Like Pulling Teeth

Today Amedeo had to have a baby tooth pulled, the second time this has happened. The teeth in question had cavities which went too deep and then got infected. The first time it happened, both Lisa and I were confused as to how it happened, but also felt like horrible parents. This time, I’m a little confused, feel a little responsible, but am mostly just annoyed at the overall health care system in this country.
They boys are back on Oregon Health Plan (OHP) which they had been on from gestation until they were around four years old and we got a letter explaining we made too much money. It’s nice to be told in a letter that your children are no longer insured. Luckily we got them on insurance through Lisa’s work for a while. Once that ended, I applied for OHP myself as a singer parent and got the boys on. Madee went in for the initial dentist’s appointment after complaining of pain and had the first tooth pulled. A month or so later, both boys went back for a check up and cleaning. More cavities they said so make an appointment to get them filled. Long story short, the soonest appointment for the fillings is in October. It’s laughable.
A month or so later, cavities unfilled, and Madee has to get his tooth pulled because it’s so fucked up and infected. Lucky for us, since today was a “special request” appointment we went to a different clinic than we had before. The dentist at this new clinic–which is coincidently much closer to the house–was super friendly and helpful. I don’t know if this has to do with the dentist’s skill or the level of decay, but Lisa said the first time the tooth was pulled Amedeo screamed and cried. Today he didn’t even flinch. He sat perfectly still and said nothing. It was amazing. I was so impressed. Then the dentist helped me navigate tthe bullshit surrounding the system so that this can be our new clinic.

I have a couple theories as to why the boys have so many cavities, at least relative to what I had at their age. The boys have relatively little sugar or sweets compared to what I had and certainly compared to your average public school student. One theory, is that they are just naturally more susceptible to cavities than other people. Some people seem to get more cavities than others. They brush their teeth daily. They don’t floss daily, which I know is a problem, but I never did either. The second theory is that it’s due to the absence of fluoride in the water in Portland. They are given fluoride tablets in school now, but we didn’t sign the boys up at the beginning of the year to receive them, so it wasn’t until the last few months that they were taking them daily. Up until that point they would sporadically take the fluoride at home.
Hmm…I guess either way it really is my fault. Looks like I owe them a coke!