Rich mouth

*Disclaimer this is a LONG post sorry.
William and Matthew went to the dentist last month. This was William's second time and Matthew's first. They both did really well. The dentist office in Hawaii didn't allow parents in the back so we were glad to be able to come with the boys and help them sit still, ask questions and be involve in the process.
We knew from our last visit that William had 6 cavities that were between his teeth. But since we wouldn't be allowed back with him when they put his fillings in we opted to wait and find a dentist that would allow us to be with our child for at least the start of the procedure. It did take us some time to find one in the area. We were told that a good one was Dr Howell and so we made an appointment. We found that William has 8 cavities mostly between his back teeth. We also learned that he grinds his teeth. We thought Matthew did at night but it's actually William. So the dentist said that William would most likely grind his teeth and cause the fillings to pop out. The best option would be to put caps on them. I didn't like it but oh well.
Matthew also did well at the dentist. He didn't want the hygienist to brush his teeth so I helped him. Eric had to hold him on his lap for his xrays and for the dentist to examine him. (he doesn't like those big exam chairs) Matthew has chips on his front two top teeth. They've been that way since about the time they came in. The dentist said that the chip goes down almost to the nerve and suggested that we cap those teeth. He said he would polish the front white so it would blend in with the other teeth and not be silver.
Now there was the option of "wait and see" but since we were planning on moving it made more sense to take care of things now.





May 12 2011 was the big day. Matthew went in first at 730 am. Oh and I should mention that the boys had to go in fasting since they would be put under. Matthew was fine since as soon as he woke up at 7 I got him dressed then headed out. He didn't notice that he missed breakfast.
William had a harder time since his appointment wasn't until 1045am. He was also the last one of the boys to get over his stomach bug so he hadn't been eating that much before hand. We managed to keep him busy with a movie and lego star wars. Eric was just getting over his bug so I took the boys and brought them home. The procedure took an hour a piece and went well. They both had a bit of a hard time waking up but calmed down enough for me to pack them into the van and head home. William had more pain since he had more caps put on and had his cavities worked on. Matthew fell asleep when he came home and when he woke up, ate and was fine. William had a harder time. He got eight caps all on his molars. He ate some but was still in a lot of pain. By the end of the day they were happy and a little groggy. They got some pain meds and slept til 9 the next morning! The day after William still has pain but is eating better. Matthew is fine and has no pain, or at least he isn't complaining about it. Overall it was a nervous experience for us as parents but the boys did well and have brighter smiles.



William quotes of the experience:
A few days before the surgery William said "I'm going to have armor on my teeth" "Howard is going to be so proud of me!" Apparently Howard showed William his teeth the last time they were together and William remembered it.
On the drive to the dentist: "Mom I'm not going to show my teeth to strangers cause they might try and steal my silver."
Once we were home and he was trying to eat: "My old teeth didn't hurt. I want my old teeth back."