Hold that thought...

What a surprise! More drama in the dental department! Rose's preauthorization for underoing general anesthesia was denied! The letter says, "The Medical Review Department has determined that medical/dental necessity is not supported by the clinical documentation provided. The Trust will need clinical documentation which supports the medical/dental necessity of facility fees for dental caries, including a comprehensive description of all dental procedures to be performed. Therefore, based on teh available information and Plan provisions, your request for pre-authorization of benefits is denied. This determination can be reconsidered upon the receipt of th above information." The letter talks about appeals processes and that we have the right to initiate a lawsuit if the appeal is denied. I'm not sure if submitting the information is an appeal, or just a continuation of the initial request. I've never dealt with this before. I'm really, really hoping they don't want x-rays, because we don't have 'em. She will be getting x-rays while under general anesthesia.

Hopefully this can all get straightened out quickly, because I don't want to delay her appointment. This has gone on for too many months now, and I'm done with it. I'm considering sending them this picture and asking them if that is enough:

But it doesn't show her two molars that need work. One needs extensive work, the other needs a minor repair. It's almost exactly the same as Lacy's teeth, but at a more advanced stage of decay. I'm considering major changes for my next baby:

*No juice or soda. Period.
*Brush teeth twice a day from the day the first tooth pops out of the gums
*Vitamin D supplementation from birth
*Fluoride supplementation from 6 months
*Nightweaning between 12-15 months
*Teaching to fall asleep without nursing from one or two months, so it can be a habit when teething begins
*Better diet during pregnancy, and no more tandem nursing (no more close together babies!)
*Better diet during nursing, especially calcium-rich foods and calcium supplements.
*Xylitol daily during pregnancy and while nursing, and added to child's diet after solid foods are started

So those are a few thoughts. I realize why Rose's teeth are so much worse than Lacy's now, and it's because I inadvertantly nightweaned Lacy around 14-15 months, her teeth appeared later than Rose's, and my diet was improved during pregnancy because I wasn't running after a toddler or nursing.