Fillings without needles? - what are alternatives for kid's cavity
Fillings without needles? - what are alternatives for kid's cavity
Added: February 03, 2009 - 12:22 PM
By: Patient Email Withheld, Bellaire, TX
Need Dentist / Specialist:
No
Provide Cost Estimate:
No
X-rays Available:
No
Case Summary
Filling
Teeth: 2
Case Description
My son (10) has his first cavity in a molar. His dentist is proposing novacaine shot/dentist drill under oral conscious sedation. His dentist doesn't do air abrasion or any other needleless technology (if there are any others) and gave me the impression those weren't best practices. He also suggested that the air abrasion would be as traumatic as novacaine/drill. My son has very deep pits and fissures in his teeth (I did also, which are now replaced by a lot of fillings!) and the sealant didn't adhere to the tooth that has the cavity, so I am concerned we are in for more cavities down the line. I don't want more tooth worn away by a drill than necessary and I definitely don't want him to develop the huge fear of dentists I did as a kid from my cavity fillings. He is terrified of the novacaine shot (he has had some moderately scary medical procedures before so has some idea of what is involved). What is considered best practices for filling cavities in kids - traditional drill? air abraision? something else? Also, if we decide we need to change dentists, how much do some of the high tech features I see advertised by some dentists matter (i.e. tiny cameras that go in your mouth, cavity detecting lasers)? These are not things that my dentist has, but I don't know if they are really improving the care or just impress patients.
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