Operation Lollipop

Yesterday Alex had his first official dentist appointment yesterday. They say that it is more likely that a child will do better at the first dentist appointment if they go back alone and don't have the constant worried looks of the parents holding them back. Turns out that this advice is completely true and works like a charm. I pumped up the appointment as much as I could with him, playing dentist day in and day out. When the hygienist called his name, he looked once at me hesitantly and then took her hand. He walked through the door without another look back and was on his way. I sat in the waiting room with Abby and waited for them to take me back when the appointment was done. As I walked back, I saw a strange look on the dentist's face and he said, "We need to talk about Alex's teeth." Ugh. That can never be good. So as my four-year old sat so proud in the chair watching cartoons on the TV while showing me all of the fun new things that he got for being such a great patient, I listened as the dentist explained all the problems. Turns out that he has six...yes six...cavities. I was floored. How on Earth could my four-year old have six spots of rot on his teeth? At first, I thought it was me. I'd failed him in our dental care. Brushing his teeth every night wasn't enough. Then the dentist told me, after evaluating his medical history, that the reason for his early tooth decay was his medication. Yup. Turns out that having asthma and needing a nebulizer every day with steroids has created a problem with his saliva flow. And with lack of saliva comes vulnerable teeth. [!$%@the following words have been removed due to self-censoring !$%@] Great. So as if having asthma wasn't enough, now he has to deal with issues of his teeth as a result. I did some research and it turns out that children with asthma are notorious for having dental issues as a result of their medication. Now Alex, my proud little boy who hasn't stopped talking about how big he is and how great he did at the dentist, has to go back in January to have his first cavity filled. I'm not sure he will be as happy after this appointment as they told me that no anesthetic is generally used for baby teeth and there will be drilling happening. And to make matters even worse, they have to do this six times. If he doesn't do well, then he has to go to a pediadontist and be put under while they fill all cavities at once. So if anyone out there is reading this, pray for my little guy. I don't want him to be fearful of dentists as well as doctors. It just wouldn't be fair. Not after such a great first experience. Our new preventative dental care just got kicked up about ten notches. Now we must brush after every meal, floss and use a flouride kid's mouthwash for one minute before bed. Abby will be doing this as well, as I want her to follow his example and start as early as we can. And to explain the title of this entry, he has one more rule to follow straight from the dentist's mouth. He needs to increase his saliva flow somehow. To do this, he has been ordered to suck on sugar-free lollipops, candy, and mints as often as he can during the day. He also is told to start learning how to chew sugar-free gum. Sadly, he still swallows gum. So we're working on it. Now I'm on the hunt for sugar-free lollipops. Let Operation Lollipop begin.