Smile!

While we were in Ukraine, I noticed that all of Dasha's molars were completely black and she had decay on her front teeth, as well.  I figured we were going to get to know our dentist very well once we got home.  Over Fourth of July weekend, she started complaining about one of her teeth hurting.  It would come and go and sometimes she said it didn't hurt.  I took her to the dentist on July 5th and they took a look and said they wanted to put her under general anesthesia to fix everything at once.  She needed root canal, crowns, extractions, fillings...it was a pretty extensive list.  She was really freaked out by the dentist so I agreed to the general anesthesia because I thought it would be the least stressful way for her.  The surgery couldn't be scheduled until July 19.  That should have been my first red flag.  I told them she was having some pain, but they said they didn't see anything that would be causing her problems but they hadn't done x-rays (red flad #2).  Well, after a few days, things started to get really bad.  She was in pain and Tylenol wasn't helping even a little.  I called the dentist back and they told me to bring her in and they would fix the problem that was causing her to hurt and then deal with the rest during the surgery.  I won't bore you with all the details, but the appointment went so badly that I ended up firing the dentist right there on the spot.  This is the pediatric dentist my boys have seen for 7 years.  We have never had a single problem and, before all this, I LOVED this practice and recommended them to anyone who asked.  I was so disappointed in the way this dentist handled Dasha's situation.  Once I told him I would not allow them to work on her without me present and demanded she have nitrous oxide so she was as unaware as possible, he all of a sudden couldn't make time in his busy schedule to fix the problem for her  He said we would just take care of it during the surgery we had scheduled in 7 DAYS!!  Seven days is a lifetime to someone with a bad toothache.  We came home with a prescription for Tylenol with codeine, which did absolutely NOTHING to help her.  It didn't even make her sleep.  I spent almost an entire day trying to get her in to see another dentist and nobody could help us.  Every place was either full until the beginning of August or the dentist was on vacation.  I kept asking, "What are we supposed to do for an emergency situation?"  Nobody could give me any suggestions.  It was truly the weirdest thing.  I had to be really careful because I refused to take her some place where they would use a papoose board and restrain her or where they wouldn't allow me to stay with her.  I really didn't want her to know what was happening.  Just when I had about reached my breaking point, I called an adult dentist and the receptionist got the dentist on the phone to speak with me.  Dasha was crying in the background and as I spoke to this man, I started crying out of frustration.  It's so hard to see your child (or anybody) in that much constant pain.  He was the nicest, kindest person.  He talked to me for a long time and listened to what was going on with her.  He told me to wait by the phone for a call from someone who could help us.  When the phone rang, it was a pediatric dentist office calling to say that they could see her first thing the following morning.  They would use conscious sedation and she really would not be aware of what was happening to her.  They promised they would make her feel better.  When we arrived at the appointment, the dentist greeted us and introduced herself to Dasha.  She started talking all about internationally adopted kids and attachment and I could tell she understood!  Her assistant told me it was the dentist's day off and she had agreed to come in and fix Dasha's tooth when the other dentist heard her crying over the phone and told her how much pain she was in.  To make an already long story a little shorter, this place was FABULOUS!  They were so child-friendly it was ridiculous.  All they cared about was getting her out of pain ASAP and doing their best to begin to fix some of the other problems.  They ended up extracting the tooth that was giving her problems and filling another.  Three other molars were filled with calcium paste and a sedative and we are watching them very carefully for any signs of infection. If these teeth can heal themselves with the help of the calcium, she will get crowns on all of them in a few months.  If they become infected in the next few weeks, they'll be extracted.  We went back again this morning for round 2.  Today they extracted a molar and did the sedative filling on the other molar.  All total, she'll need four crowns now.  They also did regular fillings in her two front teeth.  She is feeling so much better after all this dental work!!  The dentist says she has probably been in constant pain for months.  It makes me so angry to think about the non-existent dental care she received at the orphanage and how much pain she would have had to endure if she was still there.  I know that routine dental cleanings and care are not common in much of the world, but I think they should be since oral health is tied so closely to general, overall health. 
These pictures were taken today.  I didn't take my camera to the last appointment because she was in so much pain and crying.  Since the last appointment, she's been eating better and trying more foods.  Plus, she's even talking more!  The poor thing just didn't feel good!  I'm so happy she's feeling better now!

Waiting for the oral sedative to take effect.

Still waiting!  :)  It took awhile and gave her the hiccups both times. 

Not happy about being back at the dentist, but she always smiles when she sees a camera.

Starting to get sleepy.

They waited until she was completey unaware before wrapping her up and we took it off before she woke up.