Not Happy

I am not happy. Actually, I'm beyond not happy... I'm MAD!!! Starting around the 14th or the 15th of May, Bennett, got a fever that just wouldn't go away, and then he wouldn't eat anything. My initial thought was that he was getting his 2 year molars. But then a few canker sores showed up, he got wicked bad breath and his gums bled like crazy when I brushed his teeth. I got online, typed in the symptoms and Gingivostomatitis popped up. It's a kid's reaction to their first exposure to HSV1 i.e. cold sores. That made total sense cause Matt had had an active cold sore just days before Benny came down with these symptoms. Since it is a virus, I knew to just wait it out. All symptoms except bad breath and bleeding gums disappeared. I read again online that many moms had had the same issue with their kids, and their doctor put the kids on Amoxicillin. So after a week and a half of not brushing Bennett's teeth, I went in to hopefully get some Amoxicillin or other antibiotic. The doctor suggested we cauterize his remaining canker sores and sore gums with silver nitrate. She said it would burn for a minute but then he'd feel much better. I had never heard of this procedure, but figured doctor knows best. It did burn the dickens out of him, poor baby. A few minutes later, though he did seem to feel much better. She did not, however, prescribe any antibiotic, and said there was nothing she could do about it. The next day, his teeth were black as night. What??? I had been trying to at least wipe his teeth with gauze and toothpaste. I couldn't stand the sight of it so I went big and tried brushing his teeth, but his gums bled just as badly as before and he was not happy with me. So I had to let the blackness sit there. Just a day or two ago, his gums seemed to heal up almost completely, so I tried brushing his teeth several times. The following pictures show what was left:

This is what I found out from my avid online research: "Metallic compounds are also implicated in dental discolorations because of the interaction of the metals with dental plaque to produce surface stains. Industrial exposure to iron, manganese, and silver may stain teeth black..."

Turns out that without some serious dental work, those stains are there to stay. I hope they can at least be diminished slightly with just a little polishing, but how he's going to hold still for that, I'm not sure. WHY WOULD THE DOCTOR NOT WARN ME OF THESE POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS??? I would have said no, had I known. Our dental coverage is only good in the States, so either we fork it over here, or wait till we go back to the States, which will be probably till at least November. I realize these are not permanent teeth, but they will be in his mouth for at least 6 or so more years, and it makes me look like I'm the kind of mom who lets her kid go to bed with a bottle of apple juice every night. I am not happy!!!

(Yes, Briana, I know... at least he HAS teeth. So sorry for your little muffin).