My son is 3y3m and his dentist recommended to have root canal done on his two front upper teeth- have cavities. My son does not have pain but the teeth are weak. Dentist said that its from milk. He said it would take up to 45min and he recommended to do this under sedation (anesthesia). I am worry about putting my son to sleep. The other option is to remove them. It was second dentist that I asked and said the same thing. My son started to have this problem when he was 2yr old. What I should do?
I would not do root canal. Personally, I would take them out if they need to
come out. What happened to them?
I cannot tell you what to do. I can tell you my opinion. I hope you don't feel it's rude, I tend to come off rude and don't always mean too, especially now.
I cannot imagine for any reason wanting a child to have the memory of the shots, the drilling, grinding, smell of decay, bits of tooth grit falling on the face, the mask for gas, etc...
Our 4 yr. old is getting several filings done this month at Children's hospital in OKC, under general anesthesia. I would not have it any other way.
Our 7 yr. old had a cap and a couple of fillings done and it was wonderful. She loves going to see Dr. Lee and it has been nothing but positive. We went in, sat in the waiting room with all the other families, got to the room to get ready for the procedure, she went to sleep, got worked on, woke up, wanted to go eat and play.
BTW, usually tooth decay is majorly related to genetics. Enamel can be weak or strong. One young man I took care of in a group home had parents who wanted a dentist to tell their son he had to brush his teeth at least 2 times per day. He had the hardest enamel that the 5-6 different dentists I took him to had ever seen. They each told him he didn't have to ever brush his teeth, that he would never have a cavity. They told me to tell his parents they didn't need to worry. They didn't like the answers so they kept sending him to different dentists.
If the enamel is weak there is not much that can be done to eliminate decay. Just getting fillings and caring the best you can is all you can do.
Baby teeth can last a long time and you dont want to just pull them and not have front teeth for up to 5 or 6 years. You would need spacers to hold the other teeth in the right spot to allow the permenent teeth to come in later. A root canal is done to take the nerve out of the damaged tooth so as the nerve dies, it doesnt turn dark and discolor the tooth. It stops the pain that can go along with damage to a tooth. Its not as if the baby teeth have giant roots into the gums. They do have some, but not like the permenent teeth will have. My daughter fell and knocked her top teeth out when she was about 3 and there is a root that went up into her gums. The nerve inside the tooth is what they remove when they do a root canal. You might ask if they will just do nitrous and he may relax enough for the work to be done. They can do what is called a "twilight sleep" where they are sorta asleep, but not all the way.
I didn't know that the baby teeth had roots so how can they do a root canal. I would do more research on this because that sounds strange to me. I had a child with sever dental problems when she was young and root canal never came up. she had to have a lot of fillings to save teeth that weren't coming out for years but not root canal. I googled and found out that baby teeth do have roots, but found many opinions on root canal on baby teeth. You look it up and read for yourself.
Baby teeth DO have roots--it's just that by the time they fall out the root has been knocked away by the secondary teeth.
Just wanted to add that if you have them pulled...just be prepared that it might be a LONG time before they come in. We had O. of my son's front upper teeth pulled due to damage when he was about 5 and it came in while he was 8...so...keep that in mind. AND with no teeth there for that long--will it cause a speech issue?
Are they going to crown the teeth because I believe a root canal makes the tooth even weaker?
I regret doing my root canals. They can be a huge breeding ground for infection as it is very hard to make sure they have it all cleaned out. It can open the door for many more problems too. I've researched how many people get very ill with chronic conditions after root canals and feel so much better when they are removed. There has been a dark spot with one of mine that they assume is infection. Just as your hands, feet and ears have energetic mappings (reflexology), so do your teeth. The teeth also have ties to emotions as well. I go to a holistic dentist now and he says he can pretty much predict what teeth have work on them based on the diseases the person has. My son had hand surgery when he was one and did just fine with anesthesia, but for the reasons above I'd try to avoid root canals at all costs.
My baby had to have all 4 top teeth pulled as well as porcelain caps on all of her teeth due to a enamel defect. She was given conscience sedation for it at 3 yrs old. I was a blubbering hot mess and she was just fine! It took him about 25 minutes to do her entire mouth and to this day she still loves him! You've got to trust someone mama! They know what they are doing and do it all the time. My dentist has a childrens hospital anesthesia doc come in for the surgeries and its very safe. She cried a little when she was woke up but was in no pain. It needs to be be done so get it over with! You don't want your baby in pain! I wish you were close to me, id take you to him myself!! Good luck
To my understanding... baby teeth do not have the 'root' system adult teeth have and cannot even have a root canal.
If they remove his teeth can they replace the teeth with fake teeth to keep the spacing properly?
This is tough for sure. I understand your anxiety over it, but I agree with Malia that you should do it. If he's only 3 that is a really long time to wait for his permanent teeth and being his two front teeth, I don't think I'd recommend it. He could be waiting 3 years!! My only other suggestion is to maybe see if the dentist could recommend you any other moms whose kids had root canals. That way you could talk to someone and see how it went, if they are happy/not happy with the results, etc. I would ask for at least two if possible. I know there are HEPPA issues, but sometimes if the doctor/nurse calls and asks their permission to give our their number it's fine. Good luck, this is a tough decision!
Yes, baby teeth can have root canals. They are called a pulpotomy. They are not nearly as invasive as root canals on permanent teeth. (google it) If you have them extracted he will not need a spacer, that is only for the back teeth. However, he would not normally lose those teeth until around K/1st grade. It will be harder for him to eat some foods without those teeth. (hot dogs/corn on the cob) The dentist probably was probably going to do a 'conscious sedation' which is when he will be given medicine to drink that will make him drowsy, then when they begin they will have him breathe nitrous oxide that will make him very relaxed and he will probably fall asleep. He will not be sedated. If they ask him a question he will be able to answer and respond. If it were my child I would suggest keeping the teeth as long as possible. If he did the extractions would he be doing it under a sedation setting or would it be a regular appointment? After working in a pediatric dental office for 10 years, THAT appointment will be more traumatic for him than the sedation appointment that he won't even remember. (there is something in the sedation meds that will have him do just that) Honestly, the sedation appointment just sounds a lot more scary than it actually is. Just pick the dentist that is best with your son. Good luck!
