My youngest doesn’t just hate going to the dentist--she loathes it. So at her regularly schedule cleaning when the dentist said she needed to have a cavity filled, I just laughed. “Good luck,” I told him.
“No, it’ll be fine, I’m really good with needles,” he explained. “We don’t use gas here, I just give her a quick injection to numb the area and then she’ll be fine.”
I knew better. I tapped into all my inner mom readiness strategies to prepare for the big day. I bought an inexpensive new stuffed animal to bring along, then I promised myself I wouldn’t mention the shot until after the fact. Normally, I’m all about explaining to my kids exactly what’s going to happen. But with my youngest I knew if I told her about the shot there was no way she’d step into the dentist’s office...ever.
I’m not sure exactly what triggered her fear of dentists. At one of her regular doctor’s visits there was some sort of backlog on her vaccinations and she ended up getting three shots in each leg. Ouch. Understandably, she’s been sore about visiting any kind of doctor since. But this time, I planned to bribe her into submission—if she could make it through her cavity filling, she could have her stuffed animal.
Well, when we arrived at the dentist’s, as promised he was quick with the numbing shot. But not quite fast enough. My youngest hollered and nearly shaved one finger off his right hand. To be fair he was really good at explaining what would happen in a fun, kid-friendly way, “We have to go in and chase out all the little monsters that are eating away at your teeth.” He described five levels of "little meanies" that he’d have to drill out. Before he could get through one level (I think he said they had wings)--my youngest would have none of it. She started to cry uncontrollably. You know, those fits where once your child enters into that cry zone it’s nearly impossible to shake them out of it. I tried everything to bring her out of her fit--mentioned her favorite books, movies, stuffed animals, family vacations, anything to get her mind off the drill.
The dentist suggested coming back another day. I knew I’d be hard pressed to ever get my youngest to enter the office again. Now or never. I think he saw the resolve in my eyes. He called for another assistant. She distracted my youngest with the overhead lamp while I made her stuffed animal do dances above the dentist’s head. He moved fast and filled the cavity. Whew! The dentist didn’t say much after he was done; I wasn’t much for conversation either. My youngest, however, bounced back quickly. “Do I still get to pick something from the treasure box even though I cried?” she asked, her face filled with red splotches.
“Sure,” I said. “But make sure to brush your teeth better so that we don’t have to do this again, okay?”
And maybe that’s our silver lining, since her filling, my youngest has been meticulous about keeping her teeth clean. No more arguments about brushing! She's even flossing.
We had a scene like that at the dentist once when my oldest had to have a tooth pulled. They used laughing gas and novacaine but she insisted she could still feel it and screamed and cried through the whole thing. Traumatic for everyone. She got over it though and we never had another problem at the dentist - I hope you don't either!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! As I said, my daughter's been inspired to brush more vigorously--and more often. Good to know the gas wouldn't have made much of a difference.
ReplyDeleteI've been told that saliva type (sorry to sound gross!) has something to do with cavity-proneness. One type of saliva contributes more to, I believe, plaque build-up while the other contributes to decay. It's great that you can have the kids' teeth sealed, too - of course brushing and flossing are always important regardless.
ReplyDeleteI just took my 3yo for his first dentist appt this week, and thank god it was cavity-free. He had a great time, and I'm hoping we'll avoid cavities for a good long time--I dread the scene you describe. (Though you did describe it hilariously.)
ReplyDeleteOuch! This post brought back many unhappy memories. Strange how vivid even the furnishings at our DC dentist's office remain in my mind. I must have the type of saliva Meredith mentions. Now I have to pay, literally, by having all my crowns redone (I lost several teeth with every child and had my children young) and turned into a crusader for dental hygiene, especially when it comes to my granddaughter!
ReplyDeletePoor kid! Been there. Don't know how old she is, but maybe next time you can try some music on an ipod. Might help a bit...
ReplyDeleteMy update is my youngest had her flu shots the other day and very few tears! Maybe she's getting over her fear of doctors/dentists!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds traumatic for the grown-ups but not as bad for your daughter, who got to express all her fears and was fine afterwards. Phew. I am so glad she's okay and her teeth are okay and you all are okay. And now she's even flossing!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a veteran mother, I also think you can use this experience to refer back to -- e.g., Remember how you used to be afraid of the dentist, but you sailed through getting that cavity filled? Very good piece.
ReplyDeleteMy man's child had his teeth damaged by medicine he had to take multiple times a day from birth to age three. The doctor's never mentioned the drugs were in a sugar syrup and his mouth should be rinsed after each dose.
ReplyDeleteLater on, he had to be put under GA to have several baby teeth pulled and other's drilled and filled. What an unnecessary risk!