not allow the parent in the room during surgery which is at their dental office.  Is this really necessary.  I know my daughter could not do the oral sedation.  The iv sedation seems so risky.  What are the risks and probabilities if I do not treat it or wait until she is older.  Please help.  I am terrified and I do not know what to do.  Is there another way which does not require surgery like a micro bacterial approach.  Is my daughter better with rotten teeth or no teeth and crowns.  Please advise.  She is suppose to have surgery in two weeks.  Help!!!!!!

Answer
Dear Mom,
you are correct to be afraid.
Iv sedation carries with it some real risks.
My best suggestion is have only the teeth that are really infected now, removed.
Those will be the top front teeth and it may only be just one or two teeth.
The infected teeth will be loose , painful when you shake them and may have a gum boil above them.
Although the other teeth look bad, they are probably not infected.
You can slow up the infection process by brushing the nubs and the teeth with cavities with a fluoride toothpaste (crest or colgate.)
Then start looking for a pediatric dentist who can help treat your daughter using local anesthesia.  
Even if your daughter  were to lose some more anterior teeth, or the first primary molars during the next year or so it would make little difference to your daughter when she is 12 years old.
As your daughter gets older and finds a dentist she can work with you will be able to work to save some of her important  primary teeth.
The only emergency now is the infected teeth, the cavities even if they look bad can be slowed up enough so that your daughter can have them treated when she is older.
Hope this helps a little,
All the best,
Dr. Moss

Dentistry

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Stephen J. Moss

Expertise

I am a professor emeritus at New York University, with a background that includes extensive research, scientific writing and biology. I also am an international consultant in health education, particularly in developing education on new science for health professionals and consumers. I am a past president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, former head of the NYU Division of Oral Biology and I represent the World Dental Federation at the United Nations. I travel around the world to provide health education to professionals and consumers.

Experience

Having retired from New York Universit, where I directed the pediatric dentistry training program, a walk-in dental clinic and research on oral biology, I formalized my professional and consumer health education initiative in the form of Health Education Enterprises. This entity consults and provides information on new science pertaining to oral and general health, particularly leading edge concepts that can be employed in the health professions to improve the public's health. As such, I am an expert in communicating new science and its usefulness to professional and lay audiences alike. I also had a pediatric dentistry practice in New York City for nearly 30 years.

Organizations
I am affiliated with the American Dental Association, the World Dental Federation, the International Association of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry among other formal organizations. My experience has included a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and work at the Forsythe Dental Research Center

Publications
lpha Omegan USA, Nowa Stomatologia Poland, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, The Journal of the Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry USA, News Bulletin Japan, Journal of Marmara University Dental Faculty Turkey, Italian Journal of Paediatric Dentistry Italy, Asian Dentist Singapore, The Journal of the Israel Dental Association Israel, ROBRAC Brazil, Italian Journal of Paediatric Dentistry
Italy, FDI World, STOMA Portugal, Pediatric Dentistry The Philippines, Modern Stomatology Bulgaria, Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry India

Education/Credentials
I obtained a doctor of dental science (DDS) degree, a master of science degree and am a board certified pediatric dentist.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.