United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Our 3 yr. old daughter Dana(non-BPI) had her dental work done at the hospital today under general anesthesia. Things went better than we expected with the whole procedure and we were definitely glad that we did it this way (rather than trying to do it in the dentist's office). Dana didn't even want me to go with her to the OR when they gave her the gas. We "practiced" at home with a CPR mask that my husband had so that she would know what the mask looked and felt like. The anesthesiologist, nurses, and dentist were great. They told Dana that she was invited to a pajama party, they gave her a piggy-back ride to the OR, and told her they needed help blowing up the ballon (hooked to the gas mask). She never even cried. I made sure they put the IV in her right hand because she sucks her left thumb so that made it better when she started to wake up. She was real sleepy and threw up three times but by late afternoon she was her usual self. The bad thing was (doesn't it always seem that there is a bad with the good?!!!) her 12 year molars were worse than the dentist expected. She hopes that by putting crowns on them and treating the roots with antibiotics she can save the teeth; otherwise it will cause a lot of problems if they have to come out before the permanent teeth are ready to come in. So again I feel the guilt of putting my daughter through something and wishing we would have gotten her in to the dentist sooner. I will definitely be watching my 1 yr. old's teeth closer and if I see any sign of cavities I will be getting her to the dentist right away and not waiting until she is 3. On 2/23 we fly down to Texas for our daughter Renee's mod quad surgery on 2/26. One down, one to go!!! Trying to remain upbeat but boy is it hard sometimes.

Whew glad you're over that!
I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn't feel guilty. You are doing the best you can. Your daughter obviously has something wrong with her teeth that you couldn't forsee. I have 6 kids and I've never taken them to the dentist before age 3!
We all feel so much guilt over everything and it's just not productive!! All we can do is our best. Keep your head up and keep plowin!
T.

If you're going a day early to meet with the doctor, make a morning appt. with a child life specialist. Ours was Heidi. She'll take the whole family on a tour from beginning to end and explain everything that's going to happen. That is if Renee is old enough to make this practical. Michaela is 5 so it helped her alot. We did this in the morning went and had lunch at the 3rd floor food court and then went up to meet with Dr. Nath. To tell the truth I think it helped my husband and me, too, to know we could go with her up to the surgical area doors. Good Luck!, LeeAnne