Emergency Dental Procedure

Yesterday Jake, myself, and Dempsey picked Sawyer up from VBS at WACC. On the drive home Sawyer said "Oh no, my tooth feels loose." When I asked him which tooth it was he pointed to his lower right molar. Knowing that he's too young for that tooth to be loose I told him "We'll take a look when we get home." A few moments later, in a panicked voice, he said "I taste blood!" Jake and I just tried to keep him calm until we could get home and check out what was going on.

When we got home Sawyer required Daddy's attention to this problem. After a few minutes I heard Sawyer crying and panicking. Dempsey was whimpering too, showing his empathetic side to brother. I went in to check on Sawyer and Daddy. Jake left to get some water for Sawyer while I looked at Sawyer's tooth.  What a strange sight.

As I looked at Sawyer's tooth I saw what looked like inflamed gums and a foreign object. I asked if Sawyer was in any pain and, with his mouth still open, he shook his head no but put his hands over his heart. I responded, "Besides having pain in your heart, a scared feeling, is your tooth hurting?" He said no. I grabbed one of those individual flossers that has a pick on the end. I tapped his tooth and inflamed area with it. No pain. BUT that foreign object was part of his tooth!! Crazy.

I told Sawyer to go eat the hot dog that Jake had made him for lunch. I called my dentist to see if she could see him ASAP and let me know what to do whether it be address it right then or come in the next day. She wasn't available AT ALL until today at 11:15. As the mother of a super anxious Sawyer I knew that was not okay. I grabbed my phone and Googled "Whittier dentists". The top listing was for La Habra Dental Group. I called and explained our situation. Bethany is the one who answered the phone. What a gem! In my explanation I used the phrase "I'm concerned" and she said "If you're concerned, we're concerned." Bethany proceeded to tell me to bring Sawyer in right then because the office gets busier later in the day/ evening. So, Sawyer and I jumped back in the car and headed over to La Habra Dental. The whole way I was trying to keep Sawyer calm and I was answering any questions he asked. I told him we needed to go to the dentist because Mommy isn't a professional when it comes to teeth and that I wanted to be sure he would be okay.

When we got there we were greeted by RN Shawn. What a nice guy. He got us water bottles and was quick to engage Sawyer in conversation. Y'all know it doesn't take much to engage Sawyer. Shawn called Sawyer by name when we walked in and Sawyer was SHOCKED. He said "How do you know my name? Oh wait, everyone knows my name." I laughed, as did the other people in the waiting room. Comedy wherever Sawyer goes.

Shawn took us into a room and asked us questions about what was going on. He had forms ready for me to sign about Sawyer's treatment and HIPPA. I was impressed. Sawyer started shivering in the room- it was pretty cold. Shawn asked him if he wanted a blanket. Sawyer said yes and Shawn brought him a brand new fleece blanket (which we got to keep). I was so touched by the generosity and preparedness of this office.

Another dental assistant came and got us and took us to the exam/ procedure room. I feel so bad, the assistants were AWESOME and I have forgotten their names. The ladies were so wonderful with Sawyer and he, being who he is, just charmed their socks off.  They took x-rays and pictures of his tooth with state of the art equipment. The photos popped up on the computer screen that was right there and he could see them. He thought that was pretty neat. The x-rays are always difficult and he gagged a little- we've all been there. He was such a trooper and did a great job!

Once the images were all taken we met Dr Michael DDS. What a fun guy. He was quick to engage Sawyer and keep him informed while also talking technically to his assistants. I was so impressed. They let me stay in the area the whole time too. That was wonderful. After review the photos/ films Dr Michael suggested two plans of action and asked if we wanted to have the work done right then if possible or wait. I told him right away if possible. I didn't want Sawyer to worry for a day. It took a lot of explaining to Sawyer about what was going to happen and reassuring him he would be fine. He was a roller coaster of emotions and questions. Over all, though, he decided that he wanted to get everything handled right then too. My brave intelligent boy!

Option 1: drill out the infected/ cavity-ridden parts of the tooth, fill it, save it
Option 2: if Option 1 wasn't enough when he got in the tooth- extract it and put in a spacer

Once I signed the necessary paperwork an assistant brought in the cart of tanks for the nitrous oxide. She showed Sawyer the mask that would go over his nose and he looked confused. We explained what it would do and I was quick to make a BIG deal about how cool that air is, how the mask looked like a Storm Trooper's mask, how jealous I was of him that he got that air and I didn't.... He accepted all of that and did exactly what she told him to do. Such a brave boy. By this time I've prayed for him twice- per his request. I prayed that God would give him peace and the courage of Joshua. I love that my boy hold onto the power of prayer with both hands at all times.

A few minutes of breathing the nitrous Sawyer was in a GREAT place. LOL You would be too. They started prepping him for the procedure. I don't remember what they called it but it went something like this:
Breathe nitrous; shot of Novocaine; drill into tooth, clean out dead tooth and effected nerve/ root parts; fill it in; clean teeth
It was a longer procedure than Dr Michael had thought but it went smoothly and he was able to save Sawyer's tooth. I was so grateful. I was scared I'd have to explain to Sawyer that he was going to lose his tooth.

It was so strange to watch Sawyer through all of this be awake and even able to communicate. He asked me to pray for him one more time before Dr Michael started. So I did. While Dr Michael was working I kept saying affirming things the whole time and Sawyer would stick his thumbs up or wave. He did so well! The doctor and assistants said "Sawyer, you can be my patient any time!" When all was done Sawyer told them "You can be my professionals any time!" They just "ahhhh"ed at him. I smiled like a proud momma would.

When the procedure was done they took his mask off, sat him up, and we waited a little while to make sure everything was all right. He was numb and had the hardest time understanding that HE had to tell us if he felt it. He thought we would be able to tell by touching. It was a bit humorous. He was able to get up and walk and talk with no problem! I was amazed. An assistant took us to the Treasure Box and Sawyer got to pick TWO items. He was excited. I got to sit and wait for financial papers and to make the payment. Super easy. Super fast. Super impressed.

Then, this morning, Dr Michael called me to check on Sawyer and see how he was doing. I told him everything was fine and that Sawyer was doing great. He was pleased.

LA HABRA DENTAL
901 W Whittier Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631
888-829-3092
www.lahabrasmiles.com