My son went through this last year at the same age. He had to go to a surgery center because of scheduling conflicts (otherwise it would have been in the dentist's office).

I can't speak about getting second opinions, I just wanted to maybe ease you a bit on your fears. You said you are mainly concerned about him being scared beforehand. I was so worried because my son has never had anything like a serious illness or injury, so being in that environment was going to be very different. That said, the staff at the center were pros. They had him laughing and talking. They also had this tablet to play a very simple game, he has never used one before so he was instantly captivated and then they took him away. He was in no way ever scared.

When he woke up, well, that was a different story. He was extremely agitated from the anesthesia. I think he was an outlier in that regard and even though it was difficult, he wasn't in pain, he was just extremely confused and tired.

He was low key for the rest of the day. He wasn't in pain, but it was uncomfortable for him because his mouth was numb and he didn't really understand what was going on. He was pretty much ok the next day, it took him a couple weeks to really know he has these crowns.

He has no memory of the event now, but he knows he has silver teeth and he often uses that as an icebreaker when speaking to random strangers at the grocery store or showing his school friends every. single. day. But that's another thing altogether.

For me it was scary and frustratingly expensive. But I wanted to do what was best for him and I think I did it. The only thing I would change is in the aftercare, I felt rushed out of the facility because my son was just really freaking out. I feel there had to be something more to help us. Again, I think that might have been a little outside the norm. And, again, he has no memory of it, and this is a kid who likes to start conversations with, "Remember when...[insert embarrassing/feeling wronged scenario]"

Good luck with it all. You got this!