Question: My son is two years old.  One of his baby teeth has gone bad and needs to be removed.  My dentist said he should have this done as soon as possible so that it will not spread to his other teeth or get to the root and cause him to have pain.

Okay I am not happy about removing his baby tooth so soon, but can deal with that.  My problem I have is that he will not be putting my son under any general anesthesia.  I would think that my son should be asleep if they are pulling a tooth.  He is only two.  He said that he does not have to do that and that numbing it would be fine.

I have not done anything yet told him I would think it over.  I should I find a dentist that will do the extraction the way I want.   I really think my son should be asleep so that he is not scared or in any pain while they take out the tooth.

Reply: For the most part, dentist do not like doing anything that is not really necessary. There are risks involved with using general anesthesia. If your dentist feels that it is not necessary to put your son to sleep just to remove a baby tooth then you should heed his advise.

If you are going to a pediatric dentist for your son they really know what they are doing. (If you are not seeing a pediatric dentist you may want to go to one for a second opinion.) It may be a case of you being scared then your son. Do not show your son your worries. Ask if you can be with your son when they are doing the extraction. Most dentist will aloud that