Versed, Laughing Gas, and Papoose Board and I Cannot Be in the Room?

I do not go to a dentist that will not allow parents in the back with their children, for some kids it might be necessary but not for all & I do not agree with having a standard such as this...personally I would find another dentist, I had to search a long time to find a pediatric dentist which would allow parents in the back & I personally found it appalling! my son is disabled & is non-verbal & I would never allow him or my fully functioning children to go see any dentist or doctor without me being present, beside them & able to communicate with them.

I will not take my children to any dentist that will not allow me in the room. My youngest has had a filling (he is very difficult with just a cleaning) and all they use is the laughing gas and I sit at the foot of the chair and hold his hand.

We have a friend whose dentist uses these methods, and she has to sit out in the waiting room while they work on her children (she's fine with it, although I never would be). But, we also have another friend whose dentist uses only nitrous oxide, and lets her sit beside her child. I say look around for another opinion if it makes you uncomfortable, because there are other options out there!

I would find a different dentist.

If it were me, I think I would find another dentist!

I wuold feel uncomfortable as you obviously do. And feeling that discomfort, I'd get another opinion.

Pardon me, moms: Not only no, but HELLLLLLL no!
I would be outta there and never look back.

At 4.5 my DD had to have 3 cavities filled as well. We went to a pediatric dentist and I pretty much called the shots.
I requested only novocain. (I did not have much luck w/ laughing gas as a child.)
I was (and DH too) right by her side.
She did not get mercury fillings.

If I had to do it again-I don't even know that I would have agreed to this! I would have gone to the holistic dentist to see what other options we had.

Get outta there, Mama!!!

Best wishes!

Oh and BTW DD did great! Even when she had to return a 2nd time and knew what to expect. (I cried though.)

I'm never in the room when my daughters are at the dentist, and believe me, it's better for them. I never claim to know what's best for my kids as far as procedures go, he does this kind of thing every day.

I would never agree to that. No way!

Go see another dentist for a second opinion. My son had to have two small fillings and I never once left his side.

My daughter, 3, had one cavity filled by her pedi dentist. My husband sat next to her throughout the entire procedure (I can't, I'm a DDS chicken and would have bawled through the whole thing!). The DDS filled it with tooth-colored resin and only used NO2 and lidocaine. Our daughter did great and didn't cry or complain of pain.

IMHO, I'd find someone willing to work with you and respect your concerns. The board seems like overkill.

Here is MY OPINION only on the Versed. They gave it to my son when he went in for a surgery. They called it "giggle juice" it was a liquid and the nurse said it made him more compliant so they could get the IV sedation in. He's 10. I told her I understood that some kids could give them a hard time with IVs etc., but my son has had tons of blood work, etc and IVs are no big deal for him.... I didn't think the versed was necessary. The versed took longer to wear off than the actual anestesia (sp) did. I hated the stuff.

If you're uncomfortable with how this dentist wants to treat your son, find another one! You know your kid better than anyone else, and if you think he'll cooperate with less medication/sedation -- than go for it.

My daughter (age 5) had all of that too but I really felt she needed it. Even on the drugs she thrashed and tried to get up. Like Dawn B said, they can get hurt by thrashing. At her first appt. they tried to fill a cavity with no drugs except gas and she started getting upset and phyical. When I tried to hold her hand and talk to her it made her act WORSE. The next time we went in, we did the drugs and papoose board and everything went more smoothly. She was a little loopy for a while after but that was all.

Just in case you haven't taken care of this, I watched a documentary on UNNECESSARY child dental care, with the overuse of drugs and a "papoose board." It was enough to make me cry and want to vomit. Horrible. Look it up, watch it, and don't go to this dentist.

I would never agree to that.

When my kids were younger, I sat in the chair and the child sat on my lap. I didn't ask permission -- just didn't think to (though, to be polite I probably should have, even though I didn't see it as optional). I think it kept my anxious kids calmer and made things go more smoothly. No one in my dentist's office ever said a word about it.

Get another opinion. Can't hurt; might help.

My daughter had some teeth filled when she was four years old, and she was fine with just the laughing gas. It sounds like this dentist is not one I would want to see. I stopped having my girls see the pediatric dentist, though, because I thought it was too expensive. A good family dentist is just fine. Then again, I take my kids to a family doctor instead of a pediatrician, too. What do I know?

Since you're feeling uncomfortable w/ your child's care, I would switch dentists. Others will have different approaches the care of your child / be open to changing their apprmoach to make you more comfortable.

You absolutely owe it to yourself and your child to get a second opinion. Any professional will be OK with that.

You're the mom. You know best. Your child trusts you. Ask this dentist whether treating your child according to your comfort level, or check with a different dentist. This one may be a great dentist, but might not be right for your family.

Trust your mommy gut

I have never heard of a dentist using a papoose to immobilize a child. I would at the very least call around to other dentists about this.

Our dentist (a pediatric dentist) let's one parent be in with the child and uses nitrous and a medicine they drink that makes them slightly loopy. He would never tie them down!

.

My experience with a pediatric dentist was that it was the most obnoxious practice I ever encountered.

I would be out getting a 2nd and, if necessary, a 3rd opinion.

____@____.com! That sounds like my youngest (now 22) - never have had any trouble w/my kids at the regular dentist and the boys have both had small cavities filled w/o anything!

Like hte others - this all sounds way too much like overkill - don't scare the snot outta the kid right off the bat or he'll be just like the child our dentist office could not even get to sit in the chair (and I volunteered to the child that my little one was there and she could talk to her or she'd come in and hold her hand if it would help -- mom and gma were making it all worse and topping if off w/promises of nice big toy ...ugh!!!)

M., I used to think getting a shot of anethesia was required everytime I had a cavity. As it turns out, on a visit to a new dentist I asked him, how large is the hole? Not to large, it's small and we think it would be a good idea to get it filled. Okay, I said, no anethesia, just drill. About 15 seconds later, all the drilling was done. The worse part is the smell of the tooth against the drill, so I think it would be advisable to ask the current dentist if you can forgo the gas if the drilling will only be a matter of seconds. Ever since this experience, I never had another shot and I will be looking very carefully at my sons teeth to make sure they stay on top of their brushing. Big cavities will cause problems and it's understandable they would need anethesia to work on a problem, but if it's a small hole, then tough it out and it will be done quickly. Good luck.

I think you need to discuss this with the dentist and if you do not get the response you feel comfortable with, then you need to seek another pediatric dentist. Pediatric dentists go through different training and specialize just in kids. It should reflect in their knowledge of kid's teeth, their tools, and their bedside manner. I almost left a practice because I kept getting the same dentist and we did NOT communicate well. I got a different dentist and I will request her all the time now because she has a much better communication style and DD loves her. If something is not explained to your satisfaction, ask again. If the process does not sit well with you, then consider a 2nd opinion. I wouldn't ignore problems with your child's teeth, but you should be happy with the doctor you choose to fix them.

DD has seen a pediatric dentist since she was 10 mo. old (for a chipped tooth). I have been to every visit and sat with her. One day I will not be sitting there, but for now I do, and the area with the older kids is crawling with parents if the dentist/child/parent feels it is appropriate. Sometimes it makes the kid more nervous, but sometimes it does not.

My son has had procedures done that sound very similar to what is being proposed for yours. Honestly, at first we weren't sure, but we did ask questions of the dentist and her staff, and everything was fine. What I was convinced would be traumatic for him hasn't caused any residual trouble. I appreciate others urging you to listen to your gut and seek a second opinion, but I just wanted you to know that in the case of our son's dentist, she really did have his best interests at heart, and I think she was able to do her job better without our presence. While it is true that you have several options and you are likely to find a dentist who uses practices that are more comfortable for you, sometimes what we think is best isn't. There have been several times in my child's life when I have had to sit back and trust people to know what they are doing....whether they were dentists, doctors, teachers, etc.

Our pediatric dentist puts the kids under in the out patient surgery center at several different hospitals. I cannot imagine making a child go through dental work when they didn't have to.

We switched to a family dentist, mine in fact, after I didn't care for my pediatric dentist's methods, such as this. I found it barbaric. I honestly think that strapping a child down like that will mentally scar them and wouldn't even consider it unless the child is so completely resistant that there is no other option. Our dentist always let ME sit in the chair holding little one during the procedure and for a minor filling, often they can do one of two things depending on its severity - gum numbing solution or nothing for a scrape and seal. I'd make some calls. Good luck!

My son had several cavities filled at a pediatric dentist. Each time he had versed and nitrous oxide. He was not strapped down, but only the first time he was there did he try to get up. Everything was very organized. Parents were allowed in the room, but their rules were that the parents had to stay quiet and out of the way. Because it would be confusing to a drugged child to try to follow instructions from the dentist and the parent at the same time. Every few minutes, the dentist would pat my son on the chest and ask him if he was still doing OK. They monitored blood pressure and had a timer going for how long they could keep him sedated. The assistant and dentist worked efficiently together so that everything went smoothly. The last time we went there, they had a dental student visiting, and the dentist was explaining more what they were doing and why as a good dentist they would do it that way.

Now that my son is older, he and dad have a new dentist and go together. Not as many cavities, and a little bit of laughing gas is all he needs now.

I would say talk to the doctor and find out why. If he has good reasons, I would bow to his expertise. After all he went to many years of medical school to get where he is. But if he doesn't have a good reason and won't budge, I'd find another dentist.

My wife and I went through Lamaze class so we could do our first one naturally. The doctor was almost retired and didn't believe of husbands being in the delivery room so he wouldn't let me in. Had I had time and forewarning I would have chosen a different doctor, but my wife was having contractions 2-3 minutes apart and there was no time to get a different doctor.

Good luck to you and yours.

i wouldn't be opposed to the versed as much as i would be the being strapped down. yes, for their own safety, some children DO need to be strapped down - but i would not let that be the FIRST course of action... i'd also not be okay with not being in the room - that just doesn't sit well with me. unless it's an operating room or some other such sterile environment, there's NO reason for me to not be with my child(unless the child is older, there is already a trusted patient/parent/provider relationship, etc.). i remember watching a documentary on 20/20 or primetime several years ago about these pediatric dentistry mills - it was downright frightening! we have always just taken our kids to the family dentist that we all use. i know at our dentist's office, it's almost a novelty to get really little ones - when i took my boys last spring, my 2yo daughter thought it was SO cool, she jumped in the chair and BEGGED for a full-on cleaning, and they did it - they all came in and looked, it was a riot - and such a GREAT experience for her. and an internist/family doctor can easily treat a child - sounds like your current dentist is some sort of easily threatened ego-maniac. at bare minimum, i'd seek out a second opinion before going forward with treatment - good luck!

My dentist filled two for my two year old with nitrous while on my lap. That said he has failed nitrous before and we had to come back and try again. I had two other dentists want to give general for three cavities. I would go get another opinion. If the decay is deep on xray they might be worried the work will take a long time. I would really go see another dentist. I would not want to be pushed out unless he was under general which they never like a parent around for. I hope it goes well. It's no fun for anyone.