Pain all over

Today, Matthew was not himself. He was crying in pain. The joyful good mornings are greeted with a tears and screams. He is suffering from a bad case of dental carries. Tsk..tsk..tsk.. a nightmare for every parent and kid to endure.

Like most babies, Matthew was bottlefed. He would suck until he falls asleep. All the acid the milk produced had destroyed the enamel. He never liked water so he drank lots and lots of apple juice. It was a bad habit but we had to suck it since not drinking any fluids other than water was bad for him. We chose the lesser evil and bought hundred bottles of Mott's Apple juice. Secondly, he was so mad at his toothbrush. All the prodding Elmo did and the rest of the Sesame Street Gang was futile. We would run around the kitchen, sing "The Wheel on the bus goes round and round, round and round, round and round. " I would go down with him on the floor just to brush his teeth, which I found ineffective. It left him furstrated and tortured.

We thought that by the time he reached 6 yrs of age, all his baby teeth will fall off and permanent tooth will come out and that will be our time of redemption for inflicting harm to his health.

By the time he turned five, he knew how to use his toothbrush. Thanks to creative people of Colgate who created a brush with a handle shaped like a neat car. But it was too late. He only knew how to brush his front teeth.

We went to the dentist at 10 am . The kind doctor explained the situation that a simple extraction may be done but in children, the procedure may be difficult. Kids are scared and afraid to let anyone see their mouth. At Matthew's age, it is mine vs. yours mentality. The doctor also said that as much as possible, extraction is not recommended but a pulpotomy, like a root canal to numb the nerve endings which are responsible for the pain sensation. He knew much about it since his child, a toddler had undergone the same procedure three years ago. He was ashamed that a child, with a dentist father was not able to help in preventing tooth decay. The culprit was also bottlefeeding.

While the doctor was explaining, Matthew was tinkering the dentist's chair, faucet, mirror and other paraphernalia. He was so relaxed that he was able to greet the dentist and sit comfortably on the dentist's chair.

It was recommended that we go to Philippine Children's Medical Center in Quezon City and look for Dra. Salcedo. She is known to do such procedures for children with a help of an anestheologist. Her clinic being inside the hospital gives another guarantee that the procedure is easy and is regulary done and most importantly, is safe. It would only take an hour for it to be done. Only localized anesthesia is given to keep him quiet and steady.

Now, the challenge for us is to have him immediately brought to Manila for consultation and prepare ourselves for the operation and expenses. I pray I can pull all my resources today and tomorrow for a worry free trip on Friday.