about a month ago i took my daughter to the dentist, she had a tooth ache, she is only 3, the dentist said she had rare tooth decay in the back probably related to an acid reflux disorder. he said the surgery to fix it is very expensive, and he wont do anything until i have the money which i have been saving but not nearly close yet. i dont have any dental coverage. now she is in alot of pain, it keeps her up at night and it is breaking my heart, im wondering if i took her to the er if they could do anything. please, i need some ideas.
2007-04-17 17:18:54 · 16 answers · asked by patison25 1 in Health ➔ Dental
Not to alarm you but take her to the ER! Then from there call
your counties " Human Services" department or local
St vincents de paul or every dentist on the list until you find one
that will let you make payments. Bacterial infections in the mouth
left untreated will lead to death. On the news just a few weeks
ago a lady took her son to the er after the same situation.
Her son had cavities and she had no money to fix them.
He was admitted and died there within 48 hours.
Please call the Human Services Department and go to the
ER. They will not turn you away when you explain that this
is something necessary for your 3 year old. I have a 3 year old
little girl. I would beg, borrow, and steal before I let her
go without treatment. Some Dentists ,not all,do have plans.
Start with the Er for some pain meds and antibiotics.
Sally
2007-04-17 17:33:16 · answer #1 · answered by sally 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know how much money this dentist said you "needed to save" before "he" would do any work, but in my opinion you should have taken your daughter directly to her pediatrician or the ER. Although, it could be possible that you may have misunderstood him and what he was really telling you is that "if" this is her condition, there is no sense in repairing "this one tooth" without treating the "real reason" for what is causing it, because it will continue either here or in other teeth because of the GERD, unless it's treated. If your child has GERD her pediatrician would have surely caught it before this "rare dental disorder" developed. I'm sorry, but to allow your child to have the continued pain of an abscessed tooth (and it is abscessed if she is up crying at night with it hurting) is very dangerous, some would say neglectful or even abusive. I would strongly advise that you take your daughter to her pediatrician or to the ER for treatment.
2007-04-17 18:36:17 · answer #2 · answered by HeatherS 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am a doctor that works in the emergency room. If you take your child to the ED, they can treat her pain, make sure this decay has not grown into a more serious infection, and connect you with urgent or emergent dental care. You should be able to find a dentist to do the dental work on a payment plan, and if it is that expensive, you probably ought to get a second opinion anyway. Also, she should see a doctor to have the acid reflux addressed, otherwise fixing one tooth will not solve her problem.
2007-04-17 17:28:27 · answer #3 · answered by Kristin N 1 · 4⤊ 0⤋
If your daughter is in that much pain take her to the ER. Its as simple as that. The dentist should be able to tell you if its' caused by acid reflux. If there is wearing on the back teeth it's do to her esophageal sphincter not having formed correctly during gestation. In layman's terms it doesn't close all the way. Thus allowing HCL to reflux or enter the esophagus. Hospitals cannot refuse to treat patients because of not being able to pay. The other part if she suffers from acid reflux or what we call GERDS Gastroesphogeal Reflux Disease in the medical profession then take her to a Gastroenterologist. It's rare for a child has young as three years old to have GERDS.
2007-04-17 17:46:39 · answer #4 · answered by Go Red Sox! 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Take her to the dentist. The hospital isn't about curing horribly resistant tooth aches. I've had more than my fair share of tooth problems ... they could prescribe a pain medication or give her a better check up. You might look into getting dental coverage instead of saving for the surgery right now so that you can get her pain taken care of. Good luck, I feel her pain ... she'll be okay, just do your best and comfort her. :) You sound like a good parent.
2007-04-17 17:25:28 · answer #5 · answered by ~Les~ 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The risk is slim to nil, and yet your dentist legally has to inform you of all the risks involved. Every time anyone is put to sleep there is always the outside chance that a complication or a problem may occur and it is natural for us all to worry, fear of the unknown, but we do know that having the treatment done is better than leaving your daughter in pain or with rotted teeth that will cause her more problems if left untreated. Hang in there and good luck
2016-04-01 06:38:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
ask the doctor if its safe to give her some kind of pain reliever such as anbesol gel that should help her with the pain and getting to sleep. do a search and post some adds looking for dentists that do pro-bono work. Does the tooth need to be removed or does she have to have a procedure to correct the acid reflux. If the later maybe the er can do something but if it is with the tooth itself they will probably be no help.
2007-04-17 17:25:55 · answer #7 · answered by who? 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Is there anyways you can get her on medicaid? If you are single and the ex or father isn't providing insurance you may be able to get it...It will cover dental stuff as well. A few years back my ex wasn't providing insurance like he was suppose to so I got medicaid and he had dental surgery where they put him to sleep and did some dental work on his mouth...This is just one option...
You can also go to or call the ER and ask to speak to someone about assitance in paying for services rendered, most hospitals offer help to people in need, or they can help you find assistance.
2007-04-17 17:23:43 · answer #8 · answered by sutherndreamaker 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if the pain is uncontrollable and not being relieved with children's motrin or tylenol then yes-take her in to the er (especially if she's waking up from it)
i would imagine that if this is urgent enough-they will go ahead and perform the surgery at the hospital to correct the problem and since this is keeping her awake at night-i would certaintly get it looked at right away.
check with your state health department about gettting free medical coverage for your little one (they will cover dental as well). all states are required to have it. there might even be free clinics you can take her to. there is someone at the hospital that can help you fill out the paperwork needed to get the free insurance.
i pray that everything works out for you and your little one-it's so hard to see our children suffering and not being able to do anything about it.
2007-04-17 17:33:15 · answer #9 · answered by prncessang228 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Time for a second opinion. Bad teeth can make people very ill, cause diseases, and it must be taken care of. She is a child so I am sure there must be an agency that will help. Sometimes there are free medical clinics where they will give you a referral to a dentist where the state insurance will cover it. I guess it depends what state you are in. Mmm
2007-04-17 17:25:54 · answer #10 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋