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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

Bye Bye Sugar Bugs!

"For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord."  Jeremiah 30:17a

Yesterday, we had to take Zeke to the dentist to have some dental work done.  Apparently, even though we go to the dentist every six months, our previous dentist did not catch several things a few months ago during our routine visit.  You know as well as I do that if you let your teeth go...especially when there is a problem... things tend to get worse and not better.  These problems areas just got worse and worse until his tooth hurt so bad he could hardly stand it.  I knew there was a significant problem when he developed a gum boil near the offending tooth.
Unfortunately for Zeke, this has resulted in another round of antibiotics, having to have two teeth extracted, and several small fillings.  To top it all off, we're talking about his baby teeth; teeth that are going to fall out within a few years!   If you have problems, however, the potential is there to harm future permanent teeth.   Dental problems can also lead to other health issues throughout your body, so it's nothing to play around with. 

 I am a stickler for dental hygiene  and regular checkups, so you can probably imagine my anxiety over this whole thing.  It's awful to know your child is going to have to endure something unpleasant, especially when it should have been prevented in the first place.  Plus, the cost in addition to other concerns.  Thankfully, we do have great dental insurance! 

I sat in the room with him while he was having the work done.  I've had plenty of dental related work done myself, but this is my first observatory experience.  You can run me through the mill, but it was tough watching my child go through it.    He was a great patient, however, and I was confident in the expertise and skill of trained professionals.   It wasn't a scary experience at all.

 I had to chuckle a few times because after they put on the "space nose" with the root beer scented laughing gas, he became a real chatter box.  Maybe that's not such a good thing when you're trying to have dental work done.    The dentist was amused with his conversation as well.    No matter how many gauze pads, tools, or even the cheek retractor... he kept talking. He must take after his mama!  I let him take his little toy train with him into the appointment for something to hold onto.  Apparently he even imagined at one point that he was taking a ride on his little train.  He told me all about his "trip" later in the afternoon.   He WAS on a trip, alright!

They wiggled out his tooth and got rid of the sugar bugs.  They completed all the work on one side of his mouth and then in a few weeks, he'll go back to (hopefully) have the rest of the work completed on the other side.

Zeke is feeling great today and he even said he is "himself" again.  It's amazing how quickly he has bounded back and it also shows how much that tooth was making him not feel well.

For all the curious (because I know I am)  here is a picture of the dental carries.  EEWWW!

The first photo is of the tooth itself.  I darkened the first one so that you could see the cavity better.  I adjusted the color on the second one and you can really see the bad area on the tooth (represented in red).   Yeah... pretty gross.

 

BTW- For those of you out there with small children- the average age to take your children to their first dental appointment is 3 yrs. old.  according to most pediatricians.  It doesn't hurt to take them during their 2nd year for a visit, though to get them accustomed to the dentist.  I recommend using a pediatric dentist because they specialize in kids.  Of course, it shouldn't matter where you go because you would expect all dentists to give their best care to patients of any age!  Too bad that isn't always true.  Maybe someone will benefit from our experience.

JOKE:  When is it time to call the dentist?  Two-thirty  (Tooth-hurty)   I know.  Bad joke.

TAKE CARE OF YOU AND YOURS AND WE'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.



Our thoughts and prayers are going out to those affected by Tuesday evening's storms.    Please remember to pray for them! 


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