Out of Order Dentist

i had a dentist yell at my kid once.

it only took once for me to find a different dentist.

good for you for being present in the room, and for staying calm while it happened.

but why on earth does a 4 year old need that many fillings???

if they're tiny cavities in baby teeth the pediatric dentist was probably right on the money.
khairete
S.

Find another dentist. I had one treat my child horribly when she was only 7 years old and needed to have a bunch of teeth pulled. It was many years ago. This guy works just down the street from my house, it still bothers me to this day, he was so incredibly mean. We immediately moved our entire family to a new dental clinic and never looked back. Some just really aren't good with kids.

Did you go to a pediatric dentist? If not, you should.

"Holler"? Your child likely scared the dentist if he put his hand near the tools which could severely injure your child if the dentist had them in motion at the time.

Wasn't there a dental assistant?

Find a Pediatric dentist who specializes in children and procedures for children.

Fear can come out as anger. He was probably worried that the tool he was using could injure your child, if it was in his mouth when your child tried to move his hand. I would find a dentist with a better bedside manner. That's a lot of fillings for a four year old.

Get a pediatric dentist, or get a different one if this one is a PD. They're a bad fit anyway, and your child won't do well with this guy when he goes back. Ask your pediatrician for a referral. A good dentist should be better prepared to distract a child (with staff or visuals or something) and should prep the child better. There should be no hollering, no matter what.

Also make sure that you're getting could preventive care - a 4 year old who needs so many fillings needs better at-home care or dietary changes unless there are strong hereditary issues at work here. Even if there is a hereditary problem, you need much more help managing it.

I'd probably cancel the appointment for the other fillings and get another dentist.

I do think it's possible that the dentist was scared that someone else moving the hand with the drill in it could have caused more pain and possible damage. It is possible the dentist was startled. But I think I'd still leave - partly because if it happened to my kid, he wouldn't want to go back. He would freak out at the thought of going back to the dentist who yelled at him.

Don't stress about it. Just ask your friends who they go to and find another dentist.

Well ......

I could see a dentist react loudly ... IF a child moved and the dentist had a drill going. So when you say "HOLLER" ... it's hard to say. If he just didn't want to hurt the child and was wanting him to stay still, I get it. (Ours has us raise our hand)

However - here's the thing, none of my kiddos had cavities filled in their baby teeth. And some needed them I'm sure. They just didn't do it. They waited until they fell out or they pulled them out (in a couple of cases).

Either way, I agree, I'd look at finding a new dentist. Your child probably now will be stressed about going to see the dentist.

The Pediatric Dentist was right to suggest you wait and see. While it's true that cavities can grow and cause more decay, that process takes a long time. Most dentists (not just pediatric dentists) will wait and watch small cavities, especially in young children. Having cavities filled at such a young age can be very traumatic. Waiting 6 months or even a year can make it much easier on the child, and there's usually very little, if any, growth in the decay.

When you asked the dentist to fill these cavities, I hope he initially tried to talk you into waiting. If not, it makes me wonder if he really has your son's best interest at heart.

I'd get another dentist.
A pediatric dentist should know how to manage a 4 yr old patient.
If this guy was a pediatric dentist - I wouldn't want him working with my kid again.

Welcome to mamapedia, J..

Is this a Pediatric Dentist or a "regular" dentist?

Call the office to complain. Call your insurance company and tell them what happened. And find a PEDIATRIC dentist for your son.

Since he's 4 years old and has 4 cavities? You also might want to ensure your son is brushing his teeth better. That's a lot of cavities for a 4 year old. Has he had his teeth sealed? That might help some.

You can request a different dentist, but your child endangered his teeth and mouth by trying to move the dentists hand during drilling, if he is not old or well behaved enough to handle this type of procedure you need to have it done under iv sedation (insurance will usually not cover this so you need to be prepared for the out of pocked expense).

I love going to a pediatric dentist because they're going to put the kid to sleep to do work and do it ALL at one time.

Your child is done with this dentist. They won't ever trust them again. If they don't offer sedation then you have to find another dentist who does. Your child will grow up to be like me and hate dentists. My teeth are all gone because my childhood dentist put his knee in the middle of my chest and drilled a tooth that was abscessed and not numb.

Updated

I love going to a pediatric dentist because they're going to put the kid to sleep to do work and do it ALL at one time.

Your child is done with this dentist. They won't ever trust them again. If they don't offer sedation then you have to find another dentist who does. Your child will grow up to be like me and hate dentists. My teeth are all gone because my childhood dentist put his knee in the middle of my chest and drilled a tooth that was abscessed and not numb.