I read that story about the poor little five year old girl who is now brain dead after dental sedation. Here's an excerpt from the Chicago Sun Times.:
"Diamond Brownridge, the 5-year-old Southwest Side girl who slipped into a coma after being sedated by her dentist, was clinging to life late Monday at Children's Memorial Hospital.....Diamond's sedation involved three steps. First, she was given a substance to drink from a cup. Then the clinic administered what it called "goofy gas,'' Travis said. Finally, she received intravenous sedation....the child, who had been grinding her teeth, had complained of dental pain and been diagnosed with two cavities, her mother said. She was also getting caps on some lower teeth..."
Ok my first question is why is a five year old child getting caps on lower teeth?
Second, of course, is what happened?
No one seems to know at this point.
For more information about the dangers of IV sedation, here is an article by ABC News.
But the episode led me to do a google news search on dentists. It brought up a story about sexual abuse, a story about a Birmingham (UK) dentist accused of ordering a firebomb attack on a Birmingham house which killed a six-year-old girl, and a whole bunch of other strange stories about dentists. These stories led me to look up that urban legend about dentists having high suicide rates. I found this article, which seems to refute that claim, although it has a very funny graphic cartoon.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Because I'm worth it!
Dental appt today! And there's something good, something bad, and something embarrassing to tell.
First the good, I have this molar -- I think it's tooth #30 for those who number their teeth -- which is pretty well compromised. It's always had a huge filling in it, and the pockets around it are enormous and inflammed and all that crappy stuff. So initially the decision was made to just have it out and go with (probably) an implant. But now we're going to try to save it! Yay! I say try, because it's pretty far gone, and there may not be any hope for it. But JC is going to give it a go with the perioscope and a big dollop of Emdogain and we'll see what happens.
Now the bad. I seem to be a plaque making machine! Thanks, Mom! I remember my dentist when I was a teenager telling me I had "your mother's plaque issues", by which he meant that I make plaque like a bee makes honey. No, not out my butt! Just all the time. I am admittedly going to have to be even more vigilant than ever to keep the darn things clean. As it is, I brush twice a day and swish vigourously with Listerine (ugh) at least 3 times a day. JC thinks I ought to use the Sonic Care for four minutes each time I use it. That's two cycles, because the Sonic Care is set up to automatically shut off after 2 minutes. Plus I really have to floss more. For a long time I didn't floss because it caused my gums to bleed but I have no excuses now. My gums don't bleed anymore, not since the perioscopy. (That's one good reason to consider this super deep cleaning treatment even if you aren't at the point I was -- the point of near hopelessness.) So I will start flossing -- honest!
And the embarrassing -- well, you know how you want your teeth to be super clean when you go to the dentist? I brushed last night, and twice this morning, and Dr Bursell still found a little piece of pizza from last night's dinner lodged somewhere. How disgusting is that???? but it just goes to show you that you think you're getting 'em clean but you really aren't.
More good news -- one of my pockets has gone from 12 mm to 3. That's really good.
Next I'll go back for the perioscopy on that molar, and then in six weeks' time go for another cleaning...not a super deep one this time but just to keep the plaque at bay.
No major work, though, for a few months, because the Emdogain is still working, and the healing is still occuring (we hope!).
Oh -- so I also have this little issue with occlusion, which is basically the way the teeth bite against each other. (Origin: 1590–1600; < L occlūdere to shut up, close up, equiv. to oc- oc- + -clūdere, comb. form of claudere to close]) Occlusion is a big deal because if your teeth don't clamp down in just the right way, it can cause all kinds of problems. So Dr Bursell took a diamond tipped (hence the title of this piece) dealybob and ground down the surfaces of two of my upper side teeth. Just a little. Just enough so that the clamping down process is a little evener. I was worried but it didn't hurt at all.
Tomorrow Im going to try to find some time to write about anxiety, where my anxiety is at right now, what I've learned, and how I'm learning to cope.
First the good, I have this molar -- I think it's tooth #30 for those who number their teeth -- which is pretty well compromised. It's always had a huge filling in it, and the pockets around it are enormous and inflammed and all that crappy stuff. So initially the decision was made to just have it out and go with (probably) an implant. But now we're going to try to save it! Yay! I say try, because it's pretty far gone, and there may not be any hope for it. But JC is going to give it a go with the perioscope and a big dollop of Emdogain and we'll see what happens.
Now the bad. I seem to be a plaque making machine! Thanks, Mom! I remember my dentist when I was a teenager telling me I had "your mother's plaque issues", by which he meant that I make plaque like a bee makes honey. No, not out my butt! Just all the time. I am admittedly going to have to be even more vigilant than ever to keep the darn things clean. As it is, I brush twice a day and swish vigourously with Listerine (ugh) at least 3 times a day. JC thinks I ought to use the Sonic Care for four minutes each time I use it. That's two cycles, because the Sonic Care is set up to automatically shut off after 2 minutes. Plus I really have to floss more. For a long time I didn't floss because it caused my gums to bleed but I have no excuses now. My gums don't bleed anymore, not since the perioscopy. (That's one good reason to consider this super deep cleaning treatment even if you aren't at the point I was -- the point of near hopelessness.) So I will start flossing -- honest!
And the embarrassing -- well, you know how you want your teeth to be super clean when you go to the dentist? I brushed last night, and twice this morning, and Dr Bursell still found a little piece of pizza from last night's dinner lodged somewhere. How disgusting is that???? but it just goes to show you that you think you're getting 'em clean but you really aren't.
More good news -- one of my pockets has gone from 12 mm to 3. That's really good.
Next I'll go back for the perioscopy on that molar, and then in six weeks' time go for another cleaning...not a super deep one this time but just to keep the plaque at bay.
No major work, though, for a few months, because the Emdogain is still working, and the healing is still occuring (we hope!).
Oh -- so I also have this little issue with occlusion, which is basically the way the teeth bite against each other. (Origin: 1590–1600; < L occlūdere to shut up, close up, equiv. to oc- oc- + -clūdere, comb. form of claudere to close]) Occlusion is a big deal because if your teeth don't clamp down in just the right way, it can cause all kinds of problems. So Dr Bursell took a diamond tipped (hence the title of this piece) dealybob and ground down the surfaces of two of my upper side teeth. Just a little. Just enough so that the clamping down process is a little evener. I was worried but it didn't hurt at all.
Tomorrow Im going to try to find some time to write about anxiety, where my anxiety is at right now, what I've learned, and how I'm learning to cope.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
New problems
Oh, man, just when I thought things were looking up, and my teeth were getting back to normal, one of them started to crumble today. From what I can tell, a piece of the tooth must have chipped off somehow, and it feels really weird on the inside. I can feel the sharp edges of the filling with my tongue. I think this is the tooth that one dentist told me had a crack in it. It's probably going to have to go. Dammit. That makes 3 teeth that are going to have to be pulled soon....I hope, of course, that it can just have a crown put on it, but with my dental luck that's doubtful.
On the bright side, I really do feel that the perio treatments I've had are making a huge difference. I'm sure the pockets are getting smaller, and I'm sure I'm growing bone back again. I believe I'll be able to keep 23 or 24 teeth (as opposed to having 14 of them yanked, as the first dentist wanted to do), and while it's a long way off, I do expect to have a great looking smile someday.
After all the necessary extractions, replaced fillings, and what not, I'm still going to be faced with the question: veneers or not veneers?
On the bright side, I really do feel that the perio treatments I've had are making a huge difference. I'm sure the pockets are getting smaller, and I'm sure I'm growing bone back again. I believe I'll be able to keep 23 or 24 teeth (as opposed to having 14 of them yanked, as the first dentist wanted to do), and while it's a long way off, I do expect to have a great looking smile someday.
After all the necessary extractions, replaced fillings, and what not, I'm still going to be faced with the question: veneers or not veneers?
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