Friday, February 4, 2011

Suggestions Please.....

You guys have all been amazing when I need some help, suggestions and/or recommendations.  My Sweet Princess went to the Pediatric Dentist today.  We could see 2 cavities in her little mouth and we wanted to make sure she is not in any pain.  Never, Ever did I imagine the Dentist would tell me she has 16 cavities.  WHAT?????  Out of 20 teeth - 16 have cavities????  Oh My - Our Poor Little Girl!!!

So the Dentist states that they would put her under and the surgery would take about 3 hours.  (Yes, I thought the 16 cavities was a shocker and then he tells me surgery for 3 hours - I was officially ready to pass out).  So they will fill all the cavities and then put stainless steel caps on the molars.  He also mentioned that children with DS don't always lose their molars so the caps could be on her molars forever.  

Now, I handled all the other medical appointments so well - I guess maybe because they were expected??  But I honestly did not see this one coming.  I just feel so bad for her.  She has been through so much and now to put her through even more?  I do NOT want her in pain ever.  So if this will indeed stop her from having mouth pain - Then absolutely this is what we will do.  But I just want to make sure we are doing the right thing and/or the BEST thing for Bellie!!   

So tell me what you think please.  You have all been so helpful about how to go about things and I sometimes read back the comments because I know one of you might of mentioned something I need help with. 
I took this picture in the car when we got home from the Dentist - Are you kidding how absolutely Beautiful this girl is??????  I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

10 comments:

  1. My daughter was born without enamel on her back teeth. She had the same surgery they are suggesting to you. I think she had 8 caps put on and they also filled the teeth and did a type of "root canal" (I cant remember the correct name) on the teeth. She did really well and her teeth only bothered her for a day or so after. It is a fairly easy surgery, but I know it is scary when our babies get put under. Hugs and prayers for you all.

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  2. Oh my Goodness Summer....I too would be upset, poor lil sweetie!!

    I was going to recommend an awesome Pediatric dentist if you did not have one already. She sees many special needs kids and is amazing!!

    I think what they are suggesting is probly the best way to do this as it would be less traumatic for her to not be awake but its so much for suck a lil sweetie to go through.

    Please give me a call. We would love to meet up sometime.

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  3. Summer, did the dentist say if you had the luxury of giving her a few months to adjust before you had it done? That would be one thing to consider. My little Hunter had a few cavities in addition to having his adenoids and tonsils removed about 5 months ago. It was worse on me than him I think :-) Having your little one go under is always scary but its worth it for them to feel better!

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  4. Ouch, wow, I hate that first of all she has all these cavities that have probably been causing her pain and then the 3 hour surgery and recovery! I can see how that would be extremely overwhelming. Is it possible to fill a few at a time? Although, my guess is the dentist gave you the best option. I would probably seek a second opinion just to make sure. You are right, she is beautiful and so are you for giving her a forever family!

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  5. As a person with lifelong "bad teeth", I've had a ton of dental procedures. One thing I've learned is that some dentists are much more "aggressive" than others. After moving to a new city a few years ago, I went to a local dentist for my annual exam. I left with a page-long list of procedures that he told me must be fixed "urgently."

    My husband, who nearly passed out when he saw the estimate, suggested that I see another dentist for a second opinion. I did. And while I still did require several procedures, he told me everything else on the first dentist's list was unnecessary. Yes, if I wanted my teeth to be absolutely perfect, I could have those procedures. But not having them would not affect my health or hygiene in any way.
    She may very well need all that work done, but if you're nervous about putting her "out", you can always get a second opinion.

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  6. My daughter has been put under 4 times for dental work (she is now 6). I think I could have bought myself a new car with all I've spent (insurance covered a big chunk though), but I guess the dentist gets the new car! HA!

    Anyways, the first time she had to go under, she was around 2 1/2 and had 3 cavities. She had already had a surgery for tonsils and adenoids so at least I knew how she'd handle anesthesia. However, I was still very nervous. I was referred to a dentist who does dental work under anesthetic in his office, but we were unsure about her heart at the time so I insisted on it being done in the hospital with an anesthesiologist present. The other 3 times though I was comfortable with going to the guy who does it in his office. He is an dental surgeon who is also an anesthesiologist and his office is set up like a small hospital. Kaia did great everytime! Her second surgery was because she had 12 cavities!!! I was completely shocked! She goes to the dentist every 6 months and has the same brushing habits as my other 2 kids yet somehow she went from having no cavities to having 12!

    Anyways, my suggestion would be to talk with her ped to see if she has any concerns. Now I'm not 100% on this, but I seem to remember reading something about some kids with DS and having weak airways and maybe causing issues with anesthesia. I don't really know. I would just make sure her heart is ok and her ped gives the clear on it. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

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  7. First off, OH.MY.GOSH she looks great!! Beautiful and radiant!!

    I think that putting her under sounds like the most humane way to go about this. She will most likely not remember anything and you'll know that she's not in pain any longer.

    Again, though, I've known children who have had many of those teeth pulled instead of filled...so maybe you should get a 2nd opinion. It could be a lot less expensive, just sayin'.

    My 18 year old son had knee surgery the other day and he doesn't remember ANYTHING we discussed for several hours after waking. Too funny! I think she will be fine. :)

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  8. Axel (10 with DS) has been home for 7 1/2 weeks. THAT WE CAN SEE, Axel has four abscessed teeth. http://gardenofeagan.blogspot.com/2010/12/about-those-teeth.html We know they are because they're broken in half and rotted and dark brown. What we don't know until he can be put under to get good xrays is how many MORE there are. Although Axel doesn't act like he's in pain, he HAS to be. He's just used to living this way so he doesn't know any different. Now we found out he can't have surgery yet, because he has AAI and AOI (get her neck checked out before you let anyone do ANYTHING to her!!!) While your dentist may have been able to see cavities, unless she got xrays today she wasn't able to see how many abscesses your princess has. Going under anesthesia will allow them to get in there and get good xrays, along with getting everything take care of to prevent further decay of her teeth. But, before you do that, make sure she doesn't need anything else done. Get her eyes checked out, ENT exam, etc. Then if she needs her tear ducts probed (very common!) or ear tubes (also very common) she can have all that plus the dental work done at one time. We call those "tune ups". LOL

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  9. I would get a second opinion. I am not sure what kind of insurance you have but where we live dentists try this all the time. I talked to a bunch of families that went thru it that regretted it. They said their kids woke up with scratches all over their face. They were told the kids would never remember but several of the children did and it was traumatic. Kids with good insurance get clear caps not so good insurance get silver caps. I took my daughter to another dentist and they said she had one or two cavities not 20. Go with your gut, you are her mother. Ask other parents that have had it done and get a second opinion, thats what i did.

    Be blessed
    Ashlee
    http://ourjourneytoadoption.beckfamily143.com/

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  10. Having worked for a pediatric dentist in the past it is far easier on the children to have everything done in one appointment. However, I would get a second opinion on the silver caps, if a panorex x-ray shows that she has her permanent molars then do the silver caps, if not talk to them about a tooth colored crown. She will want this when she's older. Best of luck!! She's a beautiful princess :)

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