4 year old with hole in tooth

[2CheekyMonkeys]

i cant believe this is happening! i feel so guilty! i noticed my DD has a hole in one of her back molars! i feel so neglectful and scared. how is she going to cope at the dentist! i have an appointment for her next week and she is not going to like it one bit!

has anyone got any experience with how their children have coped getting a filling when they are so young?>

also, will they even fill it as it is a baby tooth?

[Trillian]

Yes, they will fill a baby tooth. Just explain to her everything that they need to do - even talk about using the drill. When I took 2 of mine to the dentist for the first time I prepped them and talked them through the whole thing. When we were sitting there waiting for him to come in and start, I showed them all the tools and told them what they are used for. Tell her that it will be noisy too - I think the noise of the drill scares them too. I used to be a dental nurse and the kids who were prepped by their parents first always coped better than those that just had it sprung on them. Telling them they will get a treat afterwards always helps too

And don't feel bad. Sometimes it just happens. Or you might be one of the lucky ones who has a kid with bad teeth. I have 2 kids with terrible teeth and no matter how often you brush them they still get holes in their teeth.

[2CheekyMonkeys]

thanks trillian. i have been explaining what sort of tools are at the dentist and the chair and the light etc but the more i say (and i am being very lighthearted and not saying drill, needle etc) she seems to get more anxious!

will they use a needle for children or is there something else they use? also, i am going to my dentist who isnt a peadiatric dentist .. does that matter?

i think it is my fault because since we had our second daughter i had been letting DD1 do her own teeth in the morning and getting her dad to do her teeth at night. maybe this isnt enough! i feel i should have been doing it for her! and then there are those times on holidays etc when they arent done at all! and all the junk that she has at times doesnt help! :-( my poor DD!

[Olive]

if shes too upset to have it done then ask for a referal to a paed dentist, they can do it under sedation or GA, but hopefully it can be done in the chair.
where i used to work we had dvd players for the kids to watch

[Astrolady]

My best friend went through it with her 4 yr old a couple of months ago. They gave her a white coloured filling. The 4yr old handled it better than her mum

[Trillian]

Mine have never had a needle with any of theirs. our dentist is really quick too so they aren't sitting there for too long.

[2CheekyMonkeys]

i am hoping it turns out that way too astrolady! we just role played a dentist appointment and she saw a dentist thing on play school today, so i think she is ok atm.

[mummydreamer]

awww the poor thing! try not to blame yourself, i know that some kids are just pre-disposed to getting more teeth problems than others. hopefully your dentist is really nice and understanding, and like the others have said, it isn't too complex. hope she (and you ) go okay with it.

[Snacks]

Has she been to the dentist before? If not, are you confident your dentist will be understanding of her needs? If not, I'd go to a paed dentist. I have taken Nat twice for check-ups (the second time was because she smacked her front teeth against some tiles while we were on hols) and I can thoroughly recommend them! They gave Nat a toy mirror to hold, they give her pink sparkly toothbrushes and stickers etc. They've just got the gear, you know? So even though she is still fairly freaked out by sitting in the chair and having the polish etc, she always leaves on a really happy note, showered with gifts, LOL!
All the best - I am sure she will be just fine.

[littlelara]

Dd had a brown spot on her back molar, but it wasn't a hole, it was where the enamel hadn't mineralized.
The dentist put some white stuff over it that hardened like a filling, but no drilling required.
Good luck

[Nai]

Yes my DD1 had a hole in her back molar too and had a filling - she had just turned 5. She had a needle for the anaesthetic and she handled it really well. I made sure that she was comfortable with the dentist and that the dentist was able to explain everything to her as she was doing it. Needless to say she is now much more vigilant in cleaning her teeth now!