A follow-up, in regards to this entry -- and it's actually good news!

Today was Madalyn's appointment with Dentist C. First off, both the dentist and the nurse were just lovely. They had Madalyn almost totally at ease, which is a major feat in and of itself. I am much happier with their bedside (chairside?) manner with her. Not that the other people weren't nice, they just didn't have that extra something I saw today.

Secondly, all this balderdash about having to sedate her to do the work? Not necessary, just as I thought. We have to get a very low-dose Valium and give her that right before the appointment and the dentist feels that and the gas will be plenty and Mad will do just fine. Yes, I do realize Valium is technically "sedation" but she'll be functional. To hear the other bunch tell it she would have to be knocked out completely using a method that would cost us a lot of extra money.

And, finally, speaking of money: the previous office had quoted us a price in excess of $875 for all the work. Not only that but they wouldn't even entertain the notion of doing the work in two separate visits to break up the cost for us (I asked). One of their parting bits of wisdom for me when we left there was that this new dentist would probably charge even more, what with knocking my kid out and all. Well, I requested an estimate today, with some trepidation. The total price?

$445.

Additionally they WILL be doing the work over two separate visits, as a matter of course. I didn't even request it. So the first visit, the crown, will cost us $200-something and the second, the filling, will be just $185. Unbelievable. Leave it to me to have picked the most ridiculously expensive dentist in town to start with.

Oh, and it turns out my fears of her teeth turning black and falling out were unfounded. Apparently cavities are not that fast-growing. Her first appointment isn't even until March 8th -- another perk, as it puts us past the holidays and all the expenses therein.

So there you have it. Once again things have worked out for the best even though it was impossible to see what was so good about the situation when it first occurred. And you guys were so upset about it! I tried to tell you it would be okay!

Heh.