Dr. Dentist

Today you went to the dentist. Last time we saw him, Dr. C really upset me with the way he handled you. I warned him that you were very orally aversive and to go gently. He promptly stuck his fingers way back in your mouth, causing you to immediately vomit. As I suctioned you, he took his gloves off, told me your mouth looked normal for a g-tube fed baby, and tried to walk out the door. I stuck my head down the hall and told him that after waiting two hours and then disregarding my child’s well being, he could at least give me two minutes to answer some questions. Ok, I didn’t say that. If only I could be so confrontational and honest. But I did tell him I had some questions, which he hastily answered in the hallway.

I spent two years looking for a new dentist. But what it comes down to is this: he is the only dentist at TCH, and from what I have heard, amazing at what he does. Dr. L won’t sign off on you to have dental surgery anywhere other than a hospital, and it is just simplest to keep all your medical history at one place. So we gave Dr. C one more chance. I don’t need a good bedside manner. But I do need him to respect your boundaries.

This time we waited under 10 minutes—off to a good start. I gave him a summary of what happened last time, and told him that your aversion has decreased in the past two years. I knew if he went s-l-o-w-l-y, you would allow him in to see what he needed. He went slow-ish. But to his credit, he sees what he needs quickly so that you didn’t have to tolerate much. You had “gag” face near the end, but didn’t get sick at all. He explained what he saw thoroughly and allowed me to ask questions. Much better experience. Maybe he saw that I came ready to fight if necessary.

And the results? Pretty decent. You have a complete over bite. None of your teeth match up whatsoever (which shows what a clever girl you are since you somehow you to manage to grind those back teeth when distressed). Several teeth have only come partially down, which is common for kids who don’t use their teeth for chewing. And they are odd sizes, shapes, and colors, but we have known all this since they came in. Basically, everything is fine, come back in a year, no dental work necessary at this time.

That’s a great reason to flash those pearly whites (or yellowish whites in your case…just keeping it real).