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My little sister went for her first dentist appointment at 2 and had SEVEN CAVITIES. She had a whole bunch of teeth pulled and filled in. She was put under for it.

May parents had a lot of trouble getting her to brush her teeth everyday.

If your DS was crying being out under is probalby the best thing (comfort wise) for him. And usually you can tell what a cavity is without an X-ray on a child- usually a black dot

Don't feel badly!!! My son already has white spots on his teeth which are indicative of early tooth decay. And this happened before he was even a year old, so he had only been eating fruits, veggies and breastmilk! Our doctor said that some kids just have predispositions to early teeth trouble.

I think I'm one of those people. I by no means have perfect teeth hygiene but I'm decent and I still get a cavities it sucks so badly.

For the record, I would go weeks on end without brushing my teeth when I was a little girl - and it's not unusual for me to forget to brush before bed as an adult, too - and I've never had a single filling. I don't think it's anything you've done.... I think it's predisposition.

@Cherrybee: At least you remember to sometimes brush before bed. lol I never do. On purpose. lol. and I too have never had a filling ever.

I just had a deep cleaning this morning and I always brush. I totally got the short end of the stick in that department!

my husband is a dentist and his patient base happens to be 95% pediatric. from what he tells me, often times, they'll recommend that your child be put out for procedures if they seem to not take well to being there (like your case). if the child is relatively calm and easily manageable, they can work on them without putting them out - just a little nitrous to help keep them slightly sedated.

also, from what he tells me, it doesnt seem too uncommon for children around your lo's age to have cavities. There are a lot of factors, obviously, and it's hard to say exactly what your situation is, but where he works, he sees a lot of patients who are given sugary drinks without proper brushing/cleaning afterwards, bottle decay, just overall poor dental care at home (which he says, comes from a lack of education on proper infant dental care).

@DisneyBee: you're already doing a great job because you care! I see numerous kiddos with cavities at 2 years old, but the problem is the parents don't care or make excuses as to why the teeth are in the shape they are. I echo what lavender said that X-rays aren't always necessary to see cavities, especially in primary teeth. I would definitely get a second opinion if it makes you more comfortable, and I'm sure that they said he would need to be sedated because of his age and temperament. It's basically impossible to do a filling on a two year old. Think about how hard it is to brush a two year olds teeth, then multiply that by 10 since they're in an unfamiliar situation with unfamiliar people.

You're a great mom for taking your baby to the dentist, so just do the best you can and get the cavities taken care of while they're still small!

shoot now you are freaking me out. We are also hoping to wait until 2, and LO hates having his teeth wiped let alone brushed or flossed. He's 15 months now. Crap.

Poor little guy I hope getting his teeth filled is easier on both of you than you fear.

@Mrs. Jacks: I thought of you yesterday because of this. There was an article on CNN.com that my husband and mom both told me about that basically said babies have a lower incidence of some infections when their parents "clean" pacifiers by sticking them in their own mouths. All I could think was 'NO!!! Mrs. Jacks taught me that it's so bad for baby's teeth!'

I was told by our family dentist that some babies are born with cavaties, C was. I struggle brushing their teeth, they fight me so strongly!
C was two and put under general, it was a traumatic experience. He had a pulpotomy done, an enamel cap placed $3,000 (after insurance) later he jumped off the couch and cracked it on the coffee table. He still has bad teeth, genetics on his Dads side. I have teeth problems but not the same as his.