Patient Stories

Courageous Smiles

One of our resident Pediatric Dentists first met Jessica in the Emergency Room of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Our resident, Dr. Chu, received a page/call late Saturday night. An otherwise healthy 4 year old, Jessica was admitted to the hospital with her right eye swollen shut due to a dental abscess (infection).

The E.R. and Dr. Chu quickly started an I.V. (intravenous line) and began dripping an antibiotic into Jessica’s body. The accurate diagnosis (abscess of dental origin) and the swift administration of antibiotics saved Jessica’s life. The infection had already spread to her cheek and eye- the next stop was her brain. Jessica remained in the hospital for five days as the swelling slowly decreased.

She was taken to the CDHC for a comprehensive dental exam. Not good news—19 of her 20 teeth had extensive cavities. Our treatment team decided that the safest and most comfortable way to treat Jessica would be under I.V. sedation with a dental anesthesiologist. She would be treated at the CDHC, with a pediatric dentist restoring the teeth and a dental anesthesiologist keeping her in a state of “light sleep” via I.V. medications. Her dental visit went well but we were unable to save three of her teeth due to extensive, non-restorable caries (cavities). This included the tooth that caused the initial infection. When Jessica came for her follow-up visit, we asked that she come with as many family members as possible; her appointment was not with her dentist, it was with Jean, a Registered Dental Hygienist and the coordinator of our Oral Health Education Center. Jessica and her family would spend the next 40 minutes learning about and demonstrating proper diet and brushing habits.

We continue to monitor Jessica’s progress, and we see signs of improvement—no new cavities! We hope to increase our innovative prevention and education models so that we rarely have to meet our patients in hospital Emergency Rooms.