[mommyto2guatboys]

Okay so I was wondering if anyone has had children who need a lot of dental work? I just took my 4 year old son to a new pediatric dentist today and the news wasn't good. He told me that my son has bad teeth, there is no enamel on his teeth and many of them are filled with cavities and we will need to cap some of his back molars. i am just sick over this, but he reassured me that it is genetics, and prenatal care which I know I had no control over. I am so sad for my son for what he will have to go through to get these fixed, also that he will have a mouth full of silver caps, and I am sick over the money this will cost us even with insurance, in a time like this all we need is more expenses. I feel like the dental costs are very high, can you get quotes from other dentists for the same work, has anyone ever done this? Any suggestions, thoughts from others who have gone through this with their kids, when do back molars fall out in kids, is caping baby teeth really needed?

Thanks,
Magen
My family!

[mommytoEli]

i am sorry.

i can't imagine a dentist not giving you a quote, call around.

i have no ideas, but i could not NOT post, i feel so badly for his little mouth...and your pocketbook.

[robandjulie]

I'm so sorry you and your son are going through this. You can definitely price around with other dentists but of course make sure they are covered by your plan and keep in mind that a higher or lower priced dentist may all be the same when it comes out on your bill after insurance depending on how your insurance is set up.

Also, no price is low enough to justify a dentist you or your kid don't feel totally comfortable with.

If it's any comfort, in 3rd grade I ran face-first into another kid's forehead and knocked out bits and pieces of most of my front teeth. Since they were permanent teeth but my mouth was still growing, we did caps until everything was settled and then I got veneers and fillers and all that. We went to an AMAZING dentist who was so kind and funny and had the coolest waiting room and I actually looked foward to those days even though we went almost monthly for several years and the process was not entirely comfortable. I still love going to the dentist. So it may not be that hard on your son.

I'm not a dentist, but I'd think the lack of enamel may lead to nerve exposure as they decay which will become very painful and be prone to infection and such. If they say to cap them, maybe get a second opinion to be sure but they've likely got good reason for it.

[DPline]

My younger son has no enamel on his teeth. The dentist figures either due to maternal malnutrition during pregnancy, or evidently some medications used in pregnancy can cause it as well. Anyway, he had two crowns put on soon after coming home at 20 months old. They gave him some gas as a sedative and I was amazed at how quickly they were able to do the work. He did great wtih it all. Since then (he has been home 4 years) we have managed to avoid any more cavities or work.

My older son is 10 and hasn't even begun to loose his molars yet, so I think it is really important to get the work done (at least cavities filled, crowns put on, etc.) as otherwise the decay can progress and could be detrimental to his health.

My son's work was luckly mostly covered by insurance, but if it would help, PM me and I can see if I can dig out what the actual charges were.

You might also ask around of friends/neighbors if they have a pediatric dentist they would recommend. While the cost is definetly a huge factor, having a good dentist that your child (and you!) is comfortable with is huge.

Good luck!

[becky]

As we speak my daughter is sitting in the recliner with a tea bag in her socket after having had a molar pulled today. She had 4 crowns put on at the age of 5. She has had 11 cavities so far in her life. Her teeth are terrible.

The tooth today has absessed under the crown and had to be extracted.

So...I can relate to the bad teeth issue. We have very good dental insurance, but her teeth have really cost a lot of money...and she is only 6!!

[sld]

I just bought our 21/2 year old to the dentist and same thing, no enamel on some teeth and severe decay on two back molars.... We now have to go the dentist every month and he is just trying to buy us some time before we even have to cap them! I thought I was doing good by brushing his teeth twice a day but now it is 4x, flose 2x and special fluroide treatment at night. I know this is probably genetics but I am so sad too.

[happykosmo]

Most dentists DO NOT put silver caps on unless specifically asked for by the parent. There are caps that are white on the front and silver on the back, you can't even tell they are caps.

Also, you may want to consider sedation. The only difference in cost is the anesthesiologist, which run about $500.00. Check with your insurance, some will pay for the anesthesiologist.

Good luck.

[Melina's Mom]

My daughter came home at 5 months old she had black marks on the bottom 2 teeth, I took her to a dentist when she was 9 months old & has been going every 6 months since then, she has soft teeth (molars)that crumble the dentist has given her gas twice to fix her teeth & my daughter goes to the dentist she might not like it but she goes because she knows they are helping her. Now I pay 90% of all dentist visits because the dentist I go to is not in my dental plan, if she was in my plan it would pay 100% of all dental work. I would rather pay out of pocket to have a great dentist do work on my daughter so she will have great teeth & does not freak out when we have to go. I hold the dvd player in my arms & she is laying on top of me in the chair w/ her earplugs & before she knows it it is all over..... I wish you luck if money is tight please try to cut in other places but remember this is to save his perm teeth & help him w/any pain he might be having now you will be happy you did this. Just one more thing please do not shop around for the cheapest dentist you want to make sure your child is comfortable with the process & it is done write & in the best interest of your child. Best of luck..

[kellum5]

Doing it right now.
Our four yo DS has been home since he was 7 months old.
We are fixing 7 teeth and four need caps. It is going to cost us about 2500.00.
I was told by two dentists that the caps are to prevent further decay in "weak" teeth. By just pulling the teeth he would be totally without molars and we have been told it can make the permanent teeth not come in right.
It is terrible and trust me I feel your pain.

[becky]

Bella had the caps for the same reason...to protect her molars that were already pretty weakened from the cavities. Since she was so young they didn't want to pull them. Unfortunately even with the cap and with regular brushing and flossing this tooth still didn't make it and had to be pulled. They are putting a spacer in to make sure her baby teeth don't start moving the wrong way.

We didn't have an option about having silver or white caps...our insurance paid for the silver...I guess they are cheaper...and Bella doesn't really seem to mind. It only bothers me a bit because one of the caps is in a tooth close to the front and it does show in pictures...but that is O.K. If it helps her that is all that really matters!

[LucyLuMyLuv]

My daughter came home with her entire mouth capped for the same reason. My dentist here said it actually was an excellent job for having been done in Guatemala and would have cost a lot here. When I mentioned this to my agency they stated that was because the work was done by dental students and so there is more attention to detail. You might check with the dental college near you. I know the one here at our children's hospital does good dental work at a fraction of the cost and they accept insurance too. My daughter has lost most of her caps now but the dentist tells me the enamel on her permanent teeth is weak as well and recommends she never have braces.

[ourdreamcametru]

My now 14 year old bio son had this problem when he was little. He had what they call a pulpextimy (sp?) on every tooth in his head, a root canel in an adult. His problem was caused from taking so many meds when he was a very sick infant. Just to give you hope, now he has the MOST BEAUTIFUL mouth full of teeth, white, perfectly straight and not a cavity in his head! That said, chances are this will not effect adult teeth!

[DPline]

Originally Posted by becky

We didn't have an option about having silver or white caps...our insurance paid for the silver...I guess they are cheaper...and Bella doesn't really seem to mind. It only bothers me a bit because one of the caps is in a tooth close to the front and it does show in pictures...but that is O.K. If it helps her that is all that really matters!

We only had the option of white if we were willing to pay the difference in cost, which was substantial.

[mommyto2guatboys]

Thanks guys for all of your responses, it has been a great help. I am glad to hear that we are not the only family out there dealing with this, this really stinks for our kids but we are so lucky we live in a place with great dental care.
Yes I am concerned about the price, but I will not sacrifice care for money not for my children. The first dentist we went to for him was horrible, and that is why we switched to the new dentist. We like this place a lot, it's a pediatric dentists, fun, tv and more! My son loved it and I know we will be going there for good, I just need to figure out where the money is going to come from!

Thanks,
Magen
My family!

[stacytoadopt]

check and see if there is a school of dentistry near you. The fees are usually 50%.