Yep, you heard me. A second one.

See, about a week after his first surgery, I noticed the tiniest of grooves on the other side of his mouth in relatively the same spot as the last one. I kept an eye on it and it seemed to be getting bigger so I brought him to the local dentist. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Dr. W and ended up seeing a different dentist who didn’t have the best bed side manner but did know her stuff. She immediately referred us to Dr. P (formerly known as Dr. P², since the original Dr. P is out of the picture).

So Tuesday, we trekked up to Newnan and stayed in a hotel (graciously provided by my in-laws) where we watched Hell’s Kitchen, The Nanny and otherwise enjoyed a short break from home. Since Noah couldn’t have anything to eat or drink after midnight for the procedure the next morning, we were trying to avoid having to drive him up to Newnan while hungry AND tired AND fussy. Noah did relatively well that night, sleeping a solid six hours without wanting to nurse, which is pretty unusual for him. I did pump him full of squash and applesauce before I brushed his teeth and gave him a good nursing and I hope it helped. Whatever did it, he slept through and we got him to the clinic.

When we got there, we waited a good thirty minutes before they got us to the back where one of the dental assistants tried to tell me that a predisposition to cavities just couldn’t be genetic and that it HAD to be the breastmilk that was causing Noah’s teeth to get cavities. While I can say that he doesn’t need to nurse all night or all day long without having his teeth brushed, I can’t say I agree that I should suddenly switch to cow’s milk because someone without a dental degree says so. She also couldn’t get through to her head which tooth had the issue and kept asking if the “filling” (his crown) came out, so I’m sure you can imagine why I am skeptical of anything she had to say to me.

Anyway, when Dr. P saw his teeth, she confirmed that he had two brand new cavities. Thankfully they were pretty small since we had caught them so early (score one for vigilant mommy, finally!) and said he didn’t need the Versed to be sedated for the procedure (so we starved our kid for 8 1/2 hours because…?). Not that I want to put anything into Noah’s body that is unnecessary so we were thankful – at first.

She swore that the papoose board would be the best choice, as it would take longer with Joshua holding him (squirmy) so I went against all of my natural gut instincts, personal fears and intelligent thought and agreed to try it that way. What I didn’t know, until they had already started, was that they weren’t going to give my little baby boy ANY numbing medicine whatsoever! Both fillings were done within five minutes or I would have raised far more hell but I will tell you, I will never. ever. ever subject my son to that again. Parents that are reading this and are debating on using the papoose board on a toddler without sedatives or pain medicine – DON’T! It’s traumatic for the parents and it isn’t easy even for our resilient toddlers who scream for five minutes while a stranger puts them through pain (necessary procedure or not). Since Noah is so young, I don’t expect him to remember any of it and after a nap he was back to his normal, sunny self but I can’t forget the way he was sobbing in my arms after I yanked him out of that stupid papoose board. And I mean yanked – as soon as they scooted back and said they were done, I was ripping the velcro apart and scooping him into my arms.

I trust Dr. P as far as knowing her stuff. I know she did a good job and this visit was a huge contrast with the other one, where he needed a tooth extraction and a crown. With that one (I’ve already written this much so I may as well keep going), we went to Newnan the night before, where Noah woke up every two hours wanting to nurse. I think he fell asleep on the hotel floor three times and I would promptly move him to the bed. That was a fine night…not.

That time they got him in within two minutes, weighed him and then gave him a carefully measured dose of Versed. Within twenty minutes, he was giggling and snuggly and trying to play with his car and ball but not really able to grip well. Within forty-five minutes of being given the dose, he was about to fall asleep and actually did so in the assistant’s arms as we were made to leave the room. They extracted his tooth (I need to get a picture of this posted, actually – yes, I kept the tooth) and put a crown on the tooth next to it to prevent any cavities or weakness. He woke up screaming for mommy (mostly because he was around strangers) and immediately went to nurse. Within a few hours he was back to normal and within 48 hours he was mostly healed up. It was nerve-wracking for me but not traumatic for any of us in the least.

So, you know, two entirely different experiences and I can say that I preferred the first one, though I preferred the lack of severity of the second (fillings versus extraction). I’m not entirely thrilled with Dr. P’s practice anymore but since we’re leaving, I don’t think it will be an issue. The reason has a lot to do with how she handled the fillings but also that, though she claims she is a “big proponent of breastfeeding”, she did everything she could do get me to wean Noah. First it was about night-weaning. Then it was about weaning during the day. Then it was about sippy cups (we’ve told her he’s already using sippy cups and have done for a year now but she insinuated we must not be).

Her dental assistants also don’t know that breastfeeding is a clear liquid and actually cautioned me against breastfeeding Noah after the first procedure because “dairy would mess up his tummy”. Mind you, I don’t expect dentists to know an excessive amount about breastfeeding but I do expect a pediatric dentist to at least be aware of the current recommendations by the AAP and WHO, as well as the basics in regards to the infants in their care (clear liquids, not dairy, etc).

Maybe my mama bear side has just come out and I’m protective of my son. It’s also no secret that I’m a lactivist at heart…but I just can’t understand why someone would choose to work with infants and young children and not take the time to learn simple facts about other important areas of their health. Maybe I’m wrong to expect that much…but I don’t think so.

Whatever the case may be, I’m just happy Noah is happy and healthy.

I rarely do meta tags or keywords but since this entry may help other parents, I am.
Keywords: toddler teeth, versed, sedation, dental work, pediatric dentistry, papoose board, breastmilk, breastfeeding, sippy cups, cavities, fillings, crowns, weaning, grooves in baby teeth

They had a big aquarium in their waiting room, which was Noah-approved.

The office wasn’t really set up for kids, as Dr. P also takes adult patients (in fact, I believe he primarily takes adult patients) so there weren’t any toys or anything to keep him occupied. I brought a few but because they weren’t brand new, they didn’t hold Noah’s attention long when he could otherwise be exploring! So that’s what he did.

He’s such a ham, really. It’s impossible to be bored around Noah. Not only does he run you ragged but he also thinks making you laugh is hilarious…so he tries (and succeeds) to do so as much as possible. Have I mentioned that I’m blessed?

Anyway, Dr. P came out into the waiting room to speak to us before heading to the back. I actually really appreciated this, as it gave us a chance to talk before Noah was a squirmy little bugger (I think he does this because most kids fuss and scream when they get back there). He did ask us why we were there, in case it was just a case of Paranoid Parent Syndrome, but when I told him Dr. Z recommended that we get Noah seen ASAP and that his tooth was already chipping/crumbling, he nodded and brought us to the back. Of course, Noah wanted to be led to the room by none other than his pretty new friend (ie: the dental assistant), where he continued to flirt with her.

(Don’t you think these two are the handsomest boys around? Because I do.)

Unfortunately, when we got down to business, Dr. P pointed out that Noah not only had a huge cavity and some major decay on the top right tooth (his left), it had spread a little to his three other top teeth. Thankfully, he thinks those are salvageable, especially if Noah is fed no sugar (fruit is okay) and sticks to just water and milk. The fourth tooth, the one that’s been chipping and has been the source of my worry for all these weeks, is probably not. He isn’t entirely sure if the entire tooth has to come out or if it needs to be worked on, and he won’t know until the day of the surgery.

Yup, surgery. You heard me. Well, it’s surgery because he’s being put under anesthesia, where Dr. P is going to attempt to clean and discern what all needs to be done and then do it (with our permission, of course). We have a pre-op to attend with Dr. Z and with the hospital but I really like our local hospital (wonderful maternity ward, seriously) so I am confident that this should go smoothly.

I feel terrible. Even though I brush his teeth and avoid sugar and try to do everything “right”, something still went wrong. I still gave Noah my bad teeth (it’s thought that he may have my weak enamel). *sigh* If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.

Beating myself up isn’t going to help though. All I can do is cut sugar out of his diet, make sure he eats healthy and brush his teeth. Dr. P told me that to save my own teeth, I probably need to cut sugar out of my diet – especially soda. *gulps* I know he has a point. I see his point. I don’t like his point…but I am going to do it anyway. If not for me and the fact that I don’t want to lose half of my teeth by my 25th birthday (which is getting closer and closer…yikes), then for Noah, because the cavity causing bacteria can easily get transferred from me to him (or from Joshua to Noah or Joshua to me to Noah or what have you).

It’s a good thing we’re trying to be healthy anyway, right? Right? And smoothies are made of fruit, so they’re okay…right?

Bleh.

All in all, I think I like Dr. P. He only made mama bear come out once and that was when he seemed completely clueless that people nurse their kids until the age of 2. (What would he have said if I told him about the ones that nurse until 3 or 4 or even 5, I wonder?) I think I surprised him a little when I said the World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics and Dr. Z all think 2 is an excellent weaning minimum. I also flat out said that 2 was my ultimate goal and I would do my best to get there. He seemed to relax when I said that we are focusing on trying to nightwean (for multiple reasons – his teeth and my sanity are neck-in-neck for first place right now) because that’s when the milk pools in Noah’s mouth, causing the rot. (I realize there are naysayers about this but when you have my genetically bad teeth, this is a valid issue.) I did really appreciate how Dr. P was willing to teach me about teeth and growth and milestones as opposed to just telling me what was good for right now.

So, we’ll see how this goes. I pray to God, for Noah’s sake, that this is a relatively easy fix. I hope we can save his teeth for the long run. I hope he doesn’t have my issues. I hope we can raise him healthy.
And I hope this week stops continuing in the same pattern and just gets better already.

Noah spent most of today attached to me (in fact, he just barely let me put him in his swing about 20 minutes ago so I could get a short break) and at one point, there was good enough lighting that I asked Joshua to bring me the camera. They were, quite literally, just snapshots…but I love the way they turned out.

Every day is an experience of its own. I never imagined that an infant could have such personality, but he does, he really does. One of my favorite times of each day is right after we wake up, when he’s snuggled up against me eating…and then right after that, when we’re spending some time “talking” together. He started smiling a couple of weeks ago, and he likes to talk back to me. He also loves it when I stick my tongue out at him because he’ll smile and stick his out at me (or try to, because he tends to not get it much farther than his lips).

I wish I could write more about these days but I spend so much time either working (and taking care of him) or holding him. At the same time, I rather be experiencing his life than sitting at a computer writing about it. I can do the writing later, right?

Joshua and I are getting a rhythm down, too. We’re able to clean, work, take care of Noah and play Rappelz (for the most part). We’ve also learned how to find a little bit of time in each day for us to ‘enjoy’ each other. I never knew how much I needed that part of our marriage until recently, but God knows I do.

I am trying to read my Bible again. It has been so long since I picked it up (once in the past six months or so, and that was for a funeral where it went unopened) but having Noah, I feel like I need God in my life again. The difference this time is that the feeling isn’t going away, like it usually does.

Mom is coming to visit with my stepdad and brother in exactly two weeks. I am bursting with excitement! I never knew I could be this happy and content, but with my husband and my son, how could I be anything else? Mom is just the icing on the cake.

*sighs happily*