On September 8, 2021, I discovered that my daughter Nicolette had on her first molar on the bottom left side a dark spot. It also looked chipped. I went to my FB and posted that I’m looking for a pediatric dentist. Friendly recommendations came in and of course the one that we fired, Dr. Morgan at Rockwall Pediatric Dentistry came up. Sorry folks we don’t support dentists that bent the knee to unconstitutional executive orders to discriminate their patients, to discuss testing results of whether or not we have symptoms of a cold. Also, thanks to their practice we are experiencing the aftermath effects of all that fluoride that was recommended and due to closing the offices we missed needed x-rays.
After searching for a more natural approach for a pediatric dentist, hopefully in the Rockwall area and many recommendations that I should schedule an appointment with the Smile Ranch in Heath, Texas. I scheduled an appointment and had an appointment the very next day!
I Saw The Sign
When we arrived we saw a reassuring sign at the door, because I am not supporting businesses that want to practice communism. You know what I am talking about. Many businesses were proudly displaying those ridiculous signs stating no mask no entry and had the audacity to ask about your health status.
This modern styled office with some glass partitions to private waiting rooms was definitely different from other dental practices. We filled out the forms and we were brought to a quaint space with a dental chair to get an exam and take some x-rays with a bubbly dental assistant. Nic Nic really felt relaxed and was very open to getting some x-rays done. It was quite surprising how many were actually done. She cooperated very well.
Smile Ranch Dental Consultation
I listened as the dentist shared the news that the black mark is a hole and because of where it is that it was only going to get worse. This particular baby tooth is expected to come out at the age of 10. Which was 5 years away and if it was not remedied with a crown that it would cause other dental problems. Many of her teeth were decaying as well as additional cavities that we could not see without the x-ray. Dr. Abramczyk has a holistic approach and does not recommend crowns or bridges that are made of metal or toxic fillings. I really liked the sound of that, but I also knew that our dental insurance is not going to cover a lot of the work that was being recommended as a treatment plan. Which included sedation to replace the tooth with a porcelain crown as well as some resin composite on several areas that had tooth decay.
How I Took The News
Look, it was a lot to take in and I had so many thoughts of I have failed as a mom! I also have a husband who I could have throat punched and hover over his life for the countless times he took our kids to get those dang colored QT fountain drinks after the park. I bring it up because I despised it and he did it anyway. Candy was not really a big deal. They were not exactly interested in it until Halloween 2021. Corban, my son (6) and Nic and Nic (5) are not interested in sodas. Vivi (5) would swipe your soda and drink it until it is gone. And she doesn’t have dental issues at the moment. Kool-aid flavors we would use those mini squirt ones to mix it with filtered water. In general, oral hygiene could have been better. It is recommended to brush twice a day, but it is clearly not enough. You have to eat non acidic foods and drink water. My kids would have strawberries daily with blueberries and a banana. Now I am limiting it to one strawberry a day. Apparently, strawberries are highly acidic and eating acidic foods on an ongoing basis can lead to erosion of the tooth enamel. Nic Nic definitely has as an acidic mouth. So we are feeding our kids a bit more balanced foods and much less sugar.
Dental Insurance and The Second Opinion
Our insurance was a bit more of telling us we need to go with metal fillings all the way and to find another anesthesiologist ($650 hr) that is in the network. We went over the concerns that I had regarding the mercury fillings and to negotiate a lower rate for the crown ($450). I said that I would mention about requesting the rate adjustment for the crown. However, it still does not alleviate the financial concern because we have to pay all of the cost right there. There was no payment plan. I believe I may have noticed some dental credit options, but we just don’t do that. Normally, we would pay a deductible. However this was much more than a regular cleaning. We did get a second opinion from a traditional patriot owned business in Plano, but IV Sedation was not offered with an anesthesiologist. Instead, the Plano dentist offered a prescribed valium to give to her 30 minutes before the appointment. He offered both types of products of fillings and a crown, but it was the sedation that sealed the deal for us to go with Smile Ranch. Additional x-rays were done at the Plano dentist office and Nic Nic had a much more difficult time there. You can sense a bit of frustration with the techs and they asked a senior staff member to give an assist. The Plano dentist was friendly and reminded me of the type you may meet at an old soda shop pharmacy. This just was not a good fit for our daughter at this time.
She Found A Skittle and Dental Treatment Plan
So when the anesthesiologist came in to go over procedures at the Smile Ranch, she asked if there was any food or drinks taken after midnight. Unfortunately, our first appointment was cancelled. Nic Nic found a skittle on the floorboard of our car and got caught chewing on it in the parking lot. We disclosed the incident. Dr. Cooke did not want to risk it so we went ahead and agreed to reschedule for the following week. The night before our second scheduled appointment we got a call from our new anesthesiologist Dr. Geoff Nelson. I asked a series of questions of worst case scenarios and asked about his experience with the insertion of needles into a child’s vein. What is his method in finding veins? He gave cordial reassuring responses that made me feel at ease that Nicolette is going to be monitored and he would do all that he knows to do.
We all got settled in our private room and got Nic Nic changed into a diaper that was provided to us. We went to the dental room where Dr. Nelson was waiting to get started. I distracted her a bit for the anesthesiologist to find a vein in her right hand. He put a warm bag over her hand to help find a good vein. She was such a champ! While she began to inhale the gas from her nasal mask she started to drift asleep saying, blue spaghetti. It came to mind because we were trying to describe all those blue veins on her hand that it looked like she had blue spaghetti. Dr. Abramczyk was very nice and covered my daughter with a lady bug blanket. She would periodically put some moisturizer on her lips during the procedure. Oh just so you know, I certainly got a rush of emotions seeing my child sedated.
After the X-Rays
Dr. Abramczyk first started with oral x-rays and that is when we had to decide pretty quickly what direction to take. My husband wanted to have a full on discussion right there over our sedated child which was not the right time. So I had to excuse ourselves and tell Dr. Abramczyk we needed to look at the numbers. She was very accommodating and her lovely dental assistant Jasmine brought to us the cost of all the items she was recommending in our private room. Yes, my husband and I argued, but we made the decision to get the porcelain crown and the resin composites on the left side of her mouth treated. It was a lot of work to be done on a 5 year old. My husband was wanting to do all of her teeth, but we just did not have that in our budget. We all have been there right? Where one in the marriage is extra spirited and the other is logical? I was the logical one and thinking wisely that day.
Two hours later, Dr. Abramczyk came to us with good news and said that we made the right decision. She was very supportive of us and she offered some aftercare ideas. We were to stay approximately an hour after she wakes up to make sure all is well with Nicolette. She offered her cell phone to call if needed. She recommended some toothpaste, essential oils and a variety of detox items available for purchase right off of her wall. I did buy a jar of unrefined sea salt called Premier Pink Salt with Hawaiian volcanic clay for about $20.00.
Dental Treatment Aftercare
After going over the details what to feed her and to start flossing 48 hours later so that we give enough time for the crown area to heal. We paid our bill and I was finally able to go back to help wake her up with Dr. Nelson. There was no major complications. It took approximately 30 minutes to wake her up fully. She was certainly snoozing and she was not able to walk by herself for pretty much the entire day. Of course, when daddy came into the room she was more willing to be carried away after all of my motherly coaching to wake up. After the treatment was like watching a drunk person when she attempted to walk around. She did not complain too much about the pain. We were home by noon and she was definitely thirsty. Although, we had to wait about an hour before she could coordinate her tongue to suck on a straw. She had soft foods for 48 hours like a banana, soup with noodles, eggs and lasagna. While the girls and I snuggled for a nap after a long morning at the dentist office. My husband picked up our son from school. Nicolette was back to her spunky self the next day and able to walk on her own. She did cry a bit when she noticed her original tooth was gone, but we chalked it up to the drugs messing with her. We could have recorded all the fun conversations, but we decided not to.
Finally, I am very pleased with our decision. I’m glad that we went to the Smile Ranch Dentistry and I would certainly recommend them. Holistic pediatric dentistry is going to be much higher, as well as, an anesthesiologist. Jason and I both did not have the best dental experiences with the type of work done during our childhood. So we are conscience of that. Based on some research on general quotes for porcelain crowns as an alternative the costs may range from $300 to $500 per tooth. It is extremely important to have an experienced IV anesthesiologist, reviewing their backgrounds and how long they have been working with the dentist and history with sedating patient children. The cost ranges vary, but typically it is about $400 for the first 30 minutes and then another $150 for each additional 15 minutes. Hopefully, this helps someone consider an alternative dental experience.