Meridith L.
Posted 05/15/2010
As a person who had a root canal done on a papoose board as a 3 year old, please do not have major dental work done on your child without general anesthesia or conscious sedation. At 30 years old, I still have nightmares about the experience and have to be sedated for even the most routine work. At 3 years old, I couldn't tell the dentist that the numbing medications were not working and that I could feel every second of the root canal. They dismissed my crying as fear and not true pain.
Find a dentist and an anesthesiologist who you love and trust and who will let you be there with your child so that it is calm, peaceful, and a good-as-the-dentist-can-be experience for your child.
Bad, painful, and scary experiences now can lead to a lifetime of fear, trauma, and distress, but good experiences can lead to a healthy smile, good oral hygiene, and improved overall health.
