I have been meaning to post about Tetyana's dentist visit. I made appointments for both kids because I thought it would be a good idea to have Luke getting his teeth cleaned at the same time so Tetyana could see it wasn't going to be painful. I didn't tell her before school that she was going to leave school early to go to the dentist and I made sure Luke kept his mouth shut too!
When I picked Tetyana up from school while she was in the lunch room she was completely confused. On our way to pick up Luke I explained to her about the dentist and that it wouldn't hurt. She was not convinced at all. She must have asked me 5000 times if it was going to hurt.
We picked up Luke and went to the office. Since Tetyana was a new patient the woman gave me paperwork. I explained to her that we had just returned with Tetyana and that she was adopted from an orphanage. I told her that we did not have any medical history on her. She was totally clueless! She said something like "don't you know if she has any medical problems" and I told her again we didn't know anything about her medical history. She kept pressing like I was not understanding her question. I finally said in a very firm voice "WE DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING!!" She must have finally got it because she didn't ask anymore questions and at the end of our visit she came to our exam room and said congratulations.
Luke had his teeth cleaned first and Tetyana watched very closely. She asked Luke a million times if it was hurting him. He tried to assure her that no, it did not hurt. Then it was her turn. The hygienist was great and did her best to keep Tetyana calm and happy. You can see in the pictures how calm she was.
After you read what the dentist said about the condition of her teeth you will understand why I was no longer calm. He basically said all of her teeth are rotted and the enamel is breaking down. They suggest we see another dentist who will do all of the work in one visit in the hospital.
Dr. Mike thought if we did it in the office it would be too traumatic for her. She already is going to the doctor every 6 weeks for her vaccinations. He thought the dentist would charge around $3000 for his portion plus the hospital charges. Ouch!! We don't have dental insurance and after checking around, it doesn't seem like it would pay to get it. The good news is, she isn't in any pain so we don't have to rush to get it done. He didn't know exactly what needed to be done or which teeth could be saved.
The dentist thinks a lack of proper nutrition, proper hygiene and maybe maternal exposure to something has caused her teeth to deteriorate.
We are thinking we will have to put veneers on her baby teeth until the adult teeth come in and then veneer those too. We want her to be confident as she is growing and a healthy smile is a big part of that. I just feel so bad for the pain she will have to go through. So probably over the summer we will work on her smile...
4 comments:
Hello! I feel like I know you and your family because I have followed your story for so long. I was a lurker, but now I am coming clean. :) We adopted three little girls from Cherkasy in 2003. They are the highlight of our lives! Since then, we have had two miracle babies come into our home also. The adoption process was hard and I have to say that some aspects of life have not gotten any easier. However, some have. Anyway, this post about going to the dentist made me want to comment. My oldest daughter was 4 when we adopted her and she had black teeth. I kid you not! When we showed her a toothbrush, she didn't know what to do with it. Our dentist said that her teeth were in pretty good condition, just stained. I thought for sure that they were all going to have to be pulled out, but they polished them and after about 2 years of going to the dentist every 6 months, her teeth are sparkly clean. Of course now she has lots of permanent teeth and the baby ones are gone, but he said the stains came from drinking tea instead of milk. My other daughters suffer from yellow permanent teeth. The dentist says that this is caused from them having a high fever or really bad sickness when they were infants. Very possible, since we don't know any of their history either.
Anyway, I'm sure that most of this did not make sense. Just know that you are not alone.
Cheers!
This was the appt. I dreaded most, but fortunately we did not have the same challenges you face. Leeza had two cavities, but I realize how minor that is compared to the treatment they are recommending for Tetyana.
Your positive attitude is wonderful. I loved your comment - "We're going to work on her smile this summer." I'm sure you'll impact that smile in so many ways!
Hang in there!
I also have been a lurker of your adoption process:). I am a friend of Julie Hinshaw's and found your blog from hers. I am a dental hygienist and of course am always interested in dental stories. Do you have a dental college around where you live? They tend to have excellent care at about 1/2 the cost. Just thought I would throw the suggestion out there. They love to work on difficult situations to teach the students...it may be worth a consult?!?
Good Luck!
Great news that she did so well at the dentist! Not so great that she has to have all the work done:( I think a hospital stay would probably be best, but ouch, on the wallet.
-Shana
Post a Comment