Whether to Cap or Fill Baby Molars on 2 Year Old / Level of Pain to Expect

My son had 2 crowns put on at age 3 yrs 2 months. He was not sedated and was fine. He came home, took a nap, and was up and acting normal. He had one more donw this past Easter and he was 6 yrs 3 months. He came out smiling and laughing and once the numbness in his face wore off he was fine. No tears at all.

He has not had a problem with the teeth that are capped either. They did put metal caps on, for the bottom teeth though they covered them with a white bit. 2 of his were basically a ababy root canal, the baby tooth doesn't really have anever in it from what I understand.

I would get a second opinion. This happened with my son when he was 3. They said he needed a crown when I took him elsewhere that dentist said no they could do a cavity so we did and then sealed all the other teeth. He said if we didn't have the means to go to the dentist every 6 months then he would do a crown but since we did have the means he could do a cavity.

I agree that you should get a second opinion, too. My uncle is a dentist and found what he thought was a cavity in my son's tooth and told me we could wait and just let it fall out on it's own without having to fix it at all. He didn't do xrays (we were just there for a quick weekend vacation visit, not to go to the dentist!), and when we finally did take him to his regular dentist here in town, they did xrays and the dentist told us it looked suspicious, but wasn't a cavity after all. Anyway, my son was 6 at the time, but my uncle said cavities take a long time to really get that bad, so at the very least, you may be able to wait a couple years until she's a little older and may be better able to understand what's going on..... we go to Drs. Preece and Church (http://www.drpreece.com/) in case you need a suggestion. They're fantastic!

I would for sure get a second opinion! Call a pediatric dentist in town and see what they say.

I agree with getting a second opinion first. Dentists seem to vary so much with what they recommend. Good luck, I am sure this is worrying you a lot.

You might also check the responses Melinda got from her post earlier today.

Hi D.,
I just wanted to let you know that I have 3 children and 2 of them have been iv sedated for dental work one was age 2 and one was age 4 and they were just fine. My middle child also has 2 silver caps and has not experienced any problems from them. I also worked as a pediatric dental assistant before I had children and assisted with these procedures a ton of times. It is better not to wait on getting the work done for too long baby teeth can go from bad to worst very fast. Also if the cavities are very big a crown is your best option, somnetimes if you try to fill one that is too large you will end up breaking the tooth and have to have it pulled anyway. Most children get metal because they are usually done on the back teeth and not that noticable and the price is cheaper, and they will end up losing them eventually anyway. The only thing I advise to help with the procedure is to let her wake up on her own afterwards, children who are woken up tend to be more irritable until the meds wear off! God Bless, S.

What you describe reminds me of pictures I have seen of a dental condition called Fluoridosis (sp?) Google it and see if her teeth look like that. Seems the dentist would have caught that, so maybe I'm wrong, but it's a circumstance where the fluoride in our water over here causes pronounced discoloration of the teeth, and I believe there is no cure. It's worth checking into just to be sure.
I have no experience with having a 2 year-old subject to anaesthesia, nor level of pain after serious dental work. Sorry.

I agree with the others get a second opinion! I had this type of work done to my daughter when she was 4 and it was the worse thing I ever did to her! When her baby teeth started coming out they would break off and we would have to go to the dentist (another one not the one who did the original work) to have them pull all of her baby teeth at the time they were ready to come out. There were also instances when the fillings would fall out. Her mouth was a mess until she was about 10. She is now 16 and all of that is a distant memory and her teeth are perfectly fine.

Just sent you a private message about your related question. In light of seeing this, I really urge you to get a second opinion.

D., the one thing I would do is get a second opinion. I took my daughter to one dentist that wanted to fill four of her teeth. I didn't feel comfortable with this, so I started asking around to some of my friends, and got a referral to Dr. Jeffrey Jaynes. He is truly wonderful, and the kids love him. He immediately told me that we would watch these teeth, and wait until it was necessary to fill. We talked about these being baby teeth, and if you don't have to put the child under than that would be best. I still till this date have only filled one tooth. Here is his information,5800 Coit Rd., Ste. 600, Plano, 75023. ###-###-####. I know that it is always hard to know what is best. I hope it all works out for you and your daughter.

Hello. I am C.. A mother for 26 years. I believe if they are only white spots and not even a cavity I would wait. I believe that unless the cavity is causing much pain to your child I would avoid the sedation. When my sons were small, the dentist used a floride treatment and then were able to apply a clear sealant to slow the decay process. Then in time the tooth came out. Hope this helps.

I am assuming you have good dental insurance or ability to pay and the dentist is loving it. Get a second opinion from a reputable dentist.

Hi D.!
Just wanted to respond to your request and hopefully make you feel a little more at ease with your decision to go ahead with the IV sedation. I have been a Pediatric CDA for 9+ years and see children like yours everyday! Let me first start by saying that if you guys have any doubts at all about your daughter's diagnosis, then I would suggest a second opinion...but it seems to me in your request that you like your dentist and feel comfortable with him (this is VERY important esp when dealing with children!)
You had said that she has white spots on some of her teeth: this is an early indication of cavities forming on the baby teeth (esp if the spots are around the neck of the teeth) I feel the dentist is correct by wanting to go ahead and remove the white spots and replace with a filling. My reasoning behind this is based on 1)her age being so young 2)the fact that she will already be sedated 3)to prevent these spots from becoming very large in the future and possibly having to undergo IV sedation again.
As far as the caps go: If your dentist recommended crowns being placed on your daughter's molars I personally would go with his treatment plan. I know this all can seem pretty scary for you as a parent, but this is the way to go esp when dealing with baby teeth. I had read in another response that someone had wrote you that said something about it taking a long time for cavities to become bad....THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN PRIMARY TEETH!!! Cavities that seem small can become severe in a very short period of time. Also, I am not sure about the dentist you are using but when we do crowns on molars we always use stainless steel crowns rather than white crowns. You didn't say in your post whether she was also going to need a pulpotomy (baby root canal)??
As far as the pain factor goes....she will be sore the first day but by the next morning should not feel bad at all!! Im sure your dentist will prescribe a mild pain reliever or possibly just tell you to give her Motrin/Tylenol for any discomfort she might have. Hope this helps relieve some stress you and your husband are having...if you have any other questions I will be glad to try and help you!

My son is 9 yrs old and has 3 teeth capped (at different times) and hasn't had any problems with them. He was able to eat within a couple hours of the procedure. Since these are still his baby teeth we did the metal just because it saved a lot of money.

I'm not sure I would go the dentist office route. Twenty-nine years ago my daughter had to have all 4 of her molars capped when she was 2. We had it done all at one time in Children's Hospital and it was really a breeze. Not one problem.

Two of my kids had baby teeth capped, only to have to pull them within a few months. After paying hundreds of dollars for the caps, both of the caps killed the tooths roots which caused infections & the tooth with the cap had to be pulled.
It was two different dentists & I questioned both dentists before they capped the baby tooth & they both told me it was necessary since my kids would have the teeth until they were ten. After spending all the money on the caps, I still had to pay to have the teeth pulled & then had to pay for spacers to be put into place. My suggestion would be to ask a second dentist first. Then I would suggest the fillings or maybe just pull them & have a spacer put into place. Because if anything goes wrong or does not work, the dentist will just pull the tooth anyway. Good Luck!

I'd get a second opinion before going through with the procedure.

My daughter has had endless amounts of dental work, despite our great oral care. She is now almost 7, but she has had several fillings, 4 teeth pulled, and one cap due to a chipped tooth. We ave never had any problems afterward with any of it. The hardest part was definitely having her 'put under'. We were told that the metal cap was the only way to go, because the tooth colored one comes off easily when they chew certain things. Also, even if you love you dentist, it never hurts to get a second opinion:)

Good luck!

You know D., you have gotten alot of responses. Some are from people "in the business" that agree with the treatment plan, and then parents who have gone through this type of procedure. I feel that the most important thing for you if you are the least bit unsure is to get a second opinion. I would freak if my kid needed IV sedation at a young age. However she did have caps on her teeth a month ago without IV sedation as well as a huge cavity filled and did great. (no pain, swelling and the like). But IMO I would suggest to see a pedi dentist and just hear what they have to say, write down questions and see what type of answers you get. The best of luck to you and I hope this turns out ok for you. By the way, my kiddo got metal caps which saved us a TON of money, they will fall out eventually and are on her back teeth, cant even notice them unless you are looking for it.

Get a 2nd opinion. If it's necessary than by all means you need to do it but just be sure.

My daughter had to have her front tooth capped when she was just 18 months old. She went under the IV sedation as well... it was very scary to think about to say the least! I was so worked up over it. i was in the room when they put her under then they made me leave to do the work. It took them about 20 min to do it... She was sleepy most of the day, but never had any issues or side effects. It was a good decision to have it done. She has never had a fear of the dentist... loves to go! I think that your daughter should be fine. It is better to do it sooner then later too. You dont want her going to school with silver teeth or missing teeth! Good luck!

This is my story. A year ago my 3 year old had cavities on his 8 molars and he went to the hospital to be put to sleep like surgery. So they gave him 8 silver crowns. He cried after waking. And his teeth and gums were a little senstive for the 1st few days. But I think it was a good option for him. He hasn't complained of any tooth pain at all. I think crowns are a wonderful option because they protect the tooth from further decay. He seems to be happy and doesn't mind the crowns. If you have any further questions about this feel free to contact me.