nienie dentist drama.

[RandomTrivia]

It is my experience that in the US nitrous is very individual-dentist-dependent. Some dentists offer nitrous pretty much upon request. I have never heard of it being given to a child under 3 years old at the dentist, but a 12 year old would probably be given it upon a parent's request by many dentists. Sometimes there is an extra fee (not usually a big fee, though) that is not covered by dental insurances. I personally - who have had a lot of dental work, in part thanks to the side effects of chemo - made sure that my own dentist offers it, and I use it.

There are some dentists around here that don't offer it and don't have it available in their offices. It seems to be a preference thing.

There are a lot of pediatric dentists around here and it seems to be the "thing" for parents to take their kids to pediatric dentists instead of general or family dentists. It seems that the pediatric dentists (most anyway) have extra skills in dealing with kids and also have staff with extra skills in dealing with kids.

.

That blog post quoted above says

After about 20 minutes of asking, prying, and begging, we

decided that Nicholas was going to have to learn the hard way with this one.

Who is the "we" that decided Nicholas was going to have to learn the hard way? I doubt the dentist was part of the "we" - were both parents there, or is this the Royal We? I'm sure my kid would have rather pulled a Scarlett O'Hara about his fillings, but he was 8, and it was our responsibility as parents to overrule that and make sure things didn't get worse for no reason.

Our general/family dentist doesn't offer nitrous. My kid, age 8, is a nervous/worrier type sometimes, and when he had to get some fillings last summer, we tried the family dentist (who had done all Son's cleanings) first. No go, he was too nervous/scared, so we went to a pediatric dentist who does have nitrous available. Just enough to take the edge off, and everything after that was a piece of cake. So son goes to the family dentist for cleanings, but if he needs more serious work, it'll be off to the specialist and the happy gas. I'm dentist-phobic enough to get diazepam for fillings, I was hoping like hell the kid wouldn't inherit that from me, and tried to hide any sign of it from him, but it seems to have failed. :(

The pediatric dentist is set up to specialize in kids, and her bedside manner is very good. She explains things in a way that kids can understand them, kids get a little sticker and a prize from those gumball-type machines after, and she has kid-sized penguin-shaped ice packs for fillings. When son had his fillings, they had pillows to prop his legs on in the chair, a blanket if he was cold, and she recommends, if possible, that parents bring a book and read aloud to the kid during the procedure, which I thought was a great idea. I've wished for audio books during my fillings, I know. We'll be seeing more of her in the future, I'm afraid - in spite of wearing adult-size bike helmets already, he's apparently got a small jaw and one tooth is coming in wonky, so I see braces coming soon.

[chaotic life]

That is just shitty parenting, plain and simple. She doesn't live in BFE, she can FIND options for respectful and compassionate dentistry.

None of mine need nitrous NOW, except maybe the 6 year old, not sure since he hasn't needed repair work since he was 3.

When my kids need dental work, the dentist and I judge before the appointment whether they are scared enough to need nitrous has or not. We do NOT attempt it and simply see what happens. And I would halt a repair job on a scared child I misjudged that need on not to teach them any lessons but to reschedule with gas ASAP.

Under age 5, I only allow conscious sedation, which is oral Versed and pain meds. I drove two hours to get my youngest conscious sedation when despite careful monitoring and twice daily fluoride applications the pediatric dentist and I had been doing to get him heavy enough to use the meds and he got a hole in his tooth in the middle of a cross country move. Dentist was really clear he wouldn't consider NOT using sedation, and had the tooth deteriorated any sooner and we would have been in oral surgery at the children's hospital.

Never, ever in a million years would I let any child be traumatized about dental work. I know adults who will let their teeth rot in their heads before they will see a dentist because of childhood trauma like that. And my son who passed had to be sedated for cleanings and in an OR for any work because of what was done while he was a foster child just like the crap she describes.

As a mother, I do judge that stunt. It's NOT okay to be a bully to your child, plain and simple. And it's not okay to use your child as your defender when people call you on being a bully to your child!

[polecat]

It's not really clear as she she doesn't mention gas for the first visit, or state it was definitely not used. I think it's just an assumption.

I'm not clear on dental practice in the US. Would it be usual for kids to have gas routinely? Or is it generally just for nervous patients? It's not routine where I live. There again whilst not loving the dentist my kid is not fearful, she had a tooth pulled for overcrowding with the numbing gel followed by the local anaesthesia.

The dentist does offer diazepam for adults but anything requiring further anaesthesia would need to be done at the dental hospital. I'll need to look it up as I kind of like the idea of nitrous for myself :lol:

To be honest the ins and outs of the visit what she did and did not do are not of interest to me as others said there are plenty who nitpick her every move, word, picture to the almost obsessive degree. Bikes with no helmets, child with dummy, feet on tables, car seat belts, you name it.

My interest is her motive. She obviously reads what is written about her and I always wonder if she courts the controversy on purpose or is she genuinely oblivious to how she is perceived.

I just can't imagine how her 12 year old daughter must feel reading the comments. As a public blogger and an adult nie knows she opens herself up for criticism be it warranted or not, how can she let her kid be involved in that? How on earth is that healthy? Her last post she talks about safety, about her home being a 'safe' place, to close the door on nastiness. Wether she thinks she has done nothing wrong or not, by allowing her child to see and respond online she may as well leave her door wide open. (Metaphorically.)

No, it is not routine to give kids nitrous oxide. My kids have been going since they got their first tooth (so, around 4-5 months of age), and they've never had gas. Of course, they've also never had any major dental problems. One had a small surface cavity that was done without even anesthesia because it was so superficial. PErhaps had they needed more extensive treatment, the NO would be needed/wanted, but so far, they've never had it.

As for the gas at the first visit, the implication was there. Perhaps it WAS an assumption on my part. But her wording certainly made it sound as though he wasn't given it at the first appointment.

As to car seat belts and bikes with no helmets? Hell yes I'd have "nitpicked" over those issues had I seen thm (I'm new to her). Those are life-and-death issues. Three decades later and I STILL feel sick over my sister's crush, who hit a rock in the road, flipped over his handle bars and knocked two holes in his skull. Didn't realize he'd been injured until the spinal fluid was flowing out his nose. Multiple brain surgeries later, and he still died. So you're damn right I'm "obsessive" about bike helmets. And car seat belts? Not even optional, imo.

[OkToBeTakei]

No, it is not routine to give kids nitrous oxide. My kids have been going since they got their first tooth (so, around 4-5 months of age), and they've never had gas. Of course, they've also never had any major dental problems. One had a small surface cavity that was done without even anesthesia because it was so superficial. PErhaps had they needed more extensive treatment, the NO would be needed/wanted, but so far, they've never had it.

As for the gas at the first visit, the implication was there. Perhaps it WAS an assumption on my part. But her wording certainly made it sound as though he wasn't given it at the first appointment.

As to car seat belts and bikes with no helmets? Hell yes I'd have "nitpicked" over those issues had I seen thm (I'm new to her). Those are life-and-death issues. Three decades later and I STILL feel sick over my sister's crush, who hit a rock in the road, flipped over his handle bars and knocked two holes in his skull. Didn't realize he'd been injured until the spinal fluid was flowing out his nose. Multiple brain surgeries later, and he still died. So you're damn right I'm "obsessive" about bike helmets. And car seat belts? Not even optional, imo.

Oh boy I thought you were very familiar with her. Honestly? Stay well away my internet friend, you will just see red. She posts a lot of that type of stuff :(

[polecat]

Oh boy I thought you were very familiar with her. Honestly? Stay well away my internet friend, you will just see red. She posts a lot of that type of stuff :(

That's really sad. I don't get it.

And maybe I SHOULD stay away. I struggle with otherwise intelligent people playing stupid games with their kids' well-being. Certainly some of this comes down to culture and personal beliefs, but imo, seatbelts, helmets and basic safety measures are not optional.

[OkToBeTakei]

That's really sad. I don't get it.

And maybe I SHOULD stay away. I struggle with otherwise intelligent people playing stupid games with their kids' well-being. Certainly some of this comes down to culture and personal beliefs, but imo, seatbelts, helmets and basic safety measures are not optional.

It's kind of why she piques my interest. On the face of it her story, her blog could be inspirational and viewed with compassion and admiration. Young attractive Mum horribly disfigured in accident. Posts her daily struggles as a burns victim, as a young Mother...religious and faith added in.

Except.................she talks about 'fat' people and other assorted niceties. All the no bike helmets, no seat-belts...not just once. ALL the time.The Gungho fiasco. The list goes on. She almost makes it hard to like her. For sure the haters really hate. REALLY REALLY hate. She is polarising for sure.

She utterly confuses me. I'm beginning to think she actually does just not get the bigger picture. I prefer to think that, than believe she courts the controversy for monetary gain on her blog :(

[turquoise]

I'm not clear on dental practice in the US. Would it be usual for kids to have gas routinely? Or is it generally just for nervous patients? It's not routine where I live.

It's not routine but many pediatric dentists have it available. In my area, there are several dentists who have sedation available for their adult patients as well.

My oldest was very anxious and wiggly as a preschooler. Our family dentist didn't feel she could work on him so she referred us to a pediatric practice. Actually, we visited two. One practice was really busy and many of the staff members seemed impatient. They wanted permission to strap my son to a papoose board, which I refused. Fortunately, we found another pediatric practice that we really liked. They really took the time to make the kids comfortable.

At first, he had to have anything besides cleanings done under conscious sedation with Versed. When he was older, he was okay with just nitrous, and now he does fine at the dentist without sedation or nitrous at all.

It was absolutely worth the time and effort we took to make him as comfortable as possible at the dentist when he was little and scared. Nienie's attitude really makes me angry.

[moodygirl86]

Those poor kids! :(

[FaustianSlip]

The idea of a parent allowing a kid to have a toothache for the better part of six months without bringing them to a dentist is bizarre to me- my own parents never would have let something like that go on for so long, ever. I might have tried to hide it if I was afraid of going to the dentist, but once they knew, it would have been off to the dentist's office, pronto. If it's a money thing, she's clearly got enough cash to dress all of her kids like a J. Crew catalog and have a fabulous house, in which case she should spend some of that money on dental care, methinks.

I also found this gem on the blog (nieniedialogues.blogspot.jp/2015/04/gods-plan.html):

Every Thursday we feed the construction workers who are working nearby our

home, and we try to teach them about Jesus Christ

and God's beautiful plan for each of His children.

Some laugh at us.

Some make fun of us.

Some ignore us.

But...some come.

Some even listen.

God's plan is wonderful and simple.

Ugh, lady, just GTFO, seriously. I can't speak for every construction worker, obviously, but the very last thing I would want during my own lunch hour would be to find myself trapped listening to some Bible-thumping do-gooder rambling on about how much I need Mormonism (or any other religion, for that matter). Free food would do nothing to sweeten that deal. Also, she lives in Provo, for God's sake- how many non-Mormon people are even around, including these construction workers? It's not like you're in some area where no one's ever encountered a Mormon before.

I also hate the way she formats her writing so that it's center-justified. What's that about? Ugh.

[lilwriter85]

It's kind of why she piques my interest. On the face of it her story, her blog could be inspirational and viewed with compassion and admiration. Young attractive Mum horribly disfigured in accident. Posts her daily struggles as a burns victim, as a young Mother...religious and faith added in.

Except.................she talks about 'fat' people and other assorted niceties. All the no bike helmets, no seat-belts...not just once. ALL the time.The Gungho fiasco. The list goes on. She almost makes it hard to like her. For sure the haters really hate. REALLY REALLY hate. She is polarising for sure.

She utterly confuses me. I'm beginning to think she actually does just not get the bigger picture. I prefer to think that, than believe she courts the controversy for monetary gain on her blog :(

I didn't know who Nie was until I saw her on Oprah in 2010. There she seemed a bit inspirational. But when I researched her online I stumbled onto GOMI and that Two Peas in Pod site that used to discuss and NieNie Without Pity. I also read some of her infamous pre-crash entries which crapped on other people. There were some pre-crash entries in which she seemed ok.

NieNie thrives on her fangirls' admiration. They don't see or realize the crappy things she has said and done on her blog, IG, and twitter. I hate to sound mean, but her some of her fans aren't too bright. I remember NieNie posted a pic of Christian riding a bicycle with Charlotte in a basket. Neither one was wearing a helmet. Of course, some people brought up helmets and one of NieNie's fangirls defended Nie and said that it was ok for Christian and Charlotte not to wear helmets because "they were just going around the neighborhood". Accidents happen all the time in neighborhoods.

[OkToBeTakei]

Well I figure this won't be the last controversy. It appears to occur with regularity. I suppose I will always just have to wonder. The pattern keeps repeating though :think:

[morfydd]

Random data point: I don't have kids, but when I was a kid myself I always got nitrous for any fillings. Then a topical anaesthetic that was supposed to numb my gums so I couldn't feel the real anaesthetic injections. (The topical never really worked on me. Ouch.) They also had headphones with music or dramas on a loop so I didn't have to listen to the drilling. I listened to the same Muppet Show over and over again. :)

When I was ten or so I had to undergo full sedation for a bunch of teeth extraction, and ever after that nitrous made me hallucinate that I was trembling, so they stopped giving it to me. But before that it wasn't even offered as an option, just routinely given.

[MamaJunebug]

I actually don't think Mormons are generally that weird about the priesthood when it comes to everyday life. Boys don't get the priesthood until 12 anyway, so this kid wouldn't have it yet.

Thanks, Rachel333. That makes some sense!

[nomoxian]

Kids often pick up on the fears and anxieties of parents, and it seems like she might have fed into it.

"We said a thousand prayers beforehand" WTF woman; he's getting a common dental procedure, not life-threatening surgery!

"wasn't going to let him stay home from school for being a stinker." Shaming your kid for being scared? Lovely.

:sick: Maybe next time he should get sedated. It does involve a needle, but I find a needle in the hand isn't as bad as several in the mouth (I don't take to Novocaine well) and you can use numbing creme to reduce the puncture pain.

[nomoxian]

I'm not clear on dental practice in the US. Would it be usual for kids to have gas routinely? Or is it generally just for nervous patients? It's not routine where I live.

When I was a kid I lived in Canada, and didn't get nitrous until I had my wisdom teeth removed (I also was sedated via IV)

I went to a kids dentist and don't remember seeing any restraint devices. The dentist was really good at giving needles, and I don't remember any pain even though I often had cavities.

[lilwriter85]

Well I figure this won't be the last controversy. It appears to occur with regularity. I suppose I will always just have to wonder. The pattern keeps repeating though :think:

I agree, it won't be the last. But I have to wonder if Nie will ever have a major fall from grace with fangirls and the blogging world. Yeah, she has been called out on a lot of shit on GOMI boards and the energy drink stuff made the front page of GOMI. Nie still manages to be with BlogHer despite her not disclosing blog sponsorships. The blog sponsorship and possible issues with the FTC(iirc) is brought up constantly on GOMI and it was pointed somewhere that Mckmama was dropped by BlogHer for not disclosing sponsorships and I'm sure Mckama's other drama played a part in that.

To me, it sucks that other bloggers get their deserved falls, while Nie doesn't quite get that. She has lost some fans over the years. She still manages to get speaking gigs and media attention.

[polecat]

Kids often pick up on the fears and anxieties of parents, and it seems like she might have fed into it.

"We said a thousand prayers beforehand" WTF woman; he's getting a common dental procedure, not life-threatening surgery!

"wasn't going to let him stay home from school for being a stinker." Shaming your kid for being scared? Lovely.

:sick: Maybe next time he should get sedated. It does involve a needle, but I find a needle in the hand isn't as bad as several in the mouth (I don't take to Novocaine well) and you can use numbing creme to reduce the puncture pain.

That occurred to me, too.

[Mama Mia]

This brings back horrible memories of trying to take one of my kids to the dentist. Any dentist. He had the horrible combination of weak teeth, extreme ADHD ( emphasis on the H ) AND would go into uncontrolled hysterics if he was constrained --especially triggered by anything near his face. Ah. Good times. Not. :violin: :sick:

I think a really interesting part though is her 12 year old jumping in to defend her mom. Do bloggers think about this ahead of time? How many stop blogging, or switch to only completely non- controversial topics ( as if there were such a thing )? Especially big, popular blogs . Or do they just try to head their older kids off by explaining that people on the Internet are not always polite or agree with mommy. And even if they do talk to the kid about it, how hard it must be for kids to not take this stuff very personally! I really wonder. Because I don't see any way a parent could prevent a kid who is 12 from finding and reading their social media -- and all the comments. Strange world.

[FaustianSlip]

Given that, based on the photos that accompany pretty much every post, Nienie appears to have a team of professional photographers following her and her family around every minute of the day, I gather the privacy and/or feelings of her children are pretty much the last thing on her mind when she posts.

[Peas n carrots]

Wasn't she pregnant with #6? She doesn't look pregnant in the photos...did she miscarry?

[lilwriter85]

Wasn't she pregnant with #6? She doesn't look pregnant in the photos...did she miscarry?

She miscarried in October.

[lilwriter85]

In today's blog posting, the Niester thanked her supporters and that was throwing shade at her haters.

[OkToBeTakei]

WTF? ^ Not inclined to click that link.

[Mama Mia]

WTF? ^ Not inclined to click that link.

It always creeps me out if I stop and think about that kind of spam. Like how does it actually work? Is it a software robot that looks for key words and posts? But how do they know which forums to look in and join? Or is it real people sitting in a dimly lit factory somewhere trolling the internet searching keywords? Or someone on their couch in Kentucky or China paid per spam ? :?