My 5 Yr. Old Hates the Dentist

I take my daughter to Dr. Stephen Miller in Lancaster, PA. He is awesome! His office is like a big toybox. His son is also practicing there now too. He's good also.

My daughter was the same way. She was completely terrified of anyone she does not know toughing her, but she needed to see a dentist. She still freaks out when she needs to go to the doctor. We agreed on taking her to a "girl" dentist that specialized in children. She now loves the dentist, even after having to get 2 crowns. We go to Dentistry for Kids in pittsburgh. We use the office at West Penn Hospital, but they have several other locations. It takes us an hour to get there, but I think it is worth the drive to go somewhere that she feels comfortable.
I would not give my kids the gas for dental work. Our dentist uses distraction instead of sedation of any kind. If the distraction does not work they will go to something else, but rarely have to. My daughter was 3 when she had her crowns done and she sat completely still for all of it, only cried for a couple of seconds, a couple of times during the last 5 minutes, but that was because she wanted them out of her mouth. My older son had 4 fillings done with no meds also.
As for how it gets that bad, i have 4 children, 2 with perfect teeth, 2 with terrible teeth. They all brush at the same time, I brush the younger 2's teeth. Some people have good teeth, some don't. It is more from bacteria that lives in some mouths than anything else.

I can only think that if your not already staying back in the room with her do that so there is someone there and knows and trusts. And maybe if you ask your dr if it's doable... sit in the chair holding her. Even having her there when you get your teeth cleaned so that she can see that it's not all that bad. Let her know there are good strange people and bad strange people. Doctors, policemen, and teachers are good strangers they are just there to help keep her heathly, safe and smart.

Hey A.
I can relate,my 6 year old has a fear of the dentist,was fine with getting his cavities filled the first couple of times,but wouldn't cooperate after that.We go to a family dentist,very friendly staff,with a tv for the patients to watch while getting their treatment done,he gets to pick the show.

We were referred to a ped dentist,and all went well after his first visit there,although they had to use the gas.My youngest is bad for not brushing his teeth,but we are getting better and hope to prevent future cavities.

My guess,is you can't undo the baby bottle teeth.She likely had many cavities forming during this time in her life.I hope as her permanent teeth come in and with regular brushing and flossing,her teeth will be better,although like another mom said,some people just have better teeth than others.

A.,

I would ask your dentist if there is a dentist that specialize in putting kids under to do dental work. My son is the same way with the dentist and doctors. My family dentist informed us about a dentist that will put him under to do the dental work.

Trust me putting her under will be better for her in the long run because she gets the care she needs and you can have a little piece of mind because you are not fighting your daughter.

Good Luck

I understand what you are going through my 7 year old has dental issues also and at 3 had in hospital surgery for her teeth. Ever since then she has hated going to the dentist and would kick and scream even at check ups. I started sending my husband to appointments and she does much better, I don't know if this would work in your situation but it helped ours. My daughter has had "gas" to calm her and it does help, the trick with her was getting the mask on her. This might sound horrible but I also use bribery to get her through and promise her something small if she gets through the appointment with out screaming. Good Luck

We have a wonderful ped dentist, and before they took our insurance I paid out of pocket, and it was worth it!! My son who is now 5 was horrible, he did well his first two visits, they were for emergencies when he fell and hit his mouth, then his first checkup he was good, after that, the next two checkups was horrible, I had to hold him and the dentist put his head on his lap and looked, I found out he didn't like the spinning brush, so I talked to them this time, and the hygentist was great, she tried a reg brush first to make sure it wasnt the toothpaste he didn't like, and then he let them use the other brush, he was so good.

My suggestion would be to maybe play it out at home, have a pretend office and have her check your teeth first, and then you pretend to check hers, help to let her understand better, also I am all for the bribery, promise maybe a special lunch, or something small, if she is good, talk to the hygentist about her concerns, see if they can work with you. Do you see a ped dentist, I highly recommend it. As for the gas, talk to the dentist, see what they think. I have never had to use it, so I can't really tell you anything. Hope that helps.

I agree with the other moms who say use a pediatric dentist and I wanted to add one other suggestion just in case you already are. We do not have a pediatric dentist, and my children have always loved our dentist but my daughter needed to have a tooth pulled. She is not only terrified of needles, but also of pain. We had her listen to an I-pod with her eyes closed. Before the appointmenr she was crying and begging me to take her home. But with the music (I downloaded her favorite songs) and the help of Dr. Bowman here in York (Springwood Dental), she did not feel a thing, and left smiling. Best of luck in taking care of their teeth.

Do you have a good pediatric dentist that specializes in children? That is always a plus. (in the Lancaster, PA area I recommend Stephen Miller) Anyway, my children have had the "sleepy gas" - as did I for occassional cavities. No problems, and it helps them relax. My younger daughter needed more extensive work when she was younger, and had to be put to sleep. Their teeth need to be corrected, so I would use the approach that causes them less stress - start building a positive relationship about going to the dentist.

I understand you very well:) I take care of my girls, but my 4 year old had a lot of cavities...still do not know why since I do brush her and floss her.(one guess is because I did not give her the Fluoride vitamins when she was very young)
Regarding the gas,I would say go ahead with it. My kids's dentist is a pediatric dentist and very good also. I talked to her about it and she said that it is safe. I know that it can be a bit scary. Maybe you should ask your dentist to give you some reading about it and this way you and your husband can inform yourselves better.
Good Luck!

I would also go witha pediatric dentist if you can. My daughter has very deep grooves in her teeth and even thugh with me brushing and flossing cavities were a definite problem. My kids have no issues going to the dentist but a pediatric dentist only sees children so they are better equipped to deal with all sorts of things.They can make your children much more at ease and give them the time they need. I am sure a little gas to get her teeth in shape is better than the alternative. Going to the dentist is lifelong so they need to get more comfortable with it. Maybe next time you go to the dentist yourself you could take your girls along so they can see that you are able to have your teeth checked out. That way they can see what happens without being the one in the chair.
L.

Hi A.. You didn't mention if you use a pediatric dentist or not. That could make a big difference! My kids have been going to Dentistry for Kids since we moved to PA in 2000. They have 4 offices all around the Pittsburgh area and are the greatest!! I recommend you give them a call and explain your troubles. They can and will help you! It is so important to get kids to take care of their teeth and like going to the dentist so that they maintain their dental health throughout their lives!! Good dental health really impacts your overall health. Call them or check out their web site at www.dentistry-for-kids.com Best wishes.

My 3 year old also had bad teeth. She actually had to go to the hospital and be put under general anesthesia so the dentist could fix her teeth. It was very scary, but we went to a pediatric dentist in Lancaster and LOVED HIM!! He made her feel very comfortable and the nurses were great! My 9 year old had a bad experience with a dentist when he was younger and didn't want to go back to the dentist. We took him to Smilebuilder's in Lancaster and had them use gas with him. He loves going to the dentist now and isn't afraid anymore. Just discuss your concerns with the dentist or your doctor and see what they say.

HI A.,

My older son had a horrible fear of the dentist (he had to have a tooth pulled once and the dentist not only didn't wait for novocaine to be fully in effect but told him at 8 yrs old to stop being a baby when he screamed). Thus the fear. A co-worker at the time suggested finding a pediatric dentist. It was the best thing I've ever done. We had to pay out of pocket, but it was worth it, and not as much as I thought it would be. The nice thing about ped dentists is that they are willing (and well trained) to use 'laughing gas' so the kids are more comfortable. And their offices and staff are 'geared' toward kids. 3 years at a ped dentist and now he goes to a regular family dentist with no problem.

Good luck!