my daughter (5) is getting a filling done on her birthday (next friday i know what a day to get it done but i know im off that day). anyways we saw her new dentist today since moving from california. we really like him. the only thing im worried about is that they do not use laughing gas when doing dental work on little ones. i just dont want my daughter to fear having work done. i explain what will happen to her and make it understandable and answer her questions. but i dont know how she will handle the needle pokes. with her first 2 she had done by her previous dentist she did wonderful not a peep out of her. i expect some tears but like i said i dont want her to fear the dentist.
how did your little ones do getting dental work done with out laughing gas?
edit- there are few dentist that take state insurance out here. my only other choice is an hour and a half drive away.
thank you for all your fast answers. her dentist is a pediatric dentist and is highly reccomended. my daughter has no idea that i am nervous about this proceedure. as i was nervous about the first time she had cavities filled. the staff at her dentist is very kind and child oriented. like some of you said im basically over thinking it and i need to stop. i just dont want her to fear the dentist. she is a brave girl and we will probably watch youtube to see how a filling is done :)
addition- she had her filling done in about 5 mins. it was shallow enough to not be numbed. we got there 15 mins early and were out 10 mins later :) she did amazing and the dentist was very good with her told her everything and was very fast. im totally pleased to see my baby walk away feeling good about seeing her new dentist
I've never heard of using laughing gas for fillings. My dentist uses a numbing gel on the gum where he inserts a needle and gives a little squirt of numbing medication. My daughter once had a filling when she was younger and it was so superficial that no numbing medication was needed and she didn't feel a thing.
I am a pediatric dentist, so hopefully I can shed a little light on your question.
When I evaluate a child, I treat each child individually and make a determination on what the best type of treatment is for that specific child. It also depends on the amount and type of treatment that needs to be accomplished. The goal is always to prevent any dental fear from developing and complete the treatment safely and comfortably and it really depends on each individual child.
In other words, one 5 year old may need laughing gas, another may need general anesthesia, and another may only need gentle TLC!
If you are seeing a pediatric dental specialist, then I would hope that they made the determination of what the best approach is to treat your daughter.
Good luck!
I have never had laughing gas and had a few cavities filled as a child, I have ever had issues with going to the dentist.
My daughter had 3 small cavities when she was 4 or 5 (none since, thankfully, and she is 8 now). Our dentist did not use gas, just novocaine. She did great, handled it like a trooper. And she has had no negative responses to the dentist since, in fact all of my kids enjoy going to the dentist. I guess I have nothing to compare it to since I have never experienced a filling with gas, either personally or through my children. But we did fine, I am sure she will to.
My grandchildren see a pediatric dentist who does use laughing gas. I would see if I could find one in your area. It really makes a difference in terms of comfort. My grandchildren actually ask when they're going to see the dentist again.
Our dentist is a pediatric dentist and he puts the kids out using general anesthesia. Not gas in any form. They wake up ready to go and happy. I wouldn't want it any other way. I can't imagine how scared and unhappy they would be any other way.
I would find a different dentist.
My son was 3 (4 now) when he had work done at the dentist. I was terrified thinking of how horrible it was going to be and how much pain he was going to experience. To my surprise he did great and did not shed a single tear. There was no laughing has, just the noral numbing gel and injection. He had some discomfort afterwards but I imagine even with laughing gas you have discomfort afterwards? She will do fine just let her know what's going on while she's there and hold her hand. I know for a fact that I tend to worry and freak myself out a lot so I try not to let my son see me that way.
He doesn't use it at all, or your insurance doesn't pay for it?
If your insurance doesn't pay for it, go ahead and pay. I would not have the work done without laughing gas. Instead, I'd find another dentist. I really would.
Dawn
My dentist doesn't do laughing gas, and both of my boys have had fillings. There were never any tears. In fact my older son didn't even have freezing for one of his fillings because it wasn't very deep. I never had laughing gas (as a child or an adult) either and I never cried during a filling. I honestly wouldn't worry about it.
my old insurance didn't cover it, so i paid it out of pocket. my younger needed a fair bit of dental surgery (adult tooth impacted way up in his jaw) and i wasn't about to add to his misery. the gas made a huge difference.
but for a relatively small filling it's not a HUGE deal. he'll use the numbing swab before the novacaine needle, which doesn't totally take away the pain but does reduce it to a hearty pinch.
an hour and half drive is significant but not the end of the world. i'd do it to get the gas.
khairete
S.
I have never heard of laughing gas for fillings.
Do not make it a big deal. Dentistry has come so far from when we were little. They are really good with children..
They will put a topical to numb the area, then they wait a moment and then deaden the area..
I've never had laughing gas, so I don't really know how to compare. I did have cavities when I was young (not sure I had them as young as 5), so I had the needle at a very young age.
They do have numbing gel now! They didn't have that when I was little. (The first time I had that was about 8 years ago.) It's actually really cool. They just swab the numbing gel on the gums with a q-tip. Sometimes rest it in your mouth for a minute or so. You can't feel the needle at all!
My dentist has always given me mint flavor, but she said she has bubble gum that she uses for the kids.
It's really not so bad. The worst part for me is the sitting and waiting for them to do the job. Kind of boring, and the ceiling tiles can only be counted so many times! Wish they'd invest in tv screen on the ceilings!
My youngest has this huge aversion to flouride treatments. So when she had her first cavity, her dentist suggested putting her under. We thought she'd be inconsolable. Fortunately, my husband found another pediatric dentist who said it was absurd and she'd be just fine. He was right. They just talked to her, she watched a movie and no big deal. She was probably 5 also.
Your anxiety will cause anxiety in your daughter. Relax.
My son and I have none had laughing gas with dental work. We have had novacaine (and we both HATE needles) and were fine.
