The Dentist Nightmare

About two months ago, Westin had a routine dentist appointment where we learned he had FOUR cavities - all in between his back teeth, both top and bottom. (Geez, we really dropped the ball on flossing apparently.) So we scheduled an another appointment a few weeks later to get the cavities filled. We went in to the office, first thing in the morning. I wanted the first appointment, since Westin wasn't able to eat since the night before. They first gave him an oral sedative, and once that kicked in, they strapped him into the dentist chair, gave him laughing gas, and then started their work. After they numbed him, the dentist started drilling... and that's where this nightmare begin.  

Westin must have heard the drill, because he immediately got upset and wanted to get out of the chair. Since the dentist couldn't just stop in the middle of filling a tooth, she kept going and Westin's emotional and physical reaction continued to escalate. About 15 minutes after they had started, the dentist came out to the waiting room to tell me they couldn't continue and that Westin had a reverse reaction to the oral sedative, Versed (only about 2% of kids have this reaction). I left Avery with the girl at the front desk and went to be with Westin who was basically uncontrollable - literally kicking and screaming at anyone who came near him. He barely let me touch him and certainly wouldn't let me hold him. Since he was still feeling the effects of the drugs, I couldn't let him walk on his own, so I laid him on the ground and just let him kick and scream, hoping the drugs would wear off soon. It took about 25 minutes before I could get settled down enough to take him to the car (the hardest 25 minutes I've had to endure with him - I so badly wanted to make him feel better, but I was helpless. There was nothing I could do but wait for the drugs to wear off. It was awful. I wanted to cry the entire time as I watch my baby struggle to talk, walk, and understand what was happening to him). During that 25 minutes, he asked me about 20 times to burn down or kick down the building so he would never have to go back (I was pretty willing to do it). I finally got him to calm down with a promise to get donuts the second we left (knowing a Krispy Kreme was around the corner). I was able to get him in the car and strapped in his seat, but he was still very emotional and upset about the experience. At home, he downed two donuts, a banana, a granola bar and crackers while watching Ninja Turtles. Clearly starving from fasting since the night before. Though he had calmed down, he was not himself for the rest of the day.

To make matters worse, during the madness at the dentist office, the dentist informed me that she wanted to do a root canal on TWO of the cavities! To do that, we'd have to go back a third time, and put him under completely. I couldn't believe it and was not about to schedule that without a second opinion. So grateful to have gotten a referral to another dentist, who examined Westin and recommended that we don't do anything just yet. We'll watch the cavities and hopefully keep them the size they are, or even reduce them with flossing and fluoride. She also said we don't need to do a root canal. Hallelujah!!! Needless to say, we've switched dentists and are hoping the future of Westin's oral hygiene gets better.