Several months ago we found out that Ashlee needs to have lots of dental and orthodontic work done. When John switched jobs we found out we would be getting dental insurance with a little more coverage than our last plan had, so we put things on the back burner until we had insurance again. Before John switched jobs, we had paid a deposit to start Ashlee's orthodontic work and we had 90 days from that time to start treatment. The plan was to start her dental work as soon as school got out so she would be in braces by the time school started. But life changed, so we had to postpone things a bit.
So here we are, days before school starting, and we find out that Ashlee has to have 3 teeth extracted and an exposure done for a tooth coming through her pallet, and this all must be done 7 days prior to the 20th of August or we lose our deposit. Luckily, things fell into place. The dentist was able to see Ashlee to perform the procedures in time so we would not loose our money.
Monday (two days before school started) Ashlee went in to have some dental work done, dental work that should have been done at an oral surgeon, but due to our insurance situation, the orthodontist and dentist agreed that the procedures could be performed by the dentist to help us out financially. Let's just say, I do not think the dentist will agree to performing such procedures again. Ashlee was great. She did fantastic the entire hour and 40 minutes. Three teeth were extracted, her pallet had to be cut, bone from her pallet had to be removed to expose a tooth coming through her pallet, and a bracket had to be put on the tooth coming through the pallet, so the orthodontist can hook on to the tooth and pull it into place when the time is right. As soon as the first tooth came out, the right side of Ashlee's face began to swell up, normal right? Well two days later, Ashlee's face is still swelled up, she can hardly open her mouth to eat, and says that her bracket feels like it is going to fall off, so I took her back to the dentist, to check on what is going on. Ashlee was right, the bracket was falling off, the dentist removed it, her face is still swollen, the dentist thinks she must have got anesthetic in one of her nerves, so we will have to wait for it wear off (which she said should be on the down side now, but for some reason it is not), and I am really starting to think maybe we should have seen an oral surgeon after all!
Ashlee has been a trooper. She has handled the situation well. She went to school with a swollen face and did not complain, she has woke herself up in the middle of night to take her medication and ice her face. The dentist has been very helpful and concerned. She has called several times to check on Ashlee and has been more than willing to see her to check on her progress, but I think a lesson has been learned, that lesson being, that sometimes cheaper is not always best!
