I just had the biggest sigh as I sat down the type this post.
Teeth trouble.
My face is presently experiencing spastic cringing as I think about our little visit to the dentist. If read my post here about fears, you'll notice the dentist was one of them (and now it's all too validated!)
Teeth trouble.
My face is presently experiencing spastic cringing as I think about our little visit to the dentist. If read my post here about fears, you'll notice the dentist was one of them (and now it's all too validated!)
I took Asher to the dentist for a cleaning this week. Vaughn and I had noticed some darkening in the crevices of his back molars while we brush his teeth that we were a little worried about, but we were still hopeful...after all, they are just baby teeth, right?
After his cleaning (which he did great!) the dentist calls me in and proceeds to show me a number of cavities in sweet boy's beautiful smile...as in multiple (i.e.many, several, numerous) cavities. I'm still so horrified I can't even share it with the blog world.
The dentist then begins to talk in code about the procedures (again, plural!) because he doesn't want to scare Asher and he advises ME not to talk to him about the details of drill and fill.
Terrifying, right? I can only imagine what goes through a 4 yr olds mind as they sit in a big dental chair for an extended amount of time getting shots, drilled and filled.
It absolutely makes me sick to my stomach.
I'm ushered back the waiting room, digesting just how Asher could have X amount of cavities.
And you know when small kids have cavities, who does the finger get
pointed at????
A beaming Asher gets delivered back to me by the hygienist. He has a new superhero toy from the treasure chest.
Ready for the part where go from horrified to mortified?
Hygienist: Did Asher go to bed with the bottle when he was a baby?
What I said: NO! Never!
What I thought? Omg, they think I am completely retarded. Doesn't everybody know you're not supposed to put the baby to bed with a bottle? Should I tell her I nursed Asher for a whole year and then he went to a sippy cup with the exception of ONE bottle we kept at bedtime until he was 18 months old?
Hygienist: Does Asher drink excessive amounts of juice?
Me: No! He gets one cup of juice, one cup of milk and the rest water.
Hygienist: You can always water down the juice he gets.
What I'm thought? Omg, I cannot believe this!!! She totally thinks I am the worst mom ever. Should I tell her we already do water down the juice? We always have....mostly in the effort to make it go further because it's one way I can cut our grocery bill down. My niece even refuses to drink the juice at Aunt Jill's house because it's watered down.
And here's where I go from mortified to miffed.
Hygienist: Does he drink a lot of coke?
Me: NO! We are very strict about what he eats and drinks.
What I'm thinking? OMG, I'm gonna crap my pants. Coke? Who gives their kid coke? I've never ever given Asher a coke. He doesn't even know what a coke is! Vaughn and I do try so hard not to feed Asher junk all day. I don't even let him have chocolate milk!
Hygienist: Make sure you are brushing his teeth twice a day, especially before bedtime.
At this point, I have no words. Obviously, she thinks I am lacking some pretty basic parenting skills and I don't really feel the need to give a play by play of our day (from brushing teeth after breakfast, to the lack of coke drinking, to brushing our teeth again before bed) to a complete stranger who probably won't believe me anyway.
Mortified. Horrified.
I called Vaughn and told him and he's in disbelief too.
He called his cousin, who is a dentist in his hometown, to tell him the situation and ask what he thought. He asked us our teeth care regime, which our dentist never did. He assured Vaughn it sounded like our oral healthcare routine with Asher was just fine and that some dentists are more aggressive at treating even the smallest signs of tooth decay. He also urged us to get a 2nd opinion from a trusted dentist if we could.
We've already decided we're going to travel the 3 hrs to south GA and let Vaughn's cousin give us a second opinion. It's someone we trust and even if the news is still bad, at least we we know it's not for an over aggressive dentist with a drill!
After his cleaning (which he did great!) the dentist calls me in and proceeds to show me a number of cavities in sweet boy's beautiful smile...as in multiple (i.e.many, several, numerous) cavities. I'm still so horrified I can't even share it with the blog world.
The dentist then begins to talk in code about the procedures (again, plural!) because he doesn't want to scare Asher and he advises ME not to talk to him about the details of drill and fill.
Terrifying, right? I can only imagine what goes through a 4 yr olds mind as they sit in a big dental chair for an extended amount of time getting shots, drilled and filled.
It absolutely makes me sick to my stomach.
I'm ushered back the waiting room, digesting just how Asher could have X amount of cavities.
And you know when small kids have cavities, who does the finger get
pointed at????
A beaming Asher gets delivered back to me by the hygienist. He has a new superhero toy from the treasure chest.
Ready for the part where go from horrified to mortified?
Hygienist: Did Asher go to bed with the bottle when he was a baby?
What I said: NO! Never!
What I thought? Omg, they think I am completely retarded. Doesn't everybody know you're not supposed to put the baby to bed with a bottle? Should I tell her I nursed Asher for a whole year and then he went to a sippy cup with the exception of ONE bottle we kept at bedtime until he was 18 months old?
Hygienist: Does Asher drink excessive amounts of juice?
Me: No! He gets one cup of juice, one cup of milk and the rest water.
Hygienist: You can always water down the juice he gets.
What I'm thought? Omg, I cannot believe this!!! She totally thinks I am the worst mom ever. Should I tell her we already do water down the juice? We always have....mostly in the effort to make it go further because it's one way I can cut our grocery bill down. My niece even refuses to drink the juice at Aunt Jill's house because it's watered down.
And here's where I go from mortified to miffed.
Hygienist: Does he drink a lot of coke?
Me: NO! We are very strict about what he eats and drinks.
What I'm thinking? OMG, I'm gonna crap my pants. Coke? Who gives their kid coke? I've never ever given Asher a coke. He doesn't even know what a coke is! Vaughn and I do try so hard not to feed Asher junk all day. I don't even let him have chocolate milk!
Hygienist: Make sure you are brushing his teeth twice a day, especially before bedtime.
At this point, I have no words. Obviously, she thinks I am lacking some pretty basic parenting skills and I don't really feel the need to give a play by play of our day (from brushing teeth after breakfast, to the lack of coke drinking, to brushing our teeth again before bed) to a complete stranger who probably won't believe me anyway.
Mortified. Horrified.
I called Vaughn and told him and he's in disbelief too.
He called his cousin, who is a dentist in his hometown, to tell him the situation and ask what he thought. He asked us our teeth care regime, which our dentist never did. He assured Vaughn it sounded like our oral healthcare routine with Asher was just fine and that some dentists are more aggressive at treating even the smallest signs of tooth decay. He also urged us to get a 2nd opinion from a trusted dentist if we could.
We've already decided we're going to travel the 3 hrs to south GA and let Vaughn's cousin give us a second opinion. It's someone we trust and even if the news is still bad, at least we we know it's not for an over aggressive dentist with a drill!
