Dentist Trauma

On Monday Sawyer had his first ever dental procedure - getting cavities filled. Nothing makes you feel like a horrible mother faster than learning that your child has a mouth full of cavities (I don't know what the final count was, but before they started drilling it was at least seven.) The dentist says it's from drinking juice from a sippy cup - although virtually every toddler I know drinks juice or milk from a sippy cup and none of them have a million cavities. We brush his teeth twice a day and he rarely has sweets. I'm blaming Eric's genes, since I've never had a cavity myself.

Since he's so young and needed so many fillings we decided to have him go under IV sedation during the procedure. We had to get to the office early in the morning, which was good because that meant Eric could be there for moral support for me. Also since Sawyer couldn't eat anything after midnight the night before, it was good that we didn't have to keep him hungry for too long. They had me hold him in my lap while he was given an injection which we were told would make him fall asleep, and then they'd start an IV (which I later found out was in his ankle - yikes!) After they gave him the shot I expected him to fall asleep in my arms, and I was totally unprepared for his reaction - he got all stiff, with his hands balled into fists, his pupils dilated and he started shaking. The anesthesiologist was quick to assure us that it was normal and that in some people their body fights the medication at first. When I laid him down in the dentist's chair he was so stiff that he almost rolled right off onto the floor. The most disturbing part was that his eyes were wide open but it was clear that he didn't see us there. I just about lost it. I'm so glad Eric was there with me in the waiting room.

After about an hour and a half the drilling, filling and sealing was done and they called me back (Eric had to step out for a conference call) so I could hold him while he woke up. He was very groggy for a while and had a dry, sore mouth but otherwise seemed to feel fine. His first words were about Kai-lan. A couple of hours after we got home he was dancing around and asking for chicken and fries (he got yogurt instead). All in all it was much more traumatic for me than it was for him. Still, I hope this is the last major dental procedure he'll need for a long time.