Scared To Take My Daughter To The Dentist

[kyleesmom]

my name is jessica and my 2yr old needs to go to the dentist. I took her in for a consultation and couldnt get the dentists attention for even 2 minutes to talk to him about gluten products. When we went out front to make another appointment to have 2 cavities filled, i tried to talk to a dental assistant about it but then another dental assistant started telling her that it was stupid to be concerned about it because they were a dentist office not a grocery store and then gave me the crustiest of crusty looks so i lost my nerve and dropped it. she has to go back in a few days and i dont know what to do. my daughter has only been gluten free for a couple months and i dont understand the way people act about it, advice would be great. thanks

[mushroom]

Welcome to the forum. I guess I am really lucky because my dentist's wife and children are all celiacs so it is not an issue. If I were in a dental office that did not even know there was an issue, I think I would run.

[navigator]

I would find another dentist. When I was diagnosed I informed my dentist and they put it on my notes. When I went in for a check-up it was the first thing that they said to me and ensured me that they had checked their products and the gloves that they would wear whilst doing my check-up and clean. Try phoning round other dentists in your area and discussing this with them. That should give you a feel as to which one would be safe for your daughter.

[kareng]

I would go to another one. My dentist doesn't know what is gluten-free but his hygienists are the ones that have that info. Most everything they use is. Maybe not the stuff they make molds with but I haven't had to have that.

[Darn210]

I'd switch too . . . I don't expect everyone I run into to know what is or isn't gluten free, but if they are in an industry that must cater to peoples needs/allergies, then they at least had better be willing to learn, investigate and accommodate.

After my daughter was diagnosed, I checked in with my daughter's dentist. On the spot, the only item they weren't sure of was the fluoride treatment(it was actually the flavorings they weren't sure of) . . . so they used the old version which was safe and unflavored and kind of yucky tasting . . . sorry, honey, but at least it's safe

[wildwood]

If possible, I would find another dentist if I were you. When my daughter asked the hygienist at our dentist's office, she did not know. She said she would find out. She called every manufacturer regarding anything that would touch my daughter to confirm they were gluten free and made sure to inform my daughter when she went for her appointment and also let me know when I went in that she had checked thoroughly to make sure that none of the products contained gluten. If you cannot find another dentist, I would make sure that you let your present dentist know what your experience was with his hygienists. Their responses were totally unacceptable and he should be aware of how is staff is interacting with his patients.

[lovegrov]

I would also look for another dentist. If this is not an option before getting these cavities filled, I'd try to talk to them again. But you can also relax in that things involved in filling cavities will almost certainly all be gluten-free. Virtually everything in every dentist's office is gluten-free, and in a lot of offices it's all gluten-free. Still, their cavalier attitude is not at all professional.

richard

[birdie22]

I'd be looking for another dentist too. I had my first cleaning since going gluten-free last month and I mentioned it to the hygentist. She was more than happy to use the pumice only cleaner and even showed me the bottle of the "sand blasting" style cleaner to allow me to look at the ingredients.

[kwylee]

There is no reason for a dentist not to be able to easily address gluten or other allergies. I was nervous too the first time I went for a check up since finding out about my gluten intolerance, but the morning of my visit, every label was checked and they even thought to make sure they wore gloves that had no powder additives, just in case. As I recall, there was at least one change they made to accomodate me so it was a good thing they checked, but they were happy to do it.

I think your Mom's intuition is right to make you apprehensive of trusting such people with your daughter's health. I'd also let them know why I wasn't going back, but that's just me.

[stanleymonkey]

I'd find another dentist, we go to a group who are fantastic, one of the first questions they asked was if she had allergies. We told them she was being investigated for celiac another checked everything! And even though she has grown out of her latex allergy they still use latex free gloves just in case. Every visit they ask if there have been any changes. Mydauhhterloves you g, she asks to go every time we pass the office, which is everyday she goes to preschool!

[love2travel]

Man, talk about poor customer service! There was absolutely no reason for that hygienist to act so deplorably. As everyone has already said, I would also look elsewhere. You need a dentist with whom you and family feel safe and assured. There is no reason to settle for second or third best.

I am so fortunate because after I talked to my dentist he did a lot of research and is now the dental celiac specialist in town! He even came to talk at our celiac club meeting. It is exciting to see that level of motivation and interest in the subject. Kudos to him and his highly-accommodation staff!! They make me feel so at home and at ease. In fact, I used to be terrified of dental appointments at other places and this dentist has single-handedly turned my fears right around. Now I go to my regular appointments practically excited instead of being paralyzed with fear and barely able to get out of the car.

[Gemini]

my name is jessica and my 2yr old needs to go to the dentist. I took her in for a consultation and couldnt get the dentists attention for even 2 minutes to talk to him about gluten products. When we went out front to make another appointment to have 2 cavities filled, i tried to talk to a dental assistant about it but then another dental assistant started telling her that it was stupid to be concerned about it because they were a dentist office not a grocery store and then gave me the crustiest of crusty looks so i lost my nerve and dropped it. she has to go back in a few days and i dont know what to do. my daughter has only been gluten free for a couple months and i dont understand the way people act about it, advice would be great. thanks

Sounds like you need another dental office and it's not because of the gluten issue...they are just plain rude. I will tell you that going to the dentist should not be a problem. I have had tons of dental work done....implants, crowns, fillings...you name it, I have had it done. I have researched dental products as completely as anyone can and never came up with anything at the dental office that contained gluten. There isn't a ton of variety in dental products and many offices use the same ones. There is a lot of use of gums in dental stuff but not gluten. I am extremely sensitive to gluten and get very sick off of mere crumbs and never have been glutened at the dentist's office. The only thing I would check are the kids versions of things because they usually are heavily flavored to make them more palatable. However, it's rare when there is a gluten component to natural flavorings. It can happen but it's rare.....at least from all the detective work I have done.

Just make sure to check the labels and she should be fine...really! It's not one of the bigger worries a Celiac has.

[saintmaybe]

Good to know that all the dental office stuff is gluten free. I have a ton of dental work coming up next week ($3,000 worth ). I go a chain here in MA, Aspen Dental, but they were incredibly nice and accommodating, from the receptionist to the Doctor. They were very receptive to Celiac disease, and just asked me to double check my own sources to make sure there wasn't anything I could react to.