my two year old is needing a root canal and four crowns on her front teeth but the part i am worried about is they said she would have to be put to sleep. i am very worried about this, is it even safe for a child this young? what are the risks? she doesn't have any breathing problems except she has a small spot in one of her lungs that when she gets head colds she needs breathing treatments, but its not full blown asma. could this cause a problem even if shes doesn't have a head cold during the procedure? i have tried looking this up on line but everything is so general and they say nothing about risks and benefits to having a two year old put to sleep. if anyone can offer some kind of advice so when i go for her apt tomorrow i can be better educated when they discuss the procedure that will be done a week from now. please help!

jakester

andysmom -

what?????????? Look, I'm no rocket scientist but man, what the heck are you talking about? Are you for real?

A two year old is gonna lose his teeth so why the heck would you get crowns for his front teeth when they're all going to fall out in a few years? Are his teeth black from sugar decay?

I don't know, is this a joke?

J_9

Bad dental health in baby teeth can ruin adult teeth even before the baby teeth are lost. So no, this is no joke.

There are always risks with anesthesia, but two year olds undergo surgery every day. If anesthesia is safe for a baby 24 hours old, it is safe for a 2 year old.

Fr_Chuck

It is as safe as it is for anyone, 90 percent of children get the breathing treatment for things now adays, for many things

andysmom911

no this is not a joke and they need to put caps or crowns on her front teeth becouae she fell anh cracked her four front teeth. they also have a small amount of decay on two of the teeth. if they pull them she wont have her new teeth come in till she is almost seven years old and by that point there is a chance that the gum would close up after five years of an empty space. she would ahve to go through getting spacers put in all the time.

jakester

okay, okay...sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was just so blown away by the question because I have never heard about 2 year olds getting crowns before...I was completely dumbfounded by the question and so I thought it must have been a joke.

In all seriousness, unless anyone responding here is a dentist, I personally would not base my decision on an answer from me or Father Chuck (no offense, Padre, but unless you've pulled a few teeth before in your life, I doubt you are an expert in dental medicine). Perhaps you might think of contacting your insurance company and seeking the advice of any dedicated professionals who offer expertise in making decisions like these. For example, UnitedHealthCare has something called Nurseline which is a dedicated service for people with questions similar to yours. It could be a start.

Please accept my apology. I definitely know something I didn't know before...thanks Ask Me Help Desk!

flossie

Hello andysmom,

You are right as for the reason to keep your son's baby teeth in his mouth. The baby teeth keep the place for the adult teeth to come in. If they are lost prematurely it can cause crowding problems for the adult teeth when they erupt between the ages of 5-7. Good dentists would never suggest pulling baby teeth unless there was no alternative.

As for the anaesthetic, J9 is correct. There is always a risk when someone has general anaesthetic no matter what their age but it's very very rare that there are ever complications. Your son will be expert hands and the dental treatment will be much easier for him if it's done while he is sleeping.

You are doing the right thing!

Wondergirl

My son had crowns put onto his front teeth when he was 18 months old. It was done while he was under general anesthesia, 1972, no problem.

He needed the crowns put in to save the spaces for his permanent teeth, for proper biting and eating, and for learning good speech. He recovered quickly and is a well-spoken, healthy 38 y/o now.

I have never regretted putting him through the slight risks of that oral surgery. His life was so much healthier because of it.

Amir1981

Yes its safe, and you need to hold on to the teeth for several reasons...they maintain space for the adult teeth...the child needs the teeth to eat...they need them to look normal...and they need them to be able to develop speech properly (ie the "F" or "S" sounds) I am a dentist but dont work with kids. From now on prevention is important...you need to clean your childs teeth and not put them to bed with a bottle (unless it is water)