When we were at Dr. Miller's office for Joshua's follow-up appointment for his teeth after his fall, Dr. Aaron Miller (the son) told us that he can see two spots in Joshua's mouth that are starting to decay. We had been warned since the time we first visited the dentist that Joshua had teeth that didn't form in the womb, and they didn't have the last coat of enamel or calcium or something. There's a name for it, but it's escaping me right now. Those teeth were a little brown, and you could see that they were different just by looking in his mouth. We were also told that they would be very susceptible to decay but up to this point, they were doing okay. The dentist also had noted that things like reflux and asthma and prematurity all lead to soft teeth and tooth decay. So, this wasn't a huge surprise to us by any means. They scheduled him to have the teeth fixed in March, giving him a month to get over his fear of the dentist (this time round he was TERRIFIED due to his recent fall and teeth being pulled).
We have two insurances for Joshua, and the primary insurance only covers 50% of dental work. So, I called to make a special request of the secondary insurance to pay for work done at the Miller's office (who is not on their list of providers). I had gotten a letter and a phone call saying the request was denied because there are other pediatric dentists close to our house that are on their list of approved providers.
So, we went to Children's Dental Health Associates just down the street on the Tuesday that Shawn left for his business trip (2/22). And we had a terrible experience. We waited in the waiting room for over an hour to be seen, and unlike any pediatric office I had ever been to before, they didn't have a single toy to play with. Joshua and I played games like "think of a word that starts with the letter..." but soon even those were not fun anymore. Eventually they took us back, and they took Joshua in a separate room to xray his teeth. The ladies were very short with him as they told him that he MUST stay still. Once again, he was scared to even be there, so I thought their rudeness was completely uncalled for. The dentist came in and told us that Joshua has several problem areas and based on his response to them that day, he would recommend surgery. Then he left, without me having asked my questions. We scheduled the surgery for their first available appointment which was mid-July. Joshua got a little prize for being there, but I was SO upset the entire way home. (Thankfully we made it back to pick up Caleb before my sister had to leave.) I wasn't thrilled at having surgery; I wasn't happy that it would be after the baby came; I thought it was awful that if he was having serious problems he had to wait that long to get them fixed; and I didn't like the office staff in general.
I talked to Shawn about it when he came home, and he agreed that this dentist was not an option if we weren't comfortable with it. We either needed to get a second opinion or just pay for the dental work at the Miller's, where Joshua enjoys going. There was one other pediatric dentist that the insurance would pay for, so I called to confirm that they would indeed pay for a second opinion. They agreed, and informed me that I needed to call it a "second opinion" for billing purposes. I was hesitant to go for a second opinion, feeling like the Bean had been through enough, BUT I also knew that dental work could get extremely expensive and hoped that maybe we could find somewhere that he was comfortable with and took the insurance we had.
I called Parkside Dentistry, which is located the whole way in Elizabethtown (about a half an hour drive from our house, or maybe a bit more). They told us that they had a cancellation for that afternoon if we could come in. Mamaw agreed to watch Caleb, and I went to work calling the other pediatric dentist to get them to release the x-rays and email them to the new dentist. It took a good part of the morning, but we finally were squared away.
Joshua & I arrived a bit early for the appointment and I filled out all the paperwork once again. This time, though, there were plenty of toys and books to play with as we waited. When we went back, he once again bawled. But, the hygienists seemed to care that he was scared this time. They gave him sunglasses so the lights didn't hurt his eyes (see the picture above). The dentist took me into her office and showed me the emailed x-rays on her computer screen since they wouldn't print out. She did a better job at explaining to me what was going on. Joshua had significant decay on the teeth that weren't formed in the womb. The one would need a baby root canal and a cap put on it so that it wouldn't hit the root of the tooth.
There were also other areas where the teeth were starting to show 'dents' (for lack of a better word). Sometimes, she noted, these areas re-calcify and sometimes they can turn into cavities. If she was working in his mouth anyway, she could get a better look and determine if she should fix those areas at the same time or leave them alone if they were healing on their own. She showed me what she meant as we looked at the x-rays. These spots are between his teeth so they affect two teeth at once. Due to that fact and how terrified he is, she would also recommend surgery where they would sedate him and put him the whole way under so that he wouldn't really be aware of what was happening.
The dentist seemed very nice and made sense to me, and she was also kind as she looked at Joshua's mouth. They gave him a pillow pet to hold onto, and she looked inside. We talked about flossing and brushing, and they gave him stickers and a token to go get a prize out of the machine, which was a silly band. He played some more in the waiting room while I scheduled the surgery there. They were able to get him in the first Monday in May, and they also told me that they would call if they had other cancellations.
I received a phone call this morning that they have an opening for Monday, March 21. I called the pediatrician to see if we could schedule a physical exam before then (which is required for surgery) and they also had a cancellation the week before, so it seems like it's all working out. I'm still sad that we can't see Dr. Miller where the Bean loves to go, but we'll take Caleb there since he only has our primary insurance. If this other office works out okay, we'll continue to take Joshua so he can get used to them. I am thankful, though, that the insurance will pay for this dental work. God continues to provide for our needs. I'm glad that this place was much nicer, and even though we have to drive further, it seems worth it to us.
So, please keep Joshua in your prayers as we head to surgery on March 21. He's doing great at brushing with his electric toothbrush and now flossing (which I always do for him after he's done to make sure we got everything), and I'm hoping he doesn't get discouraged with needing more work done in his mouth. Please pray that his teeth heal and there are no permanent issues with his adult teeth! He also prays every night that his two missing front teeth will grow back soon. I know God can work miracles and make his teeth come in earlier than we expect. We also pray that Joshua is done with medical or dental issues after this - ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
No comments:
Post a Comment