Five year olds and cavities

So Anthony has some cavities. Ugh. It's always him no matter what. He has hypospadias, required three surgeries, the one who gets hurt by others, or the worse, etc etc.

Dh went today to get one filled. He talked to Anthony about what was going to happen and he understood(we don't have dental, so it's through the state). Gets to dentist(mainly adult, but take kids/our insurance) and dentist didnt feel comfortable doing it. Wtf. So says to go up the road where it's pediatric and they have laughing gas. Long story short, no laughing gas. And it's a chain, and I've only seen bad things about those chains.

Now dh is freaking out. Is Anthony going to be traumatized by it?!? He has...f.i.v.e. I have huge fear of dentist, so this is on him. I can't bear to bring him. If we paid out of pocket at pediatric dentist in town, it would cost $1,000. We don't have that.

ALLLLLL of that to say-who had kids get cavities filled at this age?!? How was it?!? What did it entail(drugs? Laughing gas?). I need stories to tell dh and calm myself!

 

My kids have not had cavities but I know kids who have. Most of the time they've either had it done at the dentist office or with a pediatric dentist, the ones I know, their kids used laughing gas. And the kids were fine. Not saying that any of those kids are like, "OMG! That was great! Let's a get another cavity filled Mom!" But they did not seem overly traumatized or anything.

Don't beat yourself up over about cavities, some people are just prone to them.

Good luck Anthony!

 

It's not your fault, Meags! Some people are just really prone to cavities. I (knock on wood) have never had one, but I get crazy-fast plaque build-up (my dentist is always shocked) while Paul has the most beautiful, straight, white teeth and he's had a TON of cavities.

:hug: Poor kiddo and poor mama!

 

That's like me and dh. We do exactly the same thing-eat the same damn foods. I've got a mouth full of silver and he doesn't.

I do think I had my first visit ever back in the spring with no cavities. I had a kick in my step after that appointment!

Have I mentioned how much I hate the dentist?!?

So he goes next week for another exam and we will take it from there. I'd just assume give him the laughing gas. And now dh is freaking out because the dentist made a big deal about it.

 

One of my twins had 4 done a few months before they turned 6. He did fine, they gave him the laughing gas and the whole thing was fast. Our regular dentist at the time did refer us out to a pediatric dentist for the fillings. One option the pediatric dentist had given us was to have it done at the hospital, they would put him under a general and do all of the fillings at the same time, and that way part of it (or all of it? It's been awhile..) would be billed under our medical insurance rather than the dental. That might be something you could ask about if you don't have dental. We ended up not doing that, just having the pediatric dentist fill them one by one, 4 different appointments. He did fine each time, though!

 

Hmmm...we don't have dental, hence the shady places(IMO). It's never come up about having it done at hospital. I should look into that. Thanks! I'd prefer one shot vs one at a time, as I just think he will be bothered by it.

 

It's something to look into. I don't remember the specifics about what was covered, etc, because we went the other way. Our thinking was maybe four trips to the dentist would make him heed the "BRUSH YOUR TEETH!!!!" lesson. :laughing: So far, so good too!

 

I have one child of my three who is also prone to cavities. We also don't have dental insurance through our employers, so we bought private insurance online through Humana. We take them to a pediatric dentist, and every time Amelia has a cavity our co-pay is $400. (That's half, insurance covers the other half).

I'd try signing up online for insurance. I think we pay $64 a month for all 5 of us. Cleanings are free for everyone. When the kids get their permanent teeth in they will be able to get them sealed for free. Cavities are paid at 50%.

Luckily I have a HSA through my work and even though the kids aren't on my health insurance since they are my dependents I can use that money to pay for their medical expenses.

 

All but one of my kids has had cavities and 1 has had a lot. When they were little, the dentist would give me a sedative to give them about an hour ahead of time (a heave dose of Benadryl, I think), by mixing a capsul into jam or something. Then they got the nitrous at the dentist. Between those 2 things, they were really copacetic about it all. Sydney even fell asleep during the one filling she's had.

I have horrible teeth, despite all the brushing and flossing in the world, I've had 2 crowns and I have a new cavity about every other time I go. I was very happy to not have any when I went Monday.

 

My bff's daughter (5yo) has had to have quite a bit of dental work done and she has always had laughing gas. Can you see if there are any pediatric dentists (other than the chain) that take the state dental coverage? Maybe call around?

 

Lesley-none do

Due to my fear, I wanted then at a pediatric dentist. There is one in town. We went two or three times. But the last straw was the $400 bill for two cleanings and x-ray. I thought dh would pass out!

 

Allison had five cavities filled just in June. I was very nervous but she never needed a shot. But, they also did it in two visits because the dentist felt that doing all five would be too much for her. However, we had gas and not only was it hilarious, she was virtually pain free, which made coming back very easy for her. We had clear fillings put in and in network it was almost $300....can not imagine how much it would have been otherwise. The silver fillings would have been cheaper, but I just didn't want her to have a mouth full of silver.

 

My kids both had 4 caps fitted and about 5 other cavities. when they were around 6 years old. Their pediatric dentist did it at the hospital so they were under anesthetic. One has since had her I teeth taken out with laughing gas, but she is used to this dentist now after quite a few years. Totally understand about your fears as I am also petrified of the dentist.

 

Marcus had one filled at around 5, and another a couple of weeks ago. The first by a pediatric dentist, the second by a regular dentist. Both times he was simply given a novacaine shot--the shot was the worst part--and he was a trooper! We have never even been offered any laughing gas.