my 3yr old son is having a pulpectomy done tues. this is his 1st major surgery. what can i do to help him?

Question

he kept falling on his face(litterally) when he was learning how to walk i'm sure that had a big part in this. is this a partial root canal? is there a full one that can be done or is that only in adults? how long will the procedure take? he was to uncooperative at the dental office so no x-rays were done will some be taken while he's out? is there a chance that this wont work? what else can be done? we've tried to get him to brush every night and he's getting the hang of it, but i think its too late.what if they do pull them...will they put a spacer(s) there? all of this is in the front of the mouth. i think the front 4 i'm not sure. he doesnt even know he's having this done.should i try to tell him? how do i? i'm more scared and nervous then ever!! i'm afraid he's going to be in so much paina nd uncomfortable.
I REALLY NEED ADVICE AND HELP PLEASE

i'm hoping to here from some dentists too

thank you

Answer 1

Here are some links to find some answers that you are looking for. Hope this helps

http://www.dentalfind.com/glossary/pulpectomy.html
http://dentalresource.org/topic58pulpotomypulpectomy.html

Answer 2

If I were you I'd explain it to him very simply, tell him that he's got to go into hospital so the doctors can make his throat so it's not sore so often(I presume that's why he's having it done in the first place), and that he'll have some special sleeping medicine and when he wakes up he'll be able to have lots and lots of soft foods, like jelly and ice-cream. If you tell him that Mummy will be there when he wakes up and that he can take teddy with him(which was the case a few years ago at least) then you've pretty much covered all the bases. I don't think just taking him into hospital with no explanation is such a good idea-as clearly neither do you-and the doctors would probably give him a simple explanation beforehand anyway, so it's better coming from you. He'll probably just accept it, as three year olds tend to do, but at least if he has got any questions he'll be able to ask you in advance. Good luck!

Answer 3

I'm not a dentist I'm a parent too, get a second opinion! How can a dentist not take Xrays to really get too the root of the problem? I'll ask about antibiotics first before I put my 3 year old through this kind of pain. It's close too the brain and if they put him to sleep what will happen too his thinking patterns for the rest of his life? I wouldn't have it done unless his life depended on it. These are not permenate teeth new ones will grow in. He is to young.
Get a second or even third opinion. Go to another dentist
and explain to your baby the best you can whats really going on. My child remembers back when she was 1 year. I am 46 and I remember back when I was 2 years old. Do your own research and find a natural way out. Let his teeth fall out then take him to the dentist.

Answer 4

They generally do pulpotomies on children. If it makes you feel any better, getting a pulpotomy is pretty much like getting a filling, except that they just go a little deeper to remove the pulp from only the crown portion of the tooth (not the roots). Then they usually fill it with a medicated filling (which would also help with any possible discomfort), then a permanent filling on top to restore the tooth.

If this fails, pretty much the only other option is to pull it, then get a space maintainer cemented in to hold the space for the permanent tooth. Since it won't be in for a few years yet, there is a good chance that the other teeth would drift forward to fill that space - then when the permanent tooth is ready to come in, there wouldn't be enough room and your son would likely need braces.

Kids bounce back quickly from everything. He'll be fine. =)

Answer 5

I'm a dental student, and I've already done my fair share of these procedures...or ones similar to it anyway. It is as close to routine as you can get, as the one dentist said before me. And all those links are probably a good starting point. I wouldn't put much stock in that other answer about antibiotics close to the brain and whatnot (no offense to that other person). Your child won't feel it...and the worst part will be the injection. Are they giving your child nitrous or valium for the procedure? Xrays aren't crucial for a pulpectomy, but they certaily help a lot. They may or may not try to take one.

I mainly wanted to throw in that you seem more nervous that your child. That's very very common, and I'm guessing you aren't a big fan of the dentist yourself. That's fine - no problem. But kids learn a lot of their perception of the dentist from their parents and siblings. Let the dentist explain it to your child in "kid friendly" terms and try not to let your anxiety rub off on your child, as best you can anyway. It'll be okay, but let your child form their own opinion of the dentist. Good luck.

Answer 6

Hi,my name is Paul and I'm a dentist in Southern Ireland.
The details for this procedure are quite long-winded to write the lot here but it is very well explained on www.dentalresource.org

When u search this u will find articles on childrens dental procedures, u can search topics alphabetically.

Don't worry this procedure is designed to save his tooth and is relatively common.

The most important thing with any young child visiting the doctor, and maybe even moreso the dentist is to assure them that they've nothing to fear and not make an issue out of it.

The pulpectomy is designed to keep the space for his adult tooth, in laymans terms it is similar to a root canal to a certain extent

Good luck and dont worry it'll be fine

Paul