Tag Archives: children’s dentist

Pediatric Dentist

Why Would a Dentist Use Restraints on a Child?

I am expecting my first child and have been getting advice from a friend. One of the things she told me is never to use a dentist who does not allow me to go back with my child. She did that once and they put her son in restraints. Can you tell me why they would do that?

Sally

Dear Sally,

Pediatric Mouth Props
Pediatric Mouth Restraints

 

There are two type of pediatric restrains. The first is pictured up above. These are mouth restraints. They are designed to help keep your child’s mouth open when they are having dental work that includes a drill.

I know of a colleague that didn’t use this once. Unfortunately, the child bit down during his procedure, which caused the drill to go through his tooth and into gums. What should have been a simple filling ended up with the child needing a root canal treatment.  These type of restraints are absolutely essential.

papoose board
Papoose Board

The next type of restraints I would say are only rarely necessary.  Also, a dentist should ask a parent’s permission before using them. If your friend’s dentist didn’t I would say she was right to get rid of him.

Your question about why a dentist would use this is valid. Most pediatric dentists have techniques to keep children calm and cooperative. Every once in a while, however, there is a child who is so terrified that they won’t let the dentist near them and become destructive. If the procedure is not essential, normally you would just send the child home and then schedule another appointment for them, possibly using dental sedation if that is available.

However, sometimes a child has a dental emergency that has to be treated right then for their own safety. In those cases, I would understand a papoose board. Though they have been criticized, they actually feel more like a hug, sort of like a weighted blanket that closes. Every time a child has gotten into one when I have been present, they calmed right down and are able to get the dental work done with no trauma.

You are wise to be planning and learning everything you can now that you are a mother. One thing I would advise is to take your child to see a pediatric dentist as soon their first teeth come in. Don’t wait until they are older and there is a problem. You want their early experiences with a dentist to be positive ones so they are not afraid to go.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Pediatric Dentist

Did Our Pediatric Dentist Do Unnecessary Work?

I need some advice about a pediatric dental appointment we recently had. Previous to this, our son has been seeing our dentist but it wasn’t going well. He always had trouble sitting still and my dentist doesn’t really see children. It was just a temporary arrangement. We tried this pediatric dentist who said that there were a few cavities. We scheduled an appointment to take care of them using dental sedation, which went really well for our son. He doesn’t even remember the appointment. However, once it was over the assistant came out and told me that one of the cavities was so far along that they had to do a pulpotomy and place a dental crown. Was this really necessary? I feel like they did it without asking because it was not and they didn’t want me question them. How do I know whether it was necessary?

Claire

Dear Claire,

boy smiling with a toothbrush

Given the situation and your son’s wiggles (which are perfectly normal), I am guessing that the cavities were there and it is very likely that one of them had been there a while and spread to a dental infection. If that were the case, depending on which tooth it was, the pulpotomy and dental crown were necessary.

While most baby teeth can come out without a problem, back molars need to remain in place until your son is about twelve years old. If that tooth was infected then the dentist would need to deal with the infection using a pulpotomy if at all possible because he would want to save the tooth. If it wasn’t a back tooth, just extracting the tooth would be all that was necessary.

That being said, they should have spoken to you first. This is the one area where they can get in trouble for what they did. It is improper for them to do any work on your son without running it by you first. I would try having a conversation about that and let them know it is an expectation in the future. If they can’t do that, then you will need to find a different pediatric dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.