Help my 13 year old daughter is terrified of having filling

[Lozaphust]

Hi would appreciate some support, today I feel like the worst mum ever as my daughter has tooth decay & ive been trying to get her to have a filling done for at least the last 6 months She's always been scared of the dentist & only in the last couple of years has she sat in the dentist chair. She need 3 fillings & 1 is quite deep, she's been referred to hospital dentist who say they will use gas & air to carry out the fillings. I think that this will traumatise her further as she has bad anxiety & tends to freak out at the slightest thing. She's always been difficult about taking medication & wont have any injections. Has anyone else had this kind of problem with their children ???

 

[missmeganleah]

I'm 20 and am potentially the worst dental patient and like your daughter, I'm scared of the slightest thing. One of my molars is badly decayed, so much so that it broke. however I've prolonged and prolonged it and gone 2 years without going to the dentist. last year I plucked up all my courage and went only for them to tell me that the tooth needed to come out because it was too far gone to be saved. I then had my first filling and it was NOTHING to worry about. It was a deep filling and I didn't feel a thing. tomorrow I'm going for my decayed molar out under iv sedation and I'm so scared. so my advice is to get it done before it goes too far. if I knew what I know now about fillings and how painless they are, I would have got it done sooner x

 

[bluelemon]

Hey! I'm 17 years old and much like your daughter used to be terrified of the dentist, luckily it seems that genetics have been on my side and only made me need two fillings, one fairly deep. I'd invest ibn some therapy for your daughter and also cosnider letting her get her own account on here so she can talk about her own feelings to the community here so she didn't feel alone so much.

What exactly frigtens her? Is it the needles? The pain? The possibility of the filling getting worse one day? (that's certianly my one) Have a long talk with your daughter about what she fears the most about the dentist and also put great empahsis on the fact that if she doesn't visit the dentist regurly, take better care of her teeth and have these fillings she'll eventually have to have the teeth removed, a far worse fate than fillings.

Edited by BRIT: fillings do not inevitably lead to root canals. They can be replaced.

 

[brit]

she's been referred to hospital dentist who say they will use gas & air to carry out the fillings. I think that this will traumatise her further as she has bad anxiety & tends to freak out at the slightest thing. She's always been difficult about taking medication & wont have any injections. Has anyone else had this kind of problem with their children ???

Hi Lozaphust, I agree with you that gas and air is not for everyone. I would hope though that hospital dentist (is this UK NHS?) will be willing to chat and reassure her and do what is best for her/what she prefers. They should have more than just gas and air in their weaponry.
It sounds like being in control (so have a stop signal) and needle phobia are her issues.
Read our section on how dental injections can be totally painless (numbing gel and very slow delivery) and she doesn't even have to see any syringe, just lie still, close her eyes and cooperate.

Painful Injections and Needle Phobia

Are you terrified of dental injections? Find out why shots may be painful, how to make them comfortable, and what to do if you have needle phobia.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Hopefully hospital dentist will be able to persuade her to just let them surprise her with a comfortable delivery of anaesthetic and then you may have solved her dental anxiety in one attempt. After all currently she is afraid of the unknown not having had any bad experiences?

Feeling Powerless (Loss of Control)

Feelings of helplessness and lack of control are very common when visiting the dentist. Find out how you and your dentist can put you in control.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Good luck - you are not 'the worst mum ever' - protecting her from a bad experience now (hospital may well be best) will be doing her a great service. You need to prove that her fears are groundless which they are with a competent dentist.