Doctor Visits for Natalie

Natalie has had a number of doctor's appointments for various reasons these last two weeks. Last Monday she had an appointment with the orthodontist to get her braces removed. She's been eating lots of popcorn and chips since then. Her orthodontist noticed some drainage from one of her teeth, something the dentist noticed earlier this month during her dentist apointment. He didn't want to do anything at the time until her braces were off, so he could examine the area better.

Last Thursday, she went back to the dentist, who took some X-rays. He recommended waiting to do anything because this is a baby tooth that will fall out probably within a year. He did also say that he was going to consult her orthodontist and a pediatric dentist. Well, this week he called to say that they decided to give her antibiotics for now. She really hates the taste of the antibiotics, but she has been good about taking them. Her orthodontist doesn't want the tooth pulled because it could change the alignment of her teeth, so the next choice would be doing a sort of "root canal". The thought of her needing one of those scares me.

This past Tuesday, Natalie had another apointment with the orthodontist to get her retainer. She surprised me by cleaning her retainer (with denture cleanser) after one day--on her own. Patrick still has to remind Anthony to clean his retainer at least once a week. She talks a little funny with the retainer in and apparently she's had kids at school point that out as well. She appears to be taking it all in stride.

Finally, today she saw a dermatologist. She has had an eczema-type rash on her back side off and on for years. Sometimes it gets so bad and she scratches it so much that she breaks the skin, resulting in scabs. She sometimes laments about how her baby brother's bottom is smooth while hers is not. I worry because of her discomfort that causes this, and because she's a girl and any sort of scarring is not ideal, especially for this swimmer. The area affected can be seen when she wears a swimsuit. The dermatologist gave her a prescription for some cream to put on the area. He also recommended different soap to wash with, a different lotion to put on, and no dryer sheets for her clothing and bedsheets. He had also recommended a specific detergent, but we already use that one. She has a followup appointment in three weeks. I hope we see some improvement and I hope that will be all the doctor visits for Natalie for a while.