7/19/10

I don't like going to the dentist. You could say that I kind of hate going to the dentist. I dislike going to the dentist so much that I recently took a 6 year hiatus from seeing the dentist. And my dentist is a very nice man. Everyone who works at his office is also very nice. Unfortunately, nice is not enough to get past the reason why I don't like going to the dentist. And that reason is fear.

I still remember my first trip to the dentist. I was around 4 or 5 years old. I was being seen because I had cavities - 4 of them. I was a very shy kid who also had a lot of anxiety. I'm not sure if my mom was not allowed to come into the exam room or if she couldn't be there but all I remember was that she was not there. It was just me, the dental assistant and the dentist, Dr. Somebody. I don't remember his name. I've probably blocked it from my memory. I do remember that I was scared, really scared. The dentist told me that I should be brave like a tiger. This dentist obviously did not know that I was also scared of tigers. So anyway, the whole experience was rather traumatic and it seems to have ruined any possibility of me not going into a nervous sweat every time I enter a dentist's office.

So now we jump ahead almost 30 years and now I have 3 children who had never seen the dentist all because of my fear. I finally broke down about 6 months ago and made an appointment for my oldest son to see the dentist. My oldest son has a confidence about him that I am in awe of because it is something I have never possessed. When I dropped him off at his first day of preschool when he was 3 he told me I should leave so he could check things out for himself. My fear of the dentist was also something he did not inherit. He loved his trip to the dentist. He told me, "I got to have cool pictures taken of my teeth, I got stickers, I got a toy out of the prize box and I got to watch cartoons!" Granted, I think the dentist is a lot more kid-friendly then when I was little but still, he LOVED the dentist! He loved it so much he was genuinely excited to go back last week for his 6 month check-up.

After my oldest son's latest check-up I decided I should make an appointment for my 4 year old son to be seen as well. The immense confidence that my 7 year old has is something my 4 year old truly lacks. My 4 year old also seems to have a lot of the same anxiety issues that I remember having as a kid. I was sure there was no way this trip to the dentist was going to be as easy as it had been for my oldest son.

I thought things were probably going to go South when we dropped my oldest son and my daughter off at great-grandma's house. My 4 year old said he would stay at great-grandma's house as well and we could just skip the whole going to the dentist thing. After a lot of convincing I was able to coax him back into his booster seat and on our way to his appointment. When we arrived at the office my son was very excited to see some kid-sized wing-backed chairs he could sit in. He was also happy to see a very cuddly teddy bear. My son loves stuffed animals. He hugged the bear and waited patiently for his turn to see the dentist. He leaned over once and quietly asked me if he was going to get shots. I told him no even though I was not sure. I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do but I knew that if I told him there was a possibility of shots he would have gone running for the front door.

When the dental assistant called my son's name we jumped up quickly. I think we both had some nervous adrenaline running through our veins. The dental assistant was very nice (see above) and asked if my son had been seen by a dentist before. I explained that he was a first timer. She was very patient and brought out all the tools she would be using for my son's check-up. She explained to him what each one was for and let him touch them so he knew they would not hurt. She then proceeded to give him a very cool pair of neon green sunglasses to wear so the bright light would not shine in his eyes. All of a sudden, my nervous, anxious child transformed right before my eyes. He put on the sunglasses and casually leaned back in the dentist chair. He obeyed the dental assistant's every command to open wide or bite down. He was calm. After the dental assistant finished cleaning his teeth and taking his x-rays the dentist came in. The dentist complimented my son for being such a great patient. He also told us the best news, no cavities!

After the check-up my son swaggered down the hallway to go claim his prize from the box. I told him how proud I was of him. He retorted back with a cool, "Yeah." Just goes to show that my children never cease to amaze me. When we were checking out with the receptionist I thought about making an appointment for my daughter to be seen.

Maybe in another 6 months.