Dental Care: Fail

I think I might be posting one too many 'Fail' blogs. But...it is what it is! And so life goes on. The dental drama that has taken place over the last week has taken a toll on us all. It all started way back when Alex had his first check-up and it was found that he had 6 cavities (thank you medications for your dry-mouth side effects). I thought that I couldn't be more shocked about that many cavities in such a young kid. That was until this past Monday when a dentist beat me with a toothbrush and dipped me head-first into a vat of boiling hot mouthwash. Let me back up a little. Alex went to have his second cavity filled. His first time was a smashing hit and we expected it to go about the same. Apparently he caught on to the fact that having a drill in your mouth? Yeah. Not so fun. The dentist got started and Alex decided that he wouldn't have anything to do with it. So we were referred to a pediatric dentist so that we could consider the option of having my sweet little four-year old knocked out via IV sedation and have all the work done in one swift blow. That's all fine and dandy and all, until you actually go to the pediatric dentist. The first dentist we went to was Monday. The office was pretty fancy schmancy. TV's on the ceiling above each chair and all the bells and whistles you can imagine. They got a couple of their own x-rays and then WHAM! The dentist knocked me out. Okay...so not really. But he might as well have. They proceeded to inform me that there were in fact 10 more cavities to be filled and one tooth that needed to have a crown. This was the point when had to fight the urge to curl up into a tight ball and hum show tunes to myself while they fitted me for a straight jacket. Don't even get me started on the bill they projected. SO, fast forward through my mental breakdown and I ended up calling a second pediatric dentist to get a second opinion. That was yesterday. Poor Alex was being pushed to his dental-limit this week. This dentist proceeds to tell me that Alex only has five or six cavities and that the first pediatric dentist was a wee bit on the overkill side and that I couldn't have picked a more expensive dentist to go to. I guess the fact that they offered me a full-sized cappuccino when I walked in should have been my clue, eh? He showed me several things on the projected bill that were completely unnecessary. So, Alex's new dentist is really awesome and great with him. As freaked out as I am by the idea of sedation dentistry for my little one, I actually trusted the doc this time. Not so much with dentist numero uno. He's performed thousands of these so I think we're good. The big 'fix' will happen on April 14th so if you have a spare moment to lift up my little guy in prayer, we'd appreciate it. Hopefully between now and then, I won't have anymore moments of mental exhaustion. I'm feeling a little...frayed around the edges. I'll just keep my straight jacket hanging in the closet for now.