The Dentist

So, last November we were supposed to have our 2nd cleaning with our new dentist, Dr. Haslam (who is AWESOME by the way!!!) but ended up cancelling because I was working.

Well, time kind of flew by after that, and in May I finally got around to making the appointment to get our teeth cleaned. (Yeah, I know, technically we missed 2 checkups).

Shane had crown work done, and will get his teeth cleaned in a few weeks. Harrison had NO CAVITIES! Yay! I think that is the first time that has happened since he was 5.

Poor little Hazel had 5 cavities. I knew about one of them because it was gargantuan and was starting to cause her a little pain. They fixed three of them that were on the left side of her mouth, and we have to go back in a few weeks to get the other two fixed. The one cavity was big enough that he almost had to do a pulpectomy (or kid root canal) so we are hoping it will calm down and not need that. If she keeps having pain though, she will have to have one.

My teeth are still cavity free. Yay!

I love getting my teeth cleaned at his office though, because they don't use the normal pumice stuff (except on kids), they use something else that feels like they are sandblasting your teeth. I think I wrote about it before, but it is pretty cool. It stings a little when it is being done, but the super clean, polished teeth afterward make it worth it! Plus, no tender throbbing mouth for days afterward!

Beautiful Day

Well, today has been much better. The sun is shining and gorgeous and just feels beautiful.

Also, because I had so many call back hours I got to come home early! Yippee!!

My hubby's teeth are finally fixed and that is definitely something to jump up and down about. Anybody need a good endodontist, we definitely know a good one. He underbid what it would cost to fix some of Shane's teeth, and told him he wouldn't feel good if he charged the actual time he worked. So, he only charged him what he had bid it would cost, even though it took about 3 hours longer to do! Who does that?!

So, today was the last day he needed to work on Shane's teeth. He goes back in a year for a follow-up to make sure all the root canals still look good.

Tomorrow is Friday! Woowoo!!

And, for those of you that are "concerned" that I will hold a grudge or get bitter or whatever about what happened yesterday...that really isn't how I work. I complain and grit my teeth for about 2 days and then by the third it is water under the bridge. This situation might be a little different, but I guess we'll just see what happens. You get used to getting over things in my line of work. Otherwise...I don't think you would be in surgery/healthcare for very long. Just sayin...

It's a Sign...

So, today went rather well, all things considering. Shane went to the specialist (endodontist), and things went much better than we had anticipated. See, there are bonuses to expecting the worst...when it doesn't happen things seem so much better...hehehe...

Anyway, we went, and after examining his teeth, and looking at them with a super cool microscope, and super detailed digital x-ray pictures of the teeth (this was all WOW, I felt like we were on Star Trek), the endodontist told us that he really felt like there was a high chance that the teeth were salvageable. So, that was good news, and much better than what it could have been.

So, I left while Shane got to have his two teeth worked on for two hours. *joy* I certainly didn't envy him any. The bad news was he would have to get two new crowns. This on top of the fact that he still needs to get some other crowns on other teeth.

Anyway, I mentioned to Shane later that I felt old. The reason being, it used to be no matter what doctor I went to, they were always so much older...now...well, the endodontist we went to is the same age as my brother...so about 33. Then as I thought about it, I realized that all the guys I knew in high school that had decided to go to dental school and med school...are almost finished. My OB/GYN is only about 10 years older than me...maybe younger. It's WEIRD people! WEIRD!

Just one more realization that I am now a part of the "adult" community. My kids are the ones going to school. I'm the one that should be volunteering and being a part of the PTA. Then I see people I went to school with, and their kids are in the same sports as mine. *sigh* Time just goes by way too fast!

I think I'm ready for it to stop raining...

You know that song, bring on the rain? Well, I've had a lot of rain this year, and...I'm not thirsty anymore. I could handle a dry spell.

Last week Shane started getting a mega toothache around Wednesday...at least that is when it started to hurt really bad. I knew it couldn't be a good thing for him to have a toothache under a tooth that had a crown on it, because that tooth had already had a root canal, and shouldn't have hurt. It also wasn't a good thing that the tooth that was hurting was the molar at the very back of his mouth. By Friday I told him he really needed to call the dentist, so he did, and got an appointment for today, since they aren't in the office on Fridays.

You know how sometimes you get little thoughts niggling in your brain with information that you learn from...of all things...a movie? Well, I kept thinking of the movie Ghost Town. We have the edited version so we watch it and laugh quite a bit. Anyway, in the movie he is looking at a mummy corpse and talks about how he thinks the mummy died from an abcessed tooth...and that's pretty much all I could think about as Shane's pain got more intense...

So, on Saturday I called our dentist's emergency paging number, and got an antibiotic and painkiller for Shane to take.

Then today came. He went to the dentist, got bad news, and came home to tell me. The abcess is under TWO teeth. The infection is eating away at his jawbone. He has two choices...he can go to a specialist and have another root canal redone on the tooth, and have the infection cleaned out, and hope it doesn't come back...which has a 60-70% success rate, or they can pull the two teeth out and scrape out the infection.

The dentist was glad that he had come in, and had basically told him that if he had let it go the infection would have eaten away at his jaw bone until...you guessed it, he could have died just like the mummy on Ghost Town. See, who says you can't learn anything from a fictitious movie? Hmm? (I know, kind of a morbid sense of humor, but humor is pretty much the only way I can deal with all the crazy things going on in our lives right now...)

The dentist also told Shane it was imperative that he finish the antibiotic prescribed, and to not make a decision about what to do today, but to think about it and then decide. It is difficult to decide when both options equal lots of money, but the alternative is definitely worse.

After all the psychotic things that have happened this year, it is hard to believe it is still only September. I'm glad I have free play tickets to go see a play this Saturday. I need some free entertainment!

The New Dentist

So, a while back I wrote about how our old dentist retired, and how I was debating on whether or not to go to the new dentist in our old dentist's office. At the time I decided to give the new guy a try. Well, it didn't work out. We got billed for something that I thought was just outright stupid, and I didn't feel like negotiating.

Enter the next dentist. My sister-in-law recommended the dentist we now currently go to. Today was our first dental cleaning. Harrison and Hazel thought it was great because there was a video game room next to the waiting room, and in the exam rooms there is a video screen and you can watch a movie while they clean your teeth.

When it was my turn I was not surprised to see the movie "Bolt" on the video screen. I think that is my kids' favorite movie at the moment.

So, there were a few different things. First, they had me put on safety glasses, which I thought was kind of cool, and a big apron cape. Then, after the hygienist checked my teeth, she used an ultrasonic scaler (which I always refer to as the "squeaky tool" because it squeaks when they use it).

The next part, where they polished my teeth, they did something that I had never had done before. The best way to describe it, since I can't remember what it is called, is a mini sandblaster that shoots grit at your teeth. It sounds horrible, and I can't say that it felt all that great, but it was SO fast, and my teeth are super clean! Plus, no throbbing gums from the normal brush that is used. Definitely a bonus!

I also liked that the dentist was very nice and friendly, and they all have very good memories. They knew exactly who Shane was and all asked how his shoulder was healing. (Shane had been in prior to this because he had to have dental work done). Anyway, I thought that was really neat. They also knew who my sister-in-law was when they asked who referred us to him. Definitely an A+!

So, I think we have finally found a dentist that we ALL like! Woo woo!

I've Been Educated...

So, I went and had my teeth cleaned. First, I decided that since I am an adult, it would be prudent to handle things in a more "adult" way. So, I talked to the assistant and asked (very tactfully I might add) if she could be a little more gentle when she cleaned my teeth. And she was! It was great. Yes, my gums still throbbed when they were flossed but that's my own fault for not taking better care of my teeth.

Then, after the exam and I met the new dentist, I decided to talk to him about Harrison and the recommendations that he had for him, and he fully explained why he thought it would be good for Harrison to have his molars sealed. And, he also explained that he doesn't put sealent on baby teeth (for obvious reasons). So, I had a lot of my questions answered, and he was more than willing to answer them.

So, I guess you could say he's still in the "test" stage. Is that bad? I'm beginning to trust him more as a professional, and I like him better than I liked the other dentist that filled in one time when our retired dentist was out on a leave of absence, but I guess you could say we're still feeling the waters.

The other bonus is he's young. As in, he's probably the same age as me! So, if we like him, we would most likely never have to go to another dentist. That would be cool.

Shane will still probably get his crown done by the dentist in Springville. He really likes that dentist, and Shane has had a lot of bad experiences with dentists, so I can't say that I blame him.

Harrison, however, will be getting his cavities filled by the new dentist. We'll see how that goes!

Good Dentist Suggestions....anyone?...anyone??

So, we are on the lookout for a new dentist. I am getting my teeth cleaned today, which, normally wouldn't be that big of a deal. The dentist we currently go to, however, has an assistant that seems to think that in order to clean an adult's teeth she has to leave you with gums throbbing for three days afterward. (I say adult, because our kids haven't complained, and believe me, if they felt what I did, they would be complaining!) YOWSA! Again, we overlooked this because we liked the dentist.

Well, the dentist retired because of health issues, and now there is a new young dentist in his place. Hey, I'm willing to give anyone a chance, but I haven't really been that impressed with our experiences so far. Out of all the medical personnel I am probably most picky about dentists.

Mainly, because, I have to feel like I trust them. It's not like an OB/GYN or other medical doctor where I at least have an idea about what they are talking about. No, dentists are in this, "Can I trust you when you tell me that I actually have a cavity for the first time ever in my life?" Or, what the dentist told us about Harrison when he got his teeth cleaned...4 cavities (no surprise there since Harrison seems to have inherited Shane's teeth...) and then he tells us that he needs his back molars sealed.

This is the first time any dentist has recommended this. How long are his molars even going to be there before his permanent ones come in? Will it be worth the money? Should I even trust this guy since I've only had my kids to him ONE TIME? Or does he just need to make a house payment?

See, here's where I have the problem. It doesn't help any that most of the other patients are leaving as well. How do I know this? Well, I had to cancel my appointment last week because I wasn't feeling well, and they called the NEXT day to see if I felt better enough to come in, and then said that they had a time on Monday. MONDAY! So, I asked them what times they had available, and they tell me that pretty much the whole morning is free. THE WHOLE MORNING! Oh, and they had a time available at 3 PM.

So, I have worked at a dentist office before. Unless you have NO patients, this is not a common occurence, unless someone who is getting a lot of dental work done cancels (like say, someone getting a bridge put in...). I don't think that happened.

Yeah, we're getting a new dentist. *sigh* We may just have to drive to Springville to Shane's favorite dentist on the planet. Oh well. Unless of course, any of you have suggestions?? :)