My 5 year old daughter needs a root canal? What the...?

[spradlin02]

I'll preface by saying we brush every night and they don't eat too much garbage, but still the dentist claims my 5 year old daughter needs a root canal. Her last x-rays came clean but apparently a large cavity has developed in one of her teeth. The dentist claims it's a tooth that she'll have for a while and by performing a root canal, the space will be saved for her adult tooth.

 

Now, this sounds all logical, but I can't get past the idea that roots canals are being performed on 5 year olds. This is the same dentist that recently tried to sell me $1600 (with insurance) crowns for two front teeth I cracked in my teens. The original bonding has held up and still works, but they made it sound so terribly important that I get this vanity work done.

[Anne]

I would absolutely get a second opinion.

 

Anne

[LauraGB]

Um, if it's a baby tooth, no way would I put a 5 year old through that!

I'd find another dentist, pronto.

[i.love.lucy]

My dd was told this as well, but he opted for a cap (silver) since it was a baby tooth. He said it would preserve the space and keep her from having the ordeal of the RC.

 

It was still expensive.:glare:

 

I'd get a second opinion too.

[swellmomma]

Depends on which tooth it is. My kids have had pulpotomies on molars with stainless steel caps at around that age. DD had her's done while put under for tooth extraction, the boys just had normal freezing and had the procedure done in the office. If you don't trust the dentist's judgement get a second opinion. For my kids, they brush often, don't drink alot of sugary drinks etc, BUT they have weaker enamel than expected and very deep pits in the molars. DS11 is the worst, he just had 3 teeth pulled a couple months ago due to abscesses, and has very weak enamel. It is possible even with good oral hygeine to get cavities in the molars if you have deep pits in the molars. If this is why she has one, in addition to a root canal or pulpotomy, get sealants on teh rest to prevent them from developing cavities. That is what I ultimately had to do with the 3 oldest kids. (I also needed sealants for the same problem as a kid).

[OhM]

It's a baby tooth? I would second the recommendation to get a second opinion!

 

My dd had what sounds like a similar situation at about the same age. Our dentist extracted it and sent us to the orthodontist for a spacer to hold it open until her regular tooth came in. (I forget what the extraction cost; the spacer was $300.) All told, it definitely wasn't $1600 - with or without insurance!

 

We were just ticked because her adult tooth pushed through within a month after the spacer was put in. They only put it in because it could be "2-3 years" before it came in! ($300 down the drain...)

 

What's with all the (seeming) dentist scams lately? There have been several mentioned here, and I've heard of a couple more IRL. Making me extremely thankful that we have a dentist we can trust!

[OnTheBrink]

Definitely get a second opinion. Which tooth is it?

[spradlin02]

We've been going to the office for years, but a new "big city" dentist just came in and bought the practice. I'm sure he's trying to figure out ways to pay the mortgage. We have friends that work in the office and I'll certainly kindly articulate my displeasure with the new ways.

[Mom-ninja.]

My then three year old had a root canal. My insurance covered it though. I don't regret having it done. It was a molar. He won't loose that tooth until tweens or later if he follows his current pattern.

[jujsky]

I would absolutely get a second opinion.

 

Anne

 

:iagree: That just sounds strange to me!

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would absolutely get a second opinion.

 

Anne

 

:iagree::iagree:

[Prairie~Phlox]

We have a friend that has a son with several root canals. His teeth are just soft and they are trying to help the adult teeth come in and be healthy. He's one of 10 children and they all seem to have dental issues, I think it's due to heredity.

[hornblower]

My dd needed a root canal when she was that age - maybe younger. I've blocked large chunks of her dental hx out - it was a traumatic thing for all of us. :D

 

 

We got several opinions & they all said the same thing. We had it done but unfortunately it didn't work & that tooth ended up being extracted a few months later & she had a small metal spacer put in to hold the space open. Worked well & the permanent tooth erupted into that spot just fine, though a littler earlier (I guess b/e nothing was pushing down on it?)

 

I don't know whether our delaying it was a cause or not of the root canal failure. .... I remember my dd was not very compliant about dentists at that time & we were having a hard time finding a dentist who would do it respectfully but without putting her under (I wasn't willing to do a general for this) so it did take a few mos to get done.

 

20/20 hindsight, I'd have just had it pulled it & put in the spacer. That was much less traumatic for dd. If I ever faced this situation again, that's probably what I'd do, esp if it's just one tooth & the others around it are solid enough to attach the spacer (it was cemented on to the tooth behind the gap. It's very small, just a bit thicker than a paper clip....)

[spradlin02]

My dd needed a root canal when she was that age - maybe younger. I've blocked large chunks of her dental hx out - it was a traumatic thing for all of us. :D

 

 

We got several opinions & they all said the same thing. We had it done but unfortunately it didn't work & that tooth ended up being extracted a few months later & she had a small metal spacer put in to hold the space open. Worked well & the permanent tooth erupted into that spot just fine, though a littler earlier (I guess b/e nothing was pushing down on it?)

 

I don't know whether our delaying it was a cause or not of the root canal failure. .... I remember my dd was not very compliant about dentists at that time & we were having a hard time finding a dentist who would do it respectfully but without putting her under (I wasn't willing to do a general for this) so it did take a few mos to get done.

 

20/20 hindsight, I'd have just had it pulled it & put in the spacer. That was much less traumatic for dd. If I ever faced this situation again, that's probably what I'd do, esp if it's just one tooth & the others around it are solid enough to attach the spacer (it was cemented on to the tooth behind the gap. It's very small, just a bit thicker than a paper clip....)

 

Thanks for the thoughts. It seems pretty crazy and drastic. I'm much more worried about the pyschological effect on her. The money stinks too.

[cillakat]

I'll preface by saying we brush every night and they don't eat too much garbage, but still the dentist claims my 5 year old daughter needs a root canal. Her last x-rays came clean but apparently a large cavity has developed in one of her teeth. The dentist claims it's a tooth that she'll have for a while and by performing a root canal, the space will be saved for her adult tooth.

 

 

you sound skeptical and I think you're right on.

 

while children do occasionally need root canals, it would be suprising for a cavity to go from 0 to root canal from one apt to the next. actually, i'd go so far as to say I think it's impossible - unless her tooth is cracked.

 

either way, I wouldn't do it. I'd pull the tooth and put in a spacer *if* it really is to the point that it needs a root canal (which also means it needs a crown....root canal'd teeth need crowns to hold them together, otherwise they crumble)

 

If there is a cavity, you can just fill it with the substance of your choice (I firmly believe that the endocrine disrupting plastics that make up composite fillings are more dangerous than current amalgam fillings) OR you can still pull it (which is what I would do), and put in a spacer to hold the space.

 

Can you use a different dentist?

 

Best,

Katherine

[cillakat]

They only put it in because it could be "2-3 years" before it came in! ($300 down the drain...)

 

What's with all the (seeming) dentist scams lately? There have been several mentioned here, and I've heard of a couple more IRL. Making me extremely thankful that we have a dentist we can trust!

 

Except that they would have seen the eruption ready tooth in the x-ray before sending you to the ortho for the spacer....

 

K

[HollyDay]

We've done root canals on baby teeth and we've done crowns. I can tell you crowns did eventually abscess. My oldest dd's root canal baby tooth lasted fine. But, when we had to pull it to start orthodontics, it was a pain to "clean out" due to the root canal. The crown's on youngest dd abscessed before they were ready to fall out. We needed space maintainers for those. I would get a 2nd opinion. I am also very thankful all my dc's permanent teeth are solid!

[cathmom]

It's my understanding that there are too many dentists for the general population's needs, so they stress cosmetic or questionable treatments. A friend of mine, who had moved into an apartment recently vacated by dental students, received some of their mail. The dental magazine was all about marketing. I think they may also be stressing cosmetics in dental school. When I was about 21, I had an abscess and had an emergency dental appt. I could not see my childhood dentist at such short notice so I got stuck with his new young associate, who tried to convince me that I needed to get braces to fix my lower front teeth. One is slightly overlapping the other one. The old dentist had never ever brought up this minor issue as something to be addressed, but this guy immediately wanted me to fix it. The last dentist I went to wanted me to come every 3 months for cleanings. No way that is happening!

[cillakat]

We have a friend that has a son with several root canals. His teeth are just soft and they are trying to help the adult teeth come in and be healthy. He's one of 10 children and they all seem to have dental issues, I think it's due to heredity.

 

It's really probably a vitamin d and vitamin k issue - mostly vitamin d.

 

Katherine

[PiCO]

I'll preface by saying we brush every night and they don't eat too much garbage, but still the dentist claims my 5 year old daughter needs a root canal. Her last x-rays came clean but apparently a large cavity has developed in one of her teeth. The dentist claims it's a tooth that she'll have for a while and by performing a root canal, the space will be saved for her adult tooth.

 

Now, this sounds all logical, but I can't get past the idea that roots canals are being performed on 5 year olds. This is the same dentist that recently tried to sell me $1600 (with insurance) crowns for two front teeth I cracked in my teens. The original bonding has held up and still works, but they made it sound so terribly important that I get this vanity work done.

 

I would NOT get a root canal on a baby tooth. Too traumatic, chance of bacterial infection, etc. Just have the tooth pulled and get a spacer.

 

Oh, and get a new dentist.

[Katiebug_1976]

I would absolutely get a second opinion.

 

Anne

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:iagree:!!!!