Our trip to the pediatric dentist.

We left for the dentist at 1:20 this afternoon. It is now 8:15, and we just got home about half an hour ago. That's a LONG trip for 5 kids and one stressed out mom.

We got to the dental office, filled out the paperwork, and the kids played while we waited for them to call their names.

They called the boys back, and they had me come back to explain what they would be doing.

An hour and a half later, they called me back to tell me what they'd found.

Jace did not do well. When they separated the boys to clean their teeth, Jace freaked out. They had to hold him down while they did the cleaning. He cried the entire time. He has 5 cavities - all in between his teeth (from not flossing - UGH), and he has to come back. They are worried about how he'll react to the fillings, so they'll try one time. If he doesn't do well, he'll have to come back again, and they'll sedate him. The only problem is, our insurance won't cover sedation for him, because his teeth "aren't bad enough." So, we'll have to come up with the money to cover the sedation. I honestly think it may be worth it for him.

Then we talked about Zander. The poor child has 14 cavities. 14. I wanted to cry. When I was 5, I had 14 cavities. My family has horrible teeth. You can brush 3 times a day and cavities still form. I need to have mine all pulled and get false teeth, but we can't afford it right now. I'm 30 years old. Now it looks like Zander is going down the same path that I went down.

Luckily, we have this fantastic pediatric dentist now. Zander had a BLAST today, and can't wait to go back for his first fillings. When I was his age and had all those cavities, I had a horrible dentist. I still remember that his name was Dr. Kimberly. I think he was the devil. I really do. BUT, Zander really loved the dentist today and I think he'll do really well with the fillings and extractions he needs. If not, they'll also do the sedation on him, and the insurance *will* cover it for him also, just because his teeth are so bad. I'm actually debating just letting them do the sedation on him. Then, they'll do everything in one shot, and he won't be awake for any of it. What do you think? What would you do?

I feel just awful about this. I brush the kids' teeth religiously: morning, noon, and night. I'll admit I am awful about flossing them, but that will change. It has to. Maybe if I start flossing Lucy early, I can prevent her from having all these problems in the future.

So, the pediatric dentist was a hit for one and we're still working on the other one. At least they are patient and willing to work with Jace. It's a very welcome change from what we dealt with on Tuesday!

We head back next month to see how they do with their fillings. Keep your fingers crossed for us!