Summary of Dentist Day

Allie's dentist appointment was a success - in the fact that she opened her mouth slightly for the dentist :)

Dr. Maggie was very nice and respected the fact that Allie hates doctors and screams at almost every visit.  They didn't push Allie to do anything she didn't want to do - which I thought was great because I really didn't want her first dentist appointment to be traumatic.  They tried brushing her teeth but Allie's gag reflux was severe today so they stopped right away.  After that, Dr. Maggie counted her teeth and checked them for plaque buildup. 

Dr. Maggie confirmed that Allie's teeth look great and there is no reason from her standpoint that Allie's breath should be smelling like poo.  Allie doesn't have any plaque buildup on her teeth and she was very happy with how much brushing we get in even with Allie's severe gagging.  Dr. Maggie is obviously concerned about the amount of vomiting Allie has done in the past.  She said that excessive vomiting can lead to tooth decay, however she doesn't see any signs of it right now.  She wants us back every 6 months for a checkup - unless Allie's vomiting stays a way completely.

So, what does this mean besides Allie has clean teeth?  We still don't know why her breath smells like poo so often.  This means we go back to Dr. Brown and he will likely perform a hydrogen breath test.  I'm not exactly sure what this test all entails but I do know that it's non-invasive and it won't hurt Allie at all.  I am waiting to hear back from Dr. Brown as to when he would like to do this testing.  I prefer to get it done ASAP - why wait around when something is smelling so bad :)  This test is checking for a bacterial overgrowth in her intestines.  I know there is a actual name for it but I don't know it at the moment.  I need to do some research about it but I was waiting until after her dentist appointment.

So, for all the parents out there with tube fed kids that are experiencing poo breath with your little one, we didn't get any answers today.  Dr. Maggie did tell me that sometimes children who don't eat orally can get a lot of plaque build-up on their teeth which in turn sometimes smells like poo.  Apparently if the child doesn't eat, there is nothing working it's way around the mouth all day and the plaque and bacteria just keeps building up.  So, it might be worth a trip to the dentist to have your little one checked for plaque build-up but in our case, this isn't the situation.  I'll keep you updated with exactly what tests Dr. Brown would like to perform.  Hopefully we can get some answers on this and we can help everyone else that is having the same problem.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Couldn't get any pictures of Allie at the dentist because she sat in my lap the whole time - but here are a couple pictures of the girls outside - enjoy!

Having fun while dad pulls us in the sled

Chloe loves to shovel

Allie gave up on shoveling and decided to just rest in the snow