"Is this Real Life?"
My 5 year old lost her last upper primary central incisor yesterday. I am not sure what transpired between the time when she lost her first tooth and now? The minute her first tooth became loose, she begged me to help her pull it out. Yesterday as the tooth dangled from her gingiva, she was hyperventilating at the sight of blood on a piece of tissue. When a child develops a fear especially one involving the dentist, for whatever reason, it makes the most simple non-invasive procedures an exhausted battle.
As I watched her "freak out" in the bathroom, I couldn't help but think about how she will react if she ever needs a cavity filled. Chances are, her dentist may recommend the use of a sedative to help relax her. I instantly remembered the video of young David DeVore. The video, shot by his father, captures David after his trip --no pun intended-- to the dentist to surgically remove an extra tooth. David was obviously more than confused from the prescribed medication used to relax him during the appointment, asking his father "Is this real life?" and at one point in the video, staring off into space to then rise up in his seat releasing a ravenous growl. With over 16 million views on YouTube, David's family has faced some criticism for posting the video. Some critics going as far as to suggest that child welfare officials should be notified because the boy was filmed "on drugs," almost assuming the situation was intentional.
Life is full of unpredictable, hilarious events that we sometimes wish were captured on video for a lifetime of laughs; but do we need to share these moments with the entire world? My concern with this particular video is simple... Every person reacts differently to medication. Parents disturbed by the after-effects David was experiencing from the medication may choose to decline a prescription and the advised use of a sedative for their own child if a dentist feels it is necessary, thus causing unnecessary stress for the child during treatment and potentially deepening the fear of dental work that is already evident in the child.
Comments
i would never never post a video of my small child online, and that goes double for a medical situation. period!
If my child was terrified of seeing the dentist, then I would strongly consider a sedative. If there was a less potent, or shorter acting, alternative, I would consider that instead. On the other hand, if my child is handling the situation well, I’d opt for pain meds and try to avoid mind-altering drugs – I think that posting the video is questionable at best. It was funny at first, but then I felt very uncomfortable watching it because his son was somewhat distressed. I’m not sure what his dad was thinking, but he made a poor choice.
Well, the video made me uncomfortable but I still laughed — which makes me a terrible person, I know! Actually, more than that, it reminded me of when my then-17-year-old son got his wisdom teeth out and they knocked him out pretty thoroughly. When we collected him afterward, it was like he’d been lobotomized! After a while he was, of course, just fine and had stopped babbling about the “nice lady who held my head.” But his younger sister still remembered it when her turn to be de-wisdomized came around. She opted for local anesthesia only and was completely lucid afterward.
My 5-year old is *dying* to lose her first tooth. I definitely feel leery about anesthesia but I trust my pediatrician and pediatric dentist, so if they recommend it, after a thorough discussion of the alternatives, I would comply.
I too felt uncomfortable watching the poor kid go through that. Although, it totally reminded me of me when I got my wisdom teeth out. My poor husband. Let’s just put it this way, David was a lot more composed than I was! After I quite loudly insisting that I could only drink the meal replacement stuff they gave me with soy milk (I rarely even drink soy milk), then I laughed about everything in the car half the way home, said “Hi” to our church building as we passed it, and then burst into uncontrollable sobs. Sedating drugs are NO GOOD for me! But the long nap when we got home was great!
Most likely, the child will have no memory of how he felt afterwards (except what he sees in this video). My son had to be sedated for a dental procedure, and he fought the sedation tooth and nail (quite literally, actually). He wouldn’t even submit to X-Rays without sedation, and they gave him the max they could give for a child his size. Even with the sedation, he kicked and screamed the whole while. He had to be strapped down on a board, and still the dentist was not able to accomplish everything he had wanted to. Obviously, we had no choice but the sedation, and while my son’s first dentist visit looms large in his head (which caused the fear in the first place), he has no recollection of the sedated procedure. (Thank God.)
I would absolutely give my child the sedative/hypnotic medication. So they act a little silly and confused afterwards, so be it. If the alternative is pain, terror, and fear of dental care I think the answer is obvious.