Being a conscious consumer

Being a conscious health consumer saved me over $2,000 dollars today. Yes, that's right!

In February, I took my 4 year old to the Dentist for the first time because I had some concerns about discolouration between his front teeth. The Dentist was concerned that there were caries in several teeth (front included) and referred us to a Children's Specialist in town. I got lectured about my decision to not use a flouride toothpaste and offered an alternative "mousse" product - when I checked the ingredients, the second ingredient listed was Propylene Glycol. So I politely declined this offer and said I was happy with my current products and not convinced that flouride would have helped more than it would harm. We agreed to disagree. I know enough on the issue not to be swayed by a Dentist I have only just met.

I believe I am well informed on the flouride debate from many seminars I have been to and my own reading. There has been a lot of information circulated in recent years as Brisbane has only recently had the water supply flouridated. In addition, a few years ago a good friend of mine had the same situation with her 4 year old daughter and she had been taking flouride tablets since being a baby. So I knew that the avoidance of flouride had little to do with the caries in my child's teeth. I am well aware of the dangers of flouride and would rather avoid it if possible.

So we went to the Children's Specialist last week. They examined my sons teeth and declared that he would require a general anaesthetic of up to 2 hours, 4 to 5 stainless steel crowns and white fillings on his front teeth. They would X-ray while he was under the anaesthetic. This procedure was going to cost $2,300. I had the same conversation with the "specialist" about flouride, was offered the same mousse product alternative (which contained Propylene Glycol) and when I explained that I would not use that either, they suggested dipping the toothbrush into a common commercially available brand of strong mouthwash to brush his teeth. I also declined this option, being aware of the dangers of alcohol in these types of mouthwash products and the risks to the sensitive mucous membranes in the mouth. Being given no option, really, but to proceed I booked in for the surgery and went away wondering how and where I could get a second opinion.

I rang around several friends in my personal network and came up with 2 options, and did a Google search which yielded a "holistic dentist" in a neighbouring suburb. I weighed up the options and chose a Dentist I had heard by reputation through my health network as being exceptional, even though he was a long way away.

Thinking I would have little chance of getting in to see him quickly, I rang yesterday. They had an appointment available this morning at 9am. It was a solid hour's drive, but worth every second.

When we got there, the Dentist put us wholly at ease. He spent a lot of time examining the child physically and taking a medical history. He agreed with me that it was likely other factors which had caused the decay: antibiotics and ventolin at the least. After a long discussion, he examined the child's teeth, then called in a colleague, who also examined the child's teeth. They both agreed that the procedure which had been recommended was unnecessary. The Dentist I had booked into laughed and said "that's good, for a moment I thought I should be off seing the Optomitrist to make sure there was nothing wrong with my eyes!". Now this is a man who has been in practice for 30 years! He also approved my choice of dental products (not that I needed his approval, but it was nice to be able to talk about it professionally).

My son is now booked in for a couple of small fillings next week.

Once home, I rang the "Specialist" and cancelled the surgery and asked for a refund of the $850 deposit I had paid. They agreed without asking why I was cancelling and without trying to cnvince me to proceed. I thought that quite strange. Think about the ramifications of their reaction for a moment. Hmmm.

Several key things struck me.

If I was uninformed on this issue, I could easily have been intimidated by the specialist to proceed with that surgery. For that matter, I could have been intimidated on the flouride issue, which I had to debate twice. The surgery would have cost us a small fortune as well as put my child at risk. Any anaesthetic is a risk. Not to mention the metals permanently placed in his mouth that could affect his longer term health.

I was overwhelmingly thankful that we have a percentage of health care professionals who are more committed to a holistic approach that cares about the patient, as opposed to making money as a business.

I was thankful for my network of friends and professionals that I could reach out to at a time like this and get information that could be critical to the future well being of my child.

It pays to be informed and sometimes it can pay very well. In more ways than in your pocket.

I may have raised a lot of issues here that readers might not understand or relate to. If you feel that way, perhaps there are some issues for you to explore a little further in your own health journey. If my story resonates with you, then I hope you can draw some strength and conviction in your own beliefs, whatever they may be. Always seek a second opinion if you feel that something is not quite right. It may be the best thing you can do.

Be well!

Deidre.