My sweet baby boy is 2 and 4 months. He's had troubles with his teeth basically since they came in. We've done everything from natural remedies like pascalite clay to more traditional things like fluoride. We brush Kelso's teeth twice daily, we use xylitol after sweets and have been getting his teeth cleaned ever 6 months.
If you remember back to right around when he was 1, he had a weird tooth and we ended up having to fill it. My poor baby had to be put in a papoose board to get a filling… 3 months later he fell and broke said tooth (upper left lateral incisor) off at the gum so we had it pulled to prevent even more issues. It was again him being held down…. but it was quick.
Fast forward to this checkup/cleaning. I suspected one tooth had a cavity, he fell and chipped it, and although I was working hard to remineralize it it just didn't look right. Turns out Kelso has 4 cavities (all upper) with a 5th one beginning!!! I was in tears… how in the world can this be happening?! We are doing everything right… and yet in 6 months he has horrible cavities. The dentist questioned everything from diet to drinks to brushing and nothing makes sense. The suggestion was conscious sedation but they couldn't get us in until after our baby is born… there is no way I can imagine putting Kelso through that and going through it with a newborn while daddy is at band camp. After calling and talking to Dr. Hutton in-nausium about the medications he uses, his certifications and so on, I called our pediatrician for a recommendation, I wanted to get a second opinion and see if we could get him in quicker. Our pediatrician recommended two dentists, Dr. Ryan Cregger at Brentwood Pediatric Dentistry and Dr. Buzz Alexander. We had actually gone to Dr. Cregger for a 3rd opining before we had to 1st filling done. I like him and his office staff but Kelso wasn't crazy about him. I decided to give Dr. Buzz a try and see if he was a good fit. They got us in quickly, Kelso LOVED his office, office staff and even Dr. Buzz. I appreciated how nice everyone was, how less chaotic the waiting room was and how close his office is a hospital incase something goes wrong. So we decided to see if they could fix his cavities… lucky us they did have an appointment very quickly, THIS MONDAY. They actually had an appointment the next day but I felt faint even thinking about going without daddy soo we took this monday appt.
I hated leaving Dr. Hutton's office because Kelso really liked him but we need this done quickly and I need a parent back there with him. Dr. Hutton had allowed it with the other procedures but said not during conscious sedation and I just don't like that. I feel like a parent should be present for such procedures. The only other major difference between Dr. Hutton's office and Dr. Buzz office is they use different sedation medications and Dr. Buzz said it may take 2 visits to complete all the fillings while Dr. Hutton said one.
So tomorrow is Monday and I'm a disaster. My poor pediatrician got another call to make sure he agreed with the medication Dr. Buzz was recommending, which he did. I however and still struggling, I feel so bad that he has to go through this… I've been so proactive from the beginning because I wanted to avoid this drama for him. We don't even share drinks or utensils because cavities are passed that way. I can honestly say I would rather pull all my teeth than put my sweet baby through this… I know he won't be hurting but I'm scared something could go wrong with the medications. His appointment is a 8am tomorrow. We have to be there at 7:30 for medications and no food or drink after midnight the night before. If you have a second please say a prayer or send good vibes for all of us.
I stopped at Wal-mart on my way home from work today and bought a few toys so he can have a surprise after we're done. I imagine he will be really groggy, hungry and maybe sore from the dental work…. so having toys ready for quick access will be a bonus. I always got a toy after dentist appointments and drs appointments and I'm caring that materialism on… if not for anything but to ease my own guilt.
I know this isn't the last time my heart will ache for my baby and it isn't the first but wow is it powerful. Motherhood is not for the weak.
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