6 year old to have molar tooth taken out - local or general aneasthetic?!?

Question

My little boy, who has just turned 6, has just been told that he needs to have a primary molar taken out (it is crumbling away), and his dentist intends to do this with a local anaesthetic today. We have already been warned that when he is older he will need some secondary teeth removing and to wear braces. He is rather nervous and I am worried that this extraction is going to set him up with a fear of future treatment. Friends are recommending that he would be better off having it done under a general anaesthetic. What do you think? I could really do with some advice!!

Answer 1

Have you discussed whats going to happen with him - receiving a local anaesthetic in gum tends not to be painful if the dentist is good. I had to have all my primary molars removed when I was 11 as they all had roots and were preventing my adult teeth from coming through. I went myself and had one side of my jaw done one week and the other the next. I did have four adult teeth removed for orthodontic work as I have very large teeth and a small jaw but had a general for these. I know my five year old may need to get a tooth removed she also has problems with her molars due to reflux as a baby - all the acid from her vomiting has softened her enamel too much on her back teeth but our dentist wants to wait and I trust him to make a judgement call on it. If your son is too anxious insist on a general - if your dentist is any good he will agree.

Answer 2

Hello ... Yes this is totally necessary to have sealants put on baby teeth. A sealant is like a filling for a baby tooth. Its does what it sounds like it "seals" a possible formation fo a cavity. In most cases if they have to do an actual filling inside a child's mouth they will do an amalgam (which is basically a silver filling, as a composite is a nice white one). The amalgams often cost much more than a sealant. When the denists puts on a sealant they are basically trying to prevent further decay of the tooth and trying to protect it until it falls out. The price of $55 is actually cheap. The office I worked at for 6 years charged $70 and if you want an actual filling which would be the amalgams we would be looking at about $90-$100 and a composit is even more than that. If you are really in doubt though and have a dentist with a bad rep I would suggest switching. You dont want to mess around with your oral health and catch any problems you're children may be having early on. It'll save you lots as they get older if you start to get a hold of them now.

Answer 3

Well your son is precious to you and I would highly recommend that you use local...he's not going to be excited but it won't be the end of the world either. He will be completely numb so it won't hurt. Besides the dentist and staff will very nonchalant about it. Stay calm and try not feed fear!!
There are so many risks involved with a young child going under with general anesthesia. If you decide to use it...make sure the staff has licensing for using it and have a constant watch of your sons heart rate and breathing. It is been know for children to go into comas and or die from local anesthetics , especially at dentist offices. Research before you decide on general!!

Answer 4

I had two of my teeth taken out when I was a child. One when I was about 7 and one when I was about 10. I had one removed under local anaesthetic and one with gas. I can honestly say to this day I have absolutely no fear of the dentist and go regulary for check-ups and any necessary treatment. I would let the dentist remove your sons tooth under local anaesthetic as general anaesthetic can bring with it it's own set of risks.

Answer 5

You should see how he cope with this local anaesthetic first . If it's been unbearable maybe general would be better. But you need you need to remember there are higher risks regarding general ... granted few are affected but there is a chance he won't wake up there will be problems etc . Local anaesthetic if you can use it and your son is OK with it is safer, general is painless. Further more under general he would have to go to hospital and could be in there for a night to monitor him.

Answer 6

I would never let a dentist put my child to sleep,too many stories on the news about them getting to much gas & not waking up.when my kids go to the dentist they have locals & I hold their hand & promise them a new toy or dvd if they are brave,seems to work.if they tooth is crumbling then it wont take much to pull it out it will be over in 5 minutes,dont take the risk of a general anaesthetic.

Answer 7

I had a full sedation (like a General, but not a General) when I had a tooth removed at 12 years of age, so I'm suprised that your dentist has opted for local for a 6 year old.

I hate to say it, but I think you need to really concentrate on cleaning your son's teeth properly now to avoid any further treatment. A child that young shouldn't have crumbling teeth, it's a reflection on you.

Answer 8

local aneasthesia. mind conditioning starts at home.. why not ask for a root canal, and let it exfoliate by itself once the succesive tooth starts to come out. If he is worried , its your responsibility to try your best as the mother to condition him that everything will be alright before you bring him to the dentist.. In my country old people still scare their children that they will bring them to the dentist if they wont behave , kids carry the fear to usually dont overcome this scare and bring the fear to adulthood. i know im getting far , but it will have you to know .. And there is a better way to prevent this too, starts being aware of your son's oral health. Good Luck! i hope i hve enlighten you.

Answer 9

hi my 12yr old had two teeth taken out two months ago under local . My husband took him as i thought he would be in pain and couldn't go they left at 10am and were back by 10.30am.He was in no pain and having only had a local there were no side effects. Good luck and dont worry !!!

Answer 10

It's a local anaesthetic