A trip to the Dentist

For most people a trip to the dentist is a very stressful event. This holds true for our little family. There is no real reason for me to fear the dentist (other than the fact that my husband's tumor was found at the dentist). I have never had braces, never needed more than minor freezing for 1 or 2 cavities and definitely have never needed major mouth surgery, even my wisdom teeth came out with a quick tug. But like most people I have not seen a dentist in nearly 6 years. There is no excuse. We have had 80% coverage through Blair's work for 4 years and I have had 100% coverage for over a year now so why wait?

Having children forces you to face fears that you would never do other wise, like relocating spiders from your home to the backyard, all with a fake smile instead of screaming hysterically and fleeing with flailing arms. Like the spiders, I sucked it up and called the dentist. "They" say (you know, all the children experts, mothers of 7 plus kids, nurses, doctors, and the nosey neighbor a few doors down) that your child should have their first check up at the age of 1 or about 6 months after they pop their first tooth. Well for Kaiya, she popped her first at around 11 months so we were spared a few months till "D" day. As you can see, we are WAY over due though. Call it being overly busy, having a baby, blah, blah, blah, excuse, excuse. It was time to take her in.

We have been psyching her up for days now, telling her that the dentist is going to ask her to open wide and then he will say "what beautiful teeth you have", brush them, then give you a toy (praying that they still give out toys). She bought it. While the dentist checked me out and discussed my xrays (a cavity! Say what?!) she impatiently kept asking if it was her turn. Once done she leapt into the chair and opened wide. She sat so well, listened and behaved like an angel. The hygienist cleaned her teeth and was even able to polish them. I am so proud of her, she got the "oh my, what beautiful teeth you have" and we as parents even got a few praises. We must be doing something right. 

And I am happy to report that yes, they do give out toys still!