A few weeks ago we got a phone call. The dentist office was calling to see if we could reschedule one of our appointments. I wanted to be helpful but explained that we would have a childcare conundrum with a couple of the rescheduling options they presented. The receptionist offered a solution, "Just bring her along! It's good for kids to come and watch before they have their first teeth cleaning."We agreed that it sounded like a good idea. What we didn't count on was Ellie's intense fear upon entering the office. The sights and sounds sent her into a tizzy, climbing up my body like a monkey up a tree. Tears flowed and Ellie shared many cries of, "No, no, no!". This went on for some time and I began to doubt the intelligence of our plan. I was concerned that other patients in the office thought we might be inflicting emotional torment on our daughter for our personal convenience. Eventually, after coloring pages and waiting room toys failed to soothe her, the hygenist offered to start some videos on her computer as a distraction. Thankfully, it worked. The videos featured a monkey and some puppies visiting the dentist, using toothbrushes and dental floss, and Ellie loved it. She still asks to "watch the monkey."
By the time it was my turn to sit in the chair, Ellie was so completely warmed up that she sat on my stomach to get a closer view of what was taking place in my mouth. She was excited to get some 'presents' (see photo above) and though she refused to 'ride' up and down in the chair, she allowed Nathan to brush her teeth in the office with her new brush. She gave hugs and kisses to our hygenist and dentist (whom she called a 'grandpa' -- what she calls any older gentleman, ahem) ... and then the receptionist too on her way out the door!
Since our visit, hardly a day goes by when she doesn't ask to go back! She also seemed to catch on that you have to clean your teeth to 'get the sugar bugs out' and she reminds us of that frequently too. All in all, it was a good trip! Let's hope the next one goes even better!
3 comments:
I'm glad she warmed up to most things dental. :) I've never been afraid of the dentist, but SO many people are. Hopefully, her first "real" visit will go well. :)
I will never understand how someone actually wants to work in dentistry. As a child, I dreaded The month of August because it meant going to the dentist and going back to Mt. Carmel.
I fully understand. Samuel was amazing when he first went, but the dentist told him he had to stop sucking his thumb. A few days went by and we were traveling in the car when Samuel said, "mommy, I don't want to stop sucking my thumb. I am going to send a mean letter to that dentist!". So I am a little afraid of the next visit. Maybe I will see if they have that video!
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