oneddmanybooks Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 My hsing friend got some bad news from the dentist and would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks! We had 4yo ds at the dentist the other day and they found 7 cavities! :o/ They are the type that each sit between 2 molars so there are really only 4 "spaces" involved. Do cavities have to be taken care of right away? Or can we take a wait and see approach? I don't know how deep they are but the dentist said that they are very small. "It's a good thing we caught them early." was her remark. I wondered at that. I don't want to be negligent in ds care but I also don't want to shell out the money if it can wait. Is it safe to wait and watch? These are baby molars so someday (at 12 or 13?) he will lose them. What would you all do? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I've heard of people not filling cavities in baby teeth, but if you don't take out the rotted parts at the very least, you could have major rot. And molars will be in for many more years, so you wouldn't want to chance major rot. (Sorry, I'm getting tired and I'm not expressing myself well. ;)) I had a dd with 4 cavities at two. I, the one who never had a cavity, was traumatized. She had to be sedated, but it was so bad she needed a baby root canal and we had no choice. I really trusted our pediatric dentist so that helped me to believe the treatment was necessary and simply do what I had to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Get a second opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Get a second opinion. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneddmanybooks Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 Thanks everyone! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 My hsing friend got some bad news from the dentist and would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks! We had 4yo ds at the dentist the other day and they found 7 cavities! :o/ They are the type that each sit between 2 molars so there are really only 4 "spaces" involved. Do cavities have to be taken care of right away? Or can we take a wait and see approach? I don't know how deep they are but the dentist said that they are very small. "It's a good thing we caught them early." was her remark. I wondered at that. I don't want to be negligent in ds care but I also don't want to shell out the money if it can wait. Is it safe to wait and watch? These are baby molars so someday (at 12 or 13?) he will lose them. What would you all do? Thank you. get a second opinion, from a pediatric dentist. There was a story on NPR about a year ago or so, and they had different dentists look at a set of dental xrays. None of the dentists agreed on where or if there were cavities!!! Some said there were a bunch, some said none, some agreedo n the number but not where they were! So yeah...get a second opinion. They may not be real cavities and may not need to be filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 As a side note to my earlier post... DH had a dentist tell him he needed a $7000 procedure done. DH asked repeatedly if there was any other option. He also consulted with an oral surgeon this dentist recommended. Second dentist said he needed a root canal for $500. This has been years back and everything has been fine since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Please do get a second opinion... don't just wait and see. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 2nd opinion would be good, two friends of mine got second opinions. First one the dentist confirmed the first diagnosis of many cavities and needed to be filled. 2nd friend had the first dentist say hold off on treatment of cavities, 2nd dentist said he had a genetic defect in his teeth that caused the cavities and his teeth needed to be sealed before any more damage could happen. At least you would get confidence in the treatment. I wouldn't wait if it really is cavities. Pediatric dentists are awesome in my book. I love ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I think 8 years is too long to wait until they fall out. BUT, dd had a small cavity that healed itself. (Although I had heard of this happening, I didn't really believe it until it happened). The dentist was watching it in the meantime. I think a second opinion will help in any case. Even if the second dentist agrees, at least you will know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 reported above post :glare: and id get a 2nd opinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Six months ago, my 4 year old was reported to have small cavities starting to form between almost every tooth. We took care of the bad ones, changed his cleaning routine and diet (no more candy, juice, etc!), and, by the dentist's suggestion, waited to see if maybe the other small areas would hold steady. A couple weeks ago, we went back for our next regular cleaning. Well, they got worse. :( He went back the next week for a crown (not the same process as for an adult), back the NEXT week for another crown and separate filling, and will be back again two weeks after that for some more regular fillings. He had enough that we were told we could do it under general anesthesia at the children's hospital (but he does really well at the dentist, so we opted not to). My point is that she should be okay with whichever she chooses. We tried our best to avoid excessive work, but it was unsuccessful. Waiting might be great (DS's cavity between his two front teeth has held steady) or it might not. I suppose that's not very helpful, but my point is for her to not stress over it. We do what we can and move on from there. (A second opinion is still a good idea!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Second opinion, especially if they are recommending stainless steel crowns, which apparently is how a lot of pediatric dentistry places make money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Don't wait and see... some kids are just cavity prone (use a toothpaste containing xylitol as the main ingredient). If there are cavities, and they get worse, the teeth will either need a baby root canal and a silver cap, or have to be pulled. We waited, and got the second opinion (although dd was 7, not 4), she had 7 cavities at the first dentist...and 11 at the new dentist by the time we got her in, and needed 3 root canals. It wasn't pretty. However, since switching to a xylitol-based tooth cleaning system, she has had zero cavities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Anna Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I vote for second opinion, too. I took up one of those spiffy, new, "brighten your smile" places on a "free" cleaning (if you pay for the digital x-rays or something) before we had dental insurance. I was told that two of my fillings need to be replaced and I need a root canal and two crowns. To the tune of about $2500.00. When I mentioned that there was no way I could afford that and asked what the lowest-cost damage control was, I was told that there were payment plans available so I wouldn't have to pay anything up front but could pay it off over a couple of years. (As if our financial situation is at all likely to significantly improve over the next 3-4 years!) We had an opportunity to get low-cost dental insurance and I went to a dentist recommended by a friend. He does stuff the low-tech way: old-fashioned x-rays, no dental hygienist (he does the cleanings himself), etc. He worked things over, tapped here and there, asked if I was having any pain (I wasn't) and stated that things looked good for the foreseeable future. My lesson learned was that those sparkly, new, high-tech places have to find some way to pay for all their sparkly, new, high-tech-ness. My smile might truly be brighter after they finished with it - but I have better places to put my money right now than in a brighter smile. Hope this helps. (The vent relieved my mind a little . . . :)) Mama Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneddmanybooks Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 My friend really appreciates your thoughts; thank you. She does use a pediatric dentist, but the last two times she was there, she did not get the dentist she had requested. She plans to get an appointment with the dentist she prefers and see what he says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.