Let me back up and explain. When Hector began at his current job and we received dental insurance, one of the first things on the list was to get these two kids to a dentist. A friend had recommended a pediatric dentist that she liked because he had lots of experience dealing with Autistic children.
Lilly went first and had a great experience. She got her teeth cleaned and x-rayed and then came back for a second visit where they sealed her molars and used a laser to shave off a tiny cavity. No pain, no tears, just praise and treats from the treasure chest.
Alexander, on the other hand, is a bit of a different story. After meeting him and taking a quick look in his mouth the dentist asked the nurse to skip the cleaning and x-rays and to let Alexander play while he and I had a talk. From his quick glance, he had determined that Alexander had multiple cavities and would probably need to have a few teeth extracted and a few others may need to have crowns. He recommended surgery. Put the kid under anesthesia and get everything done all at once. Then Alexander would be all cleaned up and ready to have regular dental exams where they could work with him on having his teeth cleaned and eventually x-rayed.
After multiple calls to insurance departments we finally had the surgery done in July. Alexander was excited to wear the hospital gown and did great with his IV. The surgery took 3 hours. They sealed his molars, shaved away a couple of stains, did 2 root canals (the kiddy version at least) and extracted 1 tooth. The dentist showed us the hole in his tooth and said that it had been draining liquid and must have been causing Alexander extreme pain, it was so bad.
Ready to go.
Getting his IV.
The drugs are starting to take effect.Hector and I were a nervous wreck through the entire process, but sure enough, Alexander recovered in a matter of minutes. Within 30 minutes of waking up from the anesthesia, he was asking to go out to eat. Within an hour, he was munching away on a burger.
Nothing in life is easy for this poor kid, but as always, he does his very best and exceeds our expectations in the end!
2 comments:
i would be a nervous wreck, too. he is an absolutely precious, beautiful boy. he has wonderful parents.
Poor baby! I can't imagine. Are these his adult teeth? I had a root canal recently, I can't believe poor Alexander was walking around with so much trouble in his mouth. Eeek. Hope he is feeling well.
Joy
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