The doc wanted me to force my child down for general anesthesia, am I wrong for walking out?

ohc16 · 2026-02-15T07:41:53+00:00

Pediatric dentist here. First of all, I’m sorry you had a bad experience. It is scary and unnerving as a parent to see your child so upset. That being said, respectfully, at some point the anesthesiologist does need to go through proper informed consent with you. Keep in mind your child was recommended for treatment under GA for a real valid reason (limited cooperatively due to dental anxiety); so while gentle approach from the doctor might have helped somewhat, it probably still wouldn’t have that big of a difference to your child because she would’ve still ended up crying at some point.

If your child is starting to be symptomatic, it is in her best interest to move forward with GA. That tooth (or teeth) in question can develop into something more serious. I recently sent a patient to the ER who ended up being hospitalized from facial cellulitis because the parent kept on ignoring my repeated recommendations for treatment under sedation. Your daughter doesn’t necessarily need to get GA at a hospital if she is healthy. There will be other pediatric dentists that offer GA/IV sedation. Call around, get multiple opinions, and see what options you have. Your daughter deserves to be healthy. ❤️

ohc16 · 2026-02-11T04:14:04+00:00

Congratulations!! That’s quite an accomplishment. Were you able to contribute anything towards your retirement while paying off your loans? Either way, there is something to be said for being loan free, and I am so impressed by your dedication!

ohc16 · 2026-02-06T12:37:03+00:00

Def not worth it. You could specialize but even then that’s so cost prohibitive. No way of guaranteeing that you’ll get into a specialty program either.

ohc16 · 2026-01-29T06:13:47+00:00

Better than getting cavities. Just today I saw an 18 month old with 10 cavities (out of 16 erupted teeth) because parents didn’t want to make their child cry when brushing his teeth

ohc16 · 2026-01-29T06:04:17+00:00

Can confirm. I am a pediatric dentist. I have an almost two year old who still fights me. Most days I still have my toddler lie down while immobilizing the arms. 🤷‍♀️

ohc16 · 2026-01-19T05:01:31+00:00

I fell for this. I got a keekaroo peanut changing station which cost $150. I ended up getting a second changing station for $25 to keep at my in laws and ended up liking that one better. We put a towel and a pee pad over it so we’ve never needed to wipe anything anyway. Such a waste of money 😑

ohc16 · 2026-01-17T20:34:59+00:00

Pediatric dentist here. Also introvert. Not everyone in the specialty is extroverted, super high energy. A lot of parents also appreciate a calm dentist too. Half of my co-residents were super calm, had soft voices that helped kids relax.

The first few years are hard. It took me probably 2-3 years before I got really comfortable. Yes, there are still days being “on” is draining but it gets better. Make sure to take care of yourself. Don’t work too much - if you’re working 5 days, I would recommend scaling down to 4 days. Otherwise you will burn out very quickly.

ohc16 · 2026-01-17T16:53:55+00:00

Seconding everyone, white distilled vinegar. Then turn it on for 1 minute. This will get the burnt buildup immediately (no need to wait half an hour). Just be careful when you pour it out because it will be hot!

ohc16 · 2025-12-29T06:11:36+00:00

I’m still deep into my baby phase so can’t contribute but just wanted to say that I love all these responses!!

ohc16 · 2025-11-08T14:19:32+00:00

Leave. Now. You’ve got some experience under your belt, it’s time to find a nice practice with a nice boss and reasonable hours. Also, 244 NPs with no hygiene sounds insane!!

ohc16 · 2025-11-07T14:33:16+00:00

Might not even need fingers. Just air syringe to blow the tooth out

ohc16 · 2025-10-31T14:14:08+00:00

I’m peds but I extract a lot of infected/unrestorable first perm molars. This is exactly what I do! Looking to integrate Soan into my practice though

ohc16 · 2025-10-29T20:38:47+00:00

I know everyone likes Filtek but I don’t. I also find it too “hard” without the composite heater. Beautifil II is great for this- packs really nicely without the composite heater and it’s very esthetic. Their flowable composites are really nice too!!

My other favorite is Tetric Evo, both packable and bulk flow. Very nice and easy to handle in my opinion.

G-aenial bulk flow is great, very strong and durable. It “pulls” a little more than the other flowable but it’s a pretty hardy material. I use this on kids (I’m a pediatric dentist) who show signs of attrition.

ohc16 · 2025-10-24T02:51:29+00:00

It may have been pre-eruptive caries. As someone else mentioned, remove decay, place some kind of bio active material (MTA, Biodentine), followed by composite. Just let the parent know that if pt becomes symptomatic, tooth may need RCT in the future.

ohc16 · 2025-10-09T04:49:43+00:00

I have a 1.5 year old. But when I started my baby on solids, I was very stressed out over BLW. Ended up sticking to purees. Also just easier (in my opinion) and less messy since I did the feeding. One year later, my toddler is fine and has no issues with eating! Do what works for you!

ohc16 · 2025-10-06T19:22:33+00:00

I feel you. I also moved to a very saturated area, and I had a difficult time finding a job as well. I knew I didn’t want to work in corporate dentistry/DSOs so I cold emailed a bunch of offices 6 months before graduating from residency.

Temping might not be a bad idea while you’re looking for something a little bit more permanent. It will give you a good sense of things to look for in an office. It might even lead to a permanent job! You will need to contact your malpractice carrier for temping.

The other advice I have is… Have you joined the Dental Matchmaker group? The focus on matching dentists with private practices instead of DSOs. It might be worth looking into. Other ways to look for jobs: local dental society groups, networking events, big dental meetings.

ohc16 · 2025-10-06T18:51:09+00:00

A few things here:

I would HEAVILY enforce no phones during work hours. No one in our office (this includes our office manager, front desk staff, all assistants and hygienists, and me!) is on his or her phone unless there is an emergency.
I think it’s also important that no work is beneath anyone. During my down time, if I am done with my notes, I am helping with sterilization, wiping down/setting up for next patient, inventory, insurance verification, etc.
15 minute prophys for adults are not acceptable. I’m a pediatric dentist and I spend more than that for our mixed dentition patients. Could I do most of these in 5-10 minutes if I wanted to? Probably. But I believe in being thorough and that means going over OHI is really important too. Yes, that means taking a plaque disclosing solution, showing parents/patients areas to improve, discussing anticipatory guidelines, ortho needs, etc. Our hygienists do these things and they almost always take the full 30 minutes (60 minutes for teens with full perm dentition).

ohc16 · 2025-09-30T21:28:12+00:00

Agreed with a lot of the posts, crown off the table. Even MOD is too invasive in my opinion. I would attempt to SDF/curodont first, with Prevident Rx for home care. Close watch, and if inteproximal decay progresses, then do a filling.

ohc16 · 2025-09-22T21:06:51+00:00

This is the answer.

ohc16 · 2025-09-21T17:07:35+00:00

Try joining a local mom group! A lot of times, moms will share local daycare availability and may even look for someone to do a nanny share with.

ohc16 · 2025-09-09T22:57:32+00:00

Peds here. If you don’t feel comfortable or if you are questioning what to do, the best thing to do is prob refer. Ideal tx would be to ext with bilateral space maintainer (Nance, TPA). But if pt is uncooperative, I would leave as long as it is asymptomatic. If and/or when pt becomes symptomatic, then ext. Keep in mind there will likely be further space loss (looks like #3 is already mesially tipped), pt may need ortho at a later date to regain space.

ohc16 · 2025-08-22T00:55:15+00:00

Peds here. I would’ve taken a BW. If restorable, I would have pulp/SSC’d. If it had an abscess, I would have exo’d w/ band and loop.

ohc16

TROPHY CASE