Update on Aidan's trip to the Dentist

We have been going back and forth about what to do about Aidan and the cavities and getting them filled. The last thing we want to do is traumatize him so young and I don't want to put any drugs in his system either. The only route I thought we would be able to go to not frighten him would be sedation, but thats scary in itself, esp. when the dentist told me there can always be complications with sedation, esp. when he has never had anything like that in his body, who knows how he will react. Like my mom said under an emergency situation that is different, sedation is necessary, but when he is not showing any signs of discomfort and I really had a hard time seeing the spots or shadowing on his x-rays I am starting to have a really hard time with why we should put him through this so young. We definitely are going to brush his teeth more throughly and include flossing which he doesn't seem to mind too much, esp. with those cute little flosser they have now. I just have a hard time justifying how much money this would cost on teeth that he wont have forever. If it gets to the point where he is in pain then we will take action and if we have to pull the tooth early they have spacer they can put in place of the tooth until the permanent tooth comes in. Below is the link to the article my sister sent me.

** 'No proof' for filling baby teeth **Filling rotten baby teeth may be an unnecessary trial for children to endure, experts say.< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/health/8112603.stm >

Aidan's trip to the Dentist

Today, I took Aidan to the dentist, this was his second trip, well really his third. The first time he went with me when I had a cleaning just to observe and did really well he was very curious of all of the instruments and sat in my lap for part of the time. The second visit was right after he turned 3 and we went back to my dentist and he got his teeth cleaned and did really well and was surprisingly cooperative. I recently decided to try to take him to a pediatric dentist mainly b/c they are trained specifically on children's teeth and the office setting I knew would be more inviting. He did well again and was very cooperative, they commented on how well he was doing esp. at his age, they have a lot at this age that do not do very well. He did so well they decided to do xrays of his teeth, he did not complain but I was watching him the whole time and could tell he was starting not to like it. The last xray they did he gagged a little and I could see his eyes getting watery but he didn't complain, such a big boy. Now the bad news, he has cavities, four tiny spots on his back molars, 2 I could barely see on the xray, but the other 2 I could see the dark spot that had gone through the enamel. On both sides his back molars which they said he will have until around the age of 10 are very close together and both have divits in them which makes him very susceptable to cavities b/c of the build of of bacteria if not cleaned properly. Which means we have to start flossing teeth, ugh! Now we have to decide whether or not we will make 2 separate appts. using nitrous oxide since they have to work on both sides they don't want to have his whole mouth numb and be awake at the same time b/c he will be more likely to bite the inside of his cheeks or his lips. The other option is to make one visit where they sedate him and take care of everything at once and he will come out not remembering anything. The last one seems like the better option to me even though its more expensive, but then there are concerns sedating him to, even though the dentist said he was a good candiate for that as well as nitrous oxide. My fear if we go with the laughing gas option is that we take him in for his first appt. and then he feels the pain or doesn't like the numbness feeling and then by the time he has to come back for the second one he wont be willing to cooperate. I just don't want to start the fear of the dentist at this early of an age, poor thing. So, today I'm feeling a little sad, like I have failed at my job as a parent, mainly b/c I know we could do so much better at brushing his teeth 2x a day and have not been perfect by any means, we get them brushed but there are times when he falls asleep before we get the chance to do so or I'm rushing out the door in the mornings and just forget to get both of their teeth brushed. This cold, rainy day isn't helping either! I also wasn't prepared for the cost of cavities, even though my insurance pays 80%, that other 20% can add up. and why don't insurance companies pay for nitrous oxide or sedation?! Esp. for children don't they think they need to not experience any pain? The dental hygentist told me most insurance companies don't deam it necessary. I think it is necessary in a 3 year old! The last thing I want him to experience is this kind of pain, which makes me want to cry b/c I feel like b/t Chris and myself its our fault this happened, even though the dental hygentist told me that some children even with great brushing are going to get cavities. I was one of those myself, I can't even tell you how many fillings I have, where Chris has hardly any cavities or he might not have any. So, from now on even if he screams and cries and we have to hold him down he is getting those teeth of his cleaned and flossed 2 x a day, ditto with Emma. She likes to play with the tooth brush and lets me brush them for a bit, but now she is going to get the same type of brushing that he gets morning and night.

Photo Shoot

Over the Holidays my sister and I went back to the Vanderveens to have another photo shoot with all 3 kids since we did the same thing last year. Boy, this was the hardest time ever getting everyone to cooperate, they did not want to sit near each other or have their pictures taken, it was a very stressful morning for us, but somehow Bert and Becky always come through with some amazing shots, you would have never known all of the crying and whining that was going on that morning! Here are some of the shots they got:

Emma being silly with Nana!

My cute girl, I have her hair in pigtails and with the light background and her light hair you can't even tell!

Emma giving her "look" through the fence!

Emma loved sitting in this chair!

and posing on it! ha!

My sweetie pie!

Touchdown, ready to cheer on her team!

She loves sitting like this, super flexible!

Cousins in back of a random pickup!

They only sat in this chair together for about 30 seconds and somehow they got some cute shots out of!

This one turned out cute too, I don't have too many of them sitting close together!

My little Man! He could sell some RL shirts! ha!

Cute Boy!

I'm so glad they got some with his "blankie" it wasn't even planned but I'm glad we have it so he can always have a picture of himself with his favorite blankie!He was obviously pouting in the picture,

but the lighting it so good. My shy boy...

Hope to find more time in the New Year to Blog more

Hi Everyone, sorry I've been such a slack blogger, I have had some technical issues at with my home computer that hasn't allowed me to blog and it is very frustrating. We were so busy over the holidays and I was at home with the kids for over a week so that was fun and exhausting at the same time. Emma is really trying to be more vocal lately and saying new words everyday. I know by the time she turns 2 she will really be talking up a storm. I have been doing my best not to do too many things for her and try to get her to tell me what she wants rather than jumping and getting it for her before she has the opportunity to do so. The new year has really made me reflect on how quickly they both are growing up. I can't believe they will be 2 and 4 this year! Aidan is such a big boy now and it really seems like yesterday when he was my little baby, but I also have a hard time remembering him as a baby. They are both still very attached to their mommy, which I love, but at times it can make me flustered because even though I have people that are willing to help me, it seems I am the only one that can fill their needs. I have come into the new year very tired and hoping to get my kids to sleep more through the night. That is one of my resolutions to get more sleep! ha! Well, I hope to post some updated pics soon. Hope everyone had a great holiday!