A tooth for a tooth

Maaike's last surgery was for dental restoration.  We used to lovingly call her snaggle tooth.  Now we call her chiclet.  Trach kids are notorious for bad teeth, in fact many special needs kids have weak dentin.  I'm not sure if it's because the body is fighting so many more life threatening battles or if it simply has no time to send a little calcium to the teeth or if its just a product of an exhausted mother giving in to a bottle of Pediasure at bedtime (just speaking for myself here). But, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentristy does have a few things to say about it. 

Many trach kids have chipped teeth from being intubated so many times before they were trached.  We don't have that excuse.  Maaike was trached at 1 month, just 2 months before her first tooth arrived (crazy I know.  Of all my kids why did her's have to be the one to come in early?).  Her dentist suspects that she had some low grade trama to her teeth, aka bumping her teeth while learning to crawl, and then the Pediasure did the rest.

It is such a catch-22.  Maaike stuggles to keep weight on.  She burns so many calories just breathing.  Then we found this great product, all-be-it crazy expensive, that she will drink and helped her to finally put on some weight, but it is eating her teeth alive.  You just can't win some times.  Thank goodness for baby crowns.

Along with a few pieces of Easter candy, Maaike and our other two kids found electric tooth brushes in their baskets this year.  They were all thrilled at the thought and sound of them, but have really struggled with the "feel" of them.  But, we are not giving up.  We are weening Maaike off the Pediasure as we speak and are hopefully ensuring her a future filled with pretty princess crowns and not baby teeth crowns.