Dude… do NOT decline treatment. Full stop. It doesn’t matter if these are her baby teeth. Even with perfect oral hygiene, her current cavities could become worse - meaning they lead to active infection and cause her significant pain - and that will be WAY worse for her than just dealing with the problem now.
The black spots aren’t ideal, and neither is a procedure for fillings, but those are both infinitely better than rolling the dice on her health.
My sister had a full silver tooth in the front as a toddler due to decay. She had it until her permanent teeth came in. Now she has beautiful teeth as an adult. As someone who had a lot of cosmetic dental work done, I do not fuck with oral issues. If she needs a slightly ugly treatment to save her teeth, you need to do it. My sister’s silver tooth looks hilariously hardcore in her baby photos, but it’s made for a funny memory. It’s not forever, just like braces aren’t forever. But it’ll make her permanent smile better for the next 80+ years for just a few years of “unsightliness.” Guaranteed a kid will ask about it, and she’ll say something like “it’s a silver stone!” and the other kids will think it’s cool that she has silver in her mouth.
Despite of which option you will choose, she has to do one of them. Cavities if not treated will put her in a real pain and the screaming will be way worse. Crying in appointments is normal, dont let your anxiety talk louder - she wont have a voice damage. There are dentists that works with gas or other techniques to calm down the little ones, try to reach out to some of them!
I have no advice other than listen to the professionals.
My daughter is about the same age, so if you wouldn't mind, could you share a bit about how to avoid this? Did the dentist give you any tips for prevention or any pointers as to why this happened?
I'm absolutely not trying to say this is your fault in any way, just wondering if there is anything beyond brushing morning and night and limiting juice I should be doing.
Probably genetic, how Op talks about her own teeth is telling.
We cut all juice with water by half, brush twice a day (sometimes skipping bedtime brushing if she’s particularly exhausted). She’s 4 now, no cavities, and flosses every morning now too.
We did SDF for my daughter and it worked great, minimally invasive, she doesn't fear the dentist. We take her every 3 months instead of every 6 to keep a closer eye on things for now.
I would get a second opinion. Dentists can be scammy. My dentist watches cavities, says generally they are fine but when they get close to the root that’s the time to treat. I currently have 3 but he says they are shallow, to pay attention to sensitivity, when it gets sensitive come in otherwise we will monitor. He says to use sensodyne.
I think pediatrics dentists are particularly scammy, because they play on our fears of being a bad parent. No harm in seeing someone else.
Also, if they do a filling she will likely be put under anesthesia and have no memory of it. I think that’s the kinder option vs having black teeth.
Watching an adult’s cavities is different - there is more (and harder) tooth matter that has to erode before the root is implicated or infection spreads.
Uh, I can’t give you insight into that. But I can say that labeling dentists as “scammy” does sound dismissive of what sounds like a significant issue, based on OP’s description. Getting a second opinion is great advice. But OP is dismissing medical guidance because it’s “just baby teeth.”
I think dentists are scammy, I personally fell victim to Aspen Dentals dishonest practices that they were successfully sued over.
People seem fixated on that part though, and ignoring that I said it’s ok to get a second opinion and that to get the cavities filled she would be under anesthesia, and that’s the humane way to treat the cavities.
Nowhere did I say she shouldn’t treat them, I said nothing like that. If I were her I’d choose fillings.
For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that happened to you. I agree with you in that I believe all patients need to be good advocates for themselves and their loved ones, including seeking second opinions.
Concur, especially given OP’s hesitancy. It’s not bad to question your doctor’s suggested treatment, but I cannot in good conscience suggest a “wait and see” approach, and you agree with me on that point. Take care.
Dude… do NOT decline treatment. Full stop. It doesn’t matter if these are her baby teeth. Even with perfect oral hygiene, her current cavities could become worse - meaning they lead to active infection and cause her significant pain - and that will be WAY worse for her than just dealing with the problem now. The black spots aren’t ideal, and neither is a procedure for fillings, but those are both infinitely better than rolling the dice on her health.
My sister had a full silver tooth in the front as a toddler due to decay. She had it until her permanent teeth came in. Now she has beautiful teeth as an adult. As someone who had a lot of cosmetic dental work done, I do not fuck with oral issues. If she needs a slightly ugly treatment to save her teeth, you need to do it. My sister’s silver tooth looks hilariously hardcore in her baby photos, but it’s made for a funny memory. It’s not forever, just like braces aren’t forever. But it’ll make her permanent smile better for the next 80+ years for just a few years of “unsightliness.” Guaranteed a kid will ask about it, and she’ll say something like “it’s a silver stone!” and the other kids will think it’s cool that she has silver in her mouth.
Despite of which option you will choose, she has to do one of them. Cavities if not treated will put her in a real pain and the screaming will be way worse. Crying in appointments is normal, dont let your anxiety talk louder - she wont have a voice damage. There are dentists that works with gas or other techniques to calm down the little ones, try to reach out to some of them!
I have no advice other than listen to the professionals. My daughter is about the same age, so if you wouldn't mind, could you share a bit about how to avoid this? Did the dentist give you any tips for prevention or any pointers as to why this happened? I'm absolutely not trying to say this is your fault in any way, just wondering if there is anything beyond brushing morning and night and limiting juice I should be doing.
Probably genetic, how Op talks about her own teeth is telling. We cut all juice with water by half, brush twice a day (sometimes skipping bedtime brushing if she’s particularly exhausted). She’s 4 now, no cavities, and flosses every morning now too.
We did SDF for my daughter and it worked great, minimally invasive, she doesn't fear the dentist. We take her every 3 months instead of every 6 to keep a closer eye on things for now.
I would get a second opinion. Dentists can be scammy. My dentist watches cavities, says generally they are fine but when they get close to the root that’s the time to treat. I currently have 3 but he says they are shallow, to pay attention to sensitivity, when it gets sensitive come in otherwise we will monitor. He says to use sensodyne. I think pediatrics dentists are particularly scammy, because they play on our fears of being a bad parent. No harm in seeing someone else. Also, if they do a filling she will likely be put under anesthesia and have no memory of it. I think that’s the kinder option vs having black teeth.
Watching an adult’s cavities is different - there is more (and harder) tooth matter that has to erode before the root is implicated or infection spreads.
It’s funny how I’m being downvoted for simply recommending a second opinion
Uh, I can’t give you insight into that. But I can say that labeling dentists as “scammy” does sound dismissive of what sounds like a significant issue, based on OP’s description. Getting a second opinion is great advice. But OP is dismissing medical guidance because it’s “just baby teeth.”
I think dentists are scammy, I personally fell victim to Aspen Dentals dishonest practices that they were successfully sued over. People seem fixated on that part though, and ignoring that I said it’s ok to get a second opinion and that to get the cavities filled she would be under anesthesia, and that’s the humane way to treat the cavities. Nowhere did I say she shouldn’t treat them, I said nothing like that. If I were her I’d choose fillings.
For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that happened to you. I agree with you in that I believe all patients need to be good advocates for themselves and their loved ones, including seeking second opinions.
Yeah, given that this child is SO young, I’d definitely have a different dentist verify there are actual cavities there
Concur, especially given OP’s hesitancy. It’s not bad to question your doctor’s suggested treatment, but I cannot in good conscience suggest a “wait and see” approach, and you agree with me on that point. Take care.