A few weeks back the kids had their semi-annual dental checks and cleanings. Emilie breezed through hers with flying colors (or should I say shades of ivory?). Jack did really well too in that he sat in the chair said, “ahhh” and opened his mouth wide and so forth. He even was agreeable to having x-rays taken. It was from those x-rays though, that the dentist noted two tiny cavities back to back in the space between two of his molars.
They were barely formed and not even through the outer layer of enamel but they weren’t in an area that could be brushed easily. Plus, while these are molars that he will lose eventually that probably won’t happen for at least another five years or so. Who knows what those molars could do in that time left untreated. Instead of letting the problem fester the dentist and I decided it would be best to fill them along with two other ‘soft’ spots we’ve been watching for the past two years. The dentist also threw in free sealants (yes the kids have an AWESOME dentist) on three of his molars that have deep groves and will be tough spots to keep clean.
So today was the big day. Jack was excited. When we dropped sister off at preschool he was telling everyone he saw that he was going to the dentist!! I , on the other hand, was a bit nervous. They were going to sedate him for the procedure and that is something neither I nor Kevin have any experience with. That’s saying something since I spent a fair chunk of my childhood and adolescence in a dental chair. I got my first retainer in the first grade and go my braces off the last year of middle school. Having pokers, pliers, scrapers and suction devices in my mouth doesn’t phase me in the least. I’ve had fillings, with and without Novocain, as well as tooth pulling (11 in all….That’s what happens when your orthodontist used to practice in the Marine Corps and your teeth won’t fall out in the timely manner that he wants them too.) In all that time never once was I sedated for anything.
Jack however, is not me, and is definitely more anxious about the dentist. He can just make it through the cleaning and exam process. I have confidence that in a year or so he will have no problems. His excitement over today’s visit was evidence of that. However I just couldn’t picture him sitting there for Novocain and fillings so if the dentist hadn’t suggested sedation I probably would have requested it.
The dental office provided us with a nice information sheet on the do’s and don’ts of sedation which I just might have committed to memory. I read all the warnings about nausea, vomiting, possible temperature, letting your child sleep where you can watch them so you can make sure they’re breathing. All those things that make the little know of worry form in the pit of your stomach. You tell yourself they are required to tell you all this and the odds are he’ll be fine, but still that ingrained motherly worrying is hard to ignore.
Now, five hours later, I’m assured my worrying was for not.
We got to the office at 9am. I handed over my left arm and credit card. Within five minutes we were taken back to a room where Jack got a nice little Dixie cup of pink medicine which he drank like a champ. Then we were taken to another small dim room with a lazy boy and a TV. We got to sit there for about 20 minutes and watch Monster’s University. By that time Jack was pretty drowsy and wobbly with noodle like appendages and slurred speech. The hygienist brought a little wheelchair and took him back to the procedure room and I went and waited in the lobby. Within 45 minutes he was done and we went back to the little dark room for another 20 minutes. At this point they were just making sure he ‘came out’ of the medication okay and they wanted to see him drink some water and keep it down. Since he was having no issues we got to head on out pretty quick.
The hardest part of the whole thing was that he had to fast for 12 hours beforehand. This meant that his last meal was dinner Thursday night. Trying to keep a five year old boy from his breakfast is some fresh version of hell, let me tell you. Especially when you still have to feed his sister. No joke, I hid in the pantry and ate my breakfast this morning because I felt bad eating in front of him. Finally I promised him a doughnut if he could wait until after his appointment.
Now the sheet they gave us said to start them back on food with clear liquids for the first few hours. I really did try to stick to that but the first thing he asked when he was done and back in my arms was, “Can we go get breakfast now?” *sigh* Yes, we stopped at WinCo on the way home and got one chocolate doughnut along with juice boxes (another treat for these kids) and some chicken soup. I made him wait until we got home before giving him the doughnut…so I think we made it about 1 hour post procedure before he ate something solid. It disappeared in about 5 minutes with no ill effects.
As for the rest of the info on the sheet…..I’ve yet to see him do anything they. He was supposed to be ‘tired’ and/or drowsy and probably nap off and on today. Suuuuurrrrree. He sat on the couch and cuddled his lovey ‘Blue Puppy’ for all of 45 minutes….maybe. Since then he’s played outside in the dirt with dog. Had a lively game of chase with his sister, played play-doh, did ‘Shaun-T exercises’ with me, and now is waiting for me to finish this so I can read the stack of books he keeps adding too. Drowsy and out of it my foot…..
I won’t complain. I’m just glad all my worries were just that, worries. Here’s to hoping for no more cavities anytime soon.
