Noah had his first dentist appointment today. It went fairly well…or rather, he did well and we approve of his dentist. The diagnosis wasn’t so good, but I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

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.